By Liz Soares
Lucy Sheridan visited her Aunt Sara and Sara’s partner, Mary, in Summer River during her school vacations. It was a freer and more relaxed atmosphere than that of her home life with her tense, bickering, academic parents.
In Summer River, Lucy hung out with the local high school students. She knew them, but not as well as they knew each other. The A-list was led by spoiled rich boys Tristan Brinker and Quinn Colfax, sons of local scions. So Lucy was pleased to be invited to a party they were hosting at a hangout on an abandoned ranch.
Much to her dismay, she was spirited away from the event by Mason Fletcher. He was a few years older, an orphan who had been adopted by his uncle, a little rough around the edges. Mason said the boys planned to rape Lucy. Sara immediately sent her niece home.
Lucy doesn’t return to Summer River for years, not until Sara and Mary die in a car accident. She has inherited their home. Lucy’s now all grown up and working as a forensic genealogist. That is, she sorts out family ties to settle inheritance claims.
Mason is also in town. He’s taking a break from the technology investigation company back east that he runs with his genius brother, and helping his uncle at his hardware store.
They quickly, albeit uneasily, reconnect. Lucy knows she has to make a few repairs to Sara’s classic Craftsman-style bungalow before she puts it on the market, so the hardware store is one of her first stops. But she soon learns that her work in Summer River may not be as simple as she anticipated. The land on which the house stands holds valuable potential as a vineyard, and this is a town where wearing “wine country casual” attire is now de rigueur. Vineyards have become the center of Summer River life.
Lucy is also surprised to discover that she has inherited Mary’s shares of Colfax, Inc. The family business is owned by Quinn’s father, Warner, and the other shareholders aren’t pleased that an outlier is about to enter the mix. Warner is now more interested in his vineyard than his company, so tensions run high even before Lucy’s inheritance is revealed. If Warner decides to sell the business, Lucy’s vote as a board member will be crucial.
Then a body is discovered in Aunt Sara’s fireplace …
There’s no lack of suspects for that murder, the fire that burns down the bungalow, or the mysterious incident on River Road. Mason is drugged, and an SUV nearly runs him off the pavement. Lucy’s investigative skills come into play as she tries to sort out the tangle of family and business ties, both past and present, that are quietly embroiling the picturesque town.
The story moves apace, Lucy and Mason are likable lovebirds, and the wine flows smoothly throughout. What’s not to like? With readers safe from all the murder and mayhem, Summer River is the perfect place to spend a summer afternoon on the beach.
