Blood Wine: A Quin and Morgan Mystery

Quin and Morgan mysteries #5

by John Moss

When homicide detective Miranda Quin becomes a suspect in a murder case, she and her partner, Morgan, must ignore the boundaries of the law in order to find out what really happened.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Canada

425 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

John Moss writes mysteries because nothing brings life into focus like the murder of strangers. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2006 in recognition of his career as a professor of Canadian literature with over a score of books in his field, John moved progressively away from literary criticism to creative writing, before settling comfortably into the Quin and Morgan series which now occupies his writing efforts full time. He and his wife, Beverley Haun, whose book, Inventing ‘Easter Island’, grew out of her work as a cultural theorist and their travel adventures as scuba divers, share a stone farmhouse with numerous ghosts in Peterborough, Ontario. Recently sidelined from his diving avocation (he was an instructor in both PADI and SDI programs), John and Bev have no intention of giving up whitewater canoeing and cross-country skiing with old friends, or taking long hikes in interesting places around the world.

John is professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa.

Reviews

[Ampersand Inc. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a few of the books in this Quinn and Morgan series from John Moss and have enjoyed them all. I think I like this one the best because I can’t stop thinking about it. The main characters, Miranda Quinn and David Morgan are real, they have good points and foibles and this story really puts them to a test. Miranda wakes up to find her lover murdered beside her and she has no recollection of what happened. It turns out she is being framed and there are many layers you have to sift through until everything is resolved. Of course she can’t work the case but Morgan keeps her abreast of everything that is going on. There is a strong theme of underground terrorists that is plausible and maybe even worrying.

[Beverley Haun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read the entire series of Quin and Morgan mysteries. I especially liked this one because it is set near to where I grew up. I like the relationship between the detectives as well as the humour and quirkiness of their relationship. This book hits close to home with all the international corruption we are seeing these days.

Since I so enjoy these detectives, I am pleased to see that they are in John Moss's new mystery, "Lindstrom Alone", which I think is the best he has written yet!

[Removed Removed · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book came to me by way of a Goodreads.com giveaway. The story is part of a series written by author John Moss (YAY! for Canadian authors) about homicide detectives David Morgan and Miranda Quin. The story opens with Miranda Quin waking in her bed to find her lover Philip Carter shot to death by her gun, the bed blood soaked with Philip’s entrails and cryptic writing on her bathroom walls. As the novel unfolds the two are left trying to solve the crime, where the body count continues to go up and their only really strong lead is the blonde woman “Elke” who shows up at Miranda’s door with a severed hand in her purse. The plot unfolds in Toronto, New Jersey and even across the pond in England, and builds towards a climax in the heart of Canada’s “world class” city.

This novel had a lot of potential to be a great read. The mafia, homicide detectives, Al Qaeda, mysterious blonde bombshell with a severed hand…it should be a page turner…and in some places it was. For me, it only missed on the ending, and I say that because too much of the mystery was explained before the end of the book. Miranda’s lover, Elke (the bombshell), and the story behind the wine operation all explained away way before the end of the novel. Which left me reading a final chapter or two where the interest level was already down because I knew too much. Other than, that small point, this was an excellent read, and hats off to John Moss for selling me on Canadian style mysteries.

The characters are strong and interesting and I like the relationship between the two main characters. A few loose ends tossed in would encourage me to read another or go back and read the others prior to this one. I am happy as well to find a Canadian author who can turn out a decent murder mystery set primarily in Canada, and tie it in to Canada’s place in the world scene.

[Krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book, not only because of the intriguing synopsis, but also because of the title. And while it did suck me in pretty much from the beginning (and make me worry that the theme of underground terrorists sounds all too plausible), I did find myself getting confused quite a bit. However, this had more to do with the fact that I was unaware when I requested it that it was the fourth book in a series, so there was a lot of back-story and groundwork between the characters already laid that I had missed out on.

Even with that, I found this novel to be a fast paced and gripping mystery, filled with thrills and "I-can't-put-this-down" moments. I found myself carrying my kindle around with me in an attempt to keep reading even when there were other things I had to do. I worried about the characters, I found myself anxious to find out where things were going, and how deeply the characters would be impacted.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries and thrillers, especially those that are as multi-layered and engaging as this one was.

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.
Now image had this book for quite awhile.and I just wasn't feeling the genre so I hadn't picked it up until now. I really enjoyed the story. I don't read too many murder mysteries especially adult ones haha. But I did enjoy the plot. Sometimes I was bored with the whole mafia blah blah stuff so I did end up skimming a bit of the book. But I would read another like it or more in the series.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

4th in the series, but first I’ve read. It's quirky; the two detectives don’t seem to go by the book, and there is an odd romantic tension between them. It starts with 1 detective waking up beside a dead body (her recent [2-month] lover) and then the plot balloons to include wine fraud, international crime, drugs, and terrorism.

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: This ARC was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was set in Canada (yes! How I miss living there), and the mystery was good, and with a lot of thrills. Highly recommended.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great entry from a series I very much enjoy. I am feeling especially smug from FINALLY figuring out where Waldron is after so many vague Waterloo County hits. Can we have a whole book set there please?

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book, great details. loved it all and it still pops into my mind to this day.

[Pax · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was engaging and the characters were interesting.Just the right amount of humor to compliment a mystery.

[Izabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Engaging. Like watching a super-long episode of Law & Order. Draws you in from page 1.