Murder Alfresco

Sunny McCoskey #3

by Nadia Gordon

Returning from a party late one night, chef Sunny McCoskey is the first to discover the body of a murdered woman left outside a local winery, and she may even have witnessed the killer driving away. Thrust into the center of a crime that has rattled the tranquil Napa Valley, Sunny pursues her own investigation, a journey that takes her from Northern California's wine country to the insular houseboat community along the San Francisco Bay. Uncovering a tangle of secret liaisons, Sunny closes in on the murderer, who responds with one more desperate act. With Murder Alfresco , author Nadia Gordon again takes us into the heart of the food and wine culture of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, and introduces us to an array of irreverent characters. As the Los Angeles Times said, "Sunny is a welcome, energetic heroine. . . . She and her pals are fun to be around."

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Wine, Cozy Mystery

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Nadia Gordon is the pen name of writer Julianne Balmain.

Reviews

[Eadie Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in the Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley series. Sunny is walking home from a party late at night and finds Heidi Romero hanging from a tree. She has been murdered and Sunny sees a white truck leaving the scene. She ends up investigating in Sausalito near San Francisco and soon figures out who the murderer is but not before finding herself in dangerous situations. I enjoyed this series very much and I'm looking forward to reading Lethal Vintage, the last book in the series. If you enjoy books about food and wine then you will enjoy this series.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it another shot, reading the next books in this series. It's better...not as much gratuitous food and wine descriptions, more character and plot development. I still find it hard to believe that any sane person would put themself at risk for no good reason tho, by being so nosy then feel it necessary to solve a murder. Especially when their neighborhood police detective is a freindr, of sorts, and is obviously going to become her love interest in a book or two.

[Bette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walking home from a party late one night Sunny McCloskey finds a dead body. The victim haunts her dreams, sapping her energy. Hoping to remove Heidi from her dreams, Sunny sets out to learn about Heidi Romero. Her investigation takes her from the northern California wine country to the house-boat community of San Francisco Bay.

An enjoyable mystery with food.

[Sonjie Outlaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who New that surfing was so exhilarating!

Sunny finds a body hanging in front of a winery as she walks home from a party. The police tells her to stay out of the investigation, no way.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walking home at nigh from a get party and discovering a body leads to getting too involved in the life of the murdered woman. Growing up in this area it was interesting to read and know the areas mentioned.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, and easy to read. I'm not a big fan of murder mysteries but this kept most of my attention... I did do some skimming.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, I am so conflicted about this book. I like Sunny McCloskey and her friends. Their relationship and interactions are witty and fun and loving. They seem like a caring and supportive extended family and a great group to be a part of and hang out with. I love the Friday night get-togethers.

However, Sunny is turning out to be one of these hardheaded, tenacious and TSTL cozy heroines. She just can’t let go and just keeps pushing and sticking her nose into things she has no right or business doing. She also nearly gets killed when trying to keep the murder from leaving town.

I was really disappointed by her actions. Sunny is running her own restaurant and is a hardworking and intelligent person, but she seems to lose all sense and control and can’t seem to help herself from trying to investigate this murder on her own. She has her specious reasons – wanting to be sure before informing her “kind of” friend (they have a history but her is really not part of her circle), the police investigator. The fact is, though, she is reckless, foolhardy and takes risks that can get her killed and almost did in this book.

I still enjoyed the book on the whole, though Sunny annoyed me with her actions and behavior. I think it could have been a much better book if Sunny didn’t turn out to be TSTL.

[Marlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Sunny McCloskey series. I met Nadia at Left Coast Crime in Hawai'i last March, and won this book for correctly answering a trivia question.
Sunny is the chef/owner of Wildside a restaurant in the Napa Valley. She leaves a boring party late one night, intending to call a taxi, but discovers that her cell phone battery is dead. Since it's only a few miles, she decides to walk home. The only vehicle she sees is a truck pulling out from the drive of a vineyard. A few minutes later, she sees something hanging from a tree branch, and upon investigating further, discovers it's the body of a woman. She breaks into the vineyard's office and calls the authories, but although she tries to forget about the incident, she finds herself obsessed with the young woman and determines to find out what kind of person she was, in the hopes of settling her mind. The story is a bit coincidence-laden, but it's well-written, and Sunny is a sympathetic protagonist.

[Samantha Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three in the Napa Valley mystery series. I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the food talk, the description of the landscape, and the fact that we get to know Sunny, the protagonist, a bit more in this novel. However, I found the actually mystery and motive less appealing than in the first two books in the series. After finishing the book, I found myself wondering who the killer had been and when I rememebered I kept thinking, wait, why?! The motive wasn't compelling. But this didn't diminish my reading enjoyment. I gave this book four stars because I liked the characters, the writing, the basic story.

[Andrea Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well Sunny McCoskey is certainly continuing to improve as an amateur sleuth. She can't stop herself from wanting to solve the case and she also seems to be the one who is finding the body! Her insomnia may keep a reader up to all hours, wanting to finish the story. I do look forward to reading another book in this particular series. Also the descriptions of Napa Valley have made visiting a priority;preferably without encountering any of the dangers that Sunny has found herself in! I do like good food and wine which are well described by the author.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunny finds a body at a vineyard on a midnight stroll and a combination of distress and her insatiable curiousity get the better of her once more. This time we escape St Helena for some roadtrips to Sausalito and the Muir Woods area. Bondage, Ferrari's, and houseboats intrude on the usual Napa themes of wine and food. Looking forward to the next book when we see if Rivka's connection with her new boyfriend is still going strong and if Sunny expands her business.

[Ginny · Rating 2 out of 5]

So you ever just want to shake the main character and say, be serious. Sunny discovers a young woman who has been killed, she has had some experience with murders before but still manages to trample evidence, hide evidence, run her own investigation, yet wants the investigating officer to fill her in on his investigation while she does whatever she wants. In real life she would be sitting in a jail cell, not solving the murder.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best plot of the series and also the creepiest of the series to date. I very much recommend not starting this book at bedtime as Sunny’s discovery of a dead body is leaps and bounds more spine-tingling than anything in prior books. Cannot believe my local library does not own the next book, as I’m dying (pun intended) to get another fix of Sunny’s entertaining adventures with wine. Recommended.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved reading about the Wine Country, but it was clear who the murderer was in the first 5 sentences of his/her (no spoilers here) introduction.

And the actions of Sunny, the main character, were completely idiotic. A great background from someone who obviously knows her territory spoiled by a sloppy plot.

[audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

So... there are no consequences for evidence-tampering? No say, arrest-like consequences for removing evidence, running evidence under warm water, recording over evidence, failing to turn evidence over to police WHEN YOU ARE A MATERIAL WITNESS IN A MURDER CASE?

Good to know.

I wish Gordon didn't write such lovely sentences, because overall these books are convoluted and over-indulgent.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice mystery read, and the food descriptions (the heroine owns a small restaurant in Napa) made me hungry!

(And thanks to my visit to the SF area this year, I recognized many of the locals, which was cool.)

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the most disappointing mysteries I've ever read. The story was disjointed and the characters were poorly developed and not very likable. I love Napa Valley wine country and was really hoping to enjoy this series but I don't think I can read another one of these.

[Genie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok mystery, a new series for me, Descriptions of sunny' s life as a cook and restaurant owner were interesting to me, almost more than the mystery itself. I wanted to eke reading but really only2-3 stars worth.

[Ellen Marchessault · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sunny McCoskey's third outing. This time she discovers a woman hanging from a tree at the Vedana winery. Of course she cannot leave the solving to Steve Harvey, local police officer. The climax comes on the road to the top of Mt. Tamalpais, after a few trips to Sausalito. Reliable read.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too much of the main character making silly excuses for doing dumbass things. I know mystery writing is a tightrope, but still.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like Nadia Gordon's books. I've read two now, and they are fun, easy reads. Great for a long flight. She is a San Franciscan who writes murder mysteries set in Napa Valley.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

can't help myself - i love this series set in napa valley, yummy food and sights and totally engaging...

[Pam Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the first two Sunny McCoskey mysteries - this one not as much. Still love the characters and setting - wine country in the Napa Valley and all of the food references.

[Jessica (booneybear) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would have never finished this book had it not been so short. Not my cup of tea whatsoever.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second book I've read by her. I like the female character who is spunky like Kinsey in the sue grafton novels.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I'm ready for a glass of wine and some good food!

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another immensely satisfying book about chef Sunny McCloskey and the California wine country.

[Mima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it really Intense

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good light reading book. I like the setting in the wine country with the added dimension of a chef being involved. Based on this book I would read other books by Nadia Gordon.

[Colleen Shogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series, mostly because the main character, Sunny, has some flaws that make her more realistic. And I love the setting and reading about her work as a restaurant owner.