Death on the Vine by L. Lee Kane

Just before high school graduation, Daisy Murphy returns home from a football game and finds her mother standing over her abusive boyfriend’s body—holding a bloody hammer. In the aftermath, Daisy flees her home and eventually establishes a new life as an expert winemaker in the Central Valley of California. But as hard as she tries to get away from her past, the effects of that horrible night travel with her.

Detective Jake Frisco has unearthed a murder at the vineyard where Daisy is employed as the winery’s expert winemaker. It doesn’t take long to discover that Daisy is haunted by her past and carries a heavy burden. It seems that possible involvement in an unsolved murder is part of her life’s baggage. Does this put Daisy at the top of the suspects list? Can he put aside his growing feelings for her and follow the leads in the case, even if they take him straight to her as the murderer?

Can Daisy finally face her past and trust that the truth she offers the detective will be enough to save her? Will she find the courage to ask for a future beyond the sorrow of her youth—a future filled with love and self-worth?

L. Lee Kane took time out of her busy schedule to discuss her latest novel, DEATH ON THE VINE, with The Big Thrill:

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

Knowledge about the wine industry and the forgery of wine.

Escape to a small city in Yosemite.

A thrill ride in suspense.

How does this book make a contribution to the genre?

It combines romance with suspense, and information that many readers would not know about wine.

Was there anything new you discovered, or that surprised you, as you wrote this book?

Oh yes, I wanted to have a person murdered, chopped up, and put into a wine barrel. Little did I know that you would have to chop the body up into itty bitty pieces in order to fit through the hole. Needless to say, that would take too much time for the murderer to do it and get away.

No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material?

I was amazed to find out how much wine is forged in the world. Not only the most expensive wine but your twenty dollar wines. They can make a pretty penny profit.

What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?

Brad Metzler, Steve Berry, Truman Capote..so many more.

*****

Linda L. Kane, MA in Education, PPS, School Psychologist, and Learning Disability Specialist, is the author of The Black Madonna, Chilled to the Bones, and DEATH ON THE VINE, A Daisy Murphy Mystery. She lives with her husband, three dogs, one bird, and eight horses in California.

To learn more about Linda, please visit her website.