«A Taste of Murder» by J.H. Wear

Wine is poetry in a bottle.

Oscar Detrick, a well-known sommelier and part owner of a wine agency, was not known for being a gentleman. Instead his attributes would include arrogant, lack of morals and using his oversized figure to intimidate others. Detrick also wrote a wine column in the local paper and was not above using the articles to enhance the sale of his wines and to torpedo the competition. It made Detrick a formidable man and he enjoyed the opportunity to use it.

The Stony Hills Wine Festival features hundreds of vendors sampling wine, beer and spirits to thousands of customers. On the morning of the second and final day of the event, Detrick is suddenly collapses at his booth. He dies without anyone attempting first aid. His sudden demise came from the consumption of poison.

Detectives Moss Stone and Anya Roberts face the daunting task of going through a long list of suspects, including his business partner, ex-wives and other vendors. To solve the case they immerse themselves in the world of the business of wine and wine shows. As the wine festival draws to a close, Stone and Roberts are in a race to catch the perpetrator before he or she can leave the city. And does the missing bag of garbage holds the clues they need to solve the murder?