Ellen Crosby Books

Ellen Crosby's "beguiling" ("Kirkus Reviews") fifth mystery takes readers into Washington's corridors of power, where Lucie Montgomery uncovers a political and financial scandal while trying to locate her missing friend. WHEN LUCIE MONTGOMERY VISITS Washington, D.C., during cherry blossom season she doesn't expect her reunion with old friend Rebecca Natale is a setup. But Rebecca disappears into thin air after running an errand for her boss, billionaire philanthropist and investment guru Sir Thomas Asher. Also missing: an antique silver wine cooler looted by British soldiers before they burned the White House during the War of 1812. The next morning Lucie identifies Rebecca's neatly folded clothes found in a rowboat floating in the Potomac River. Is it suicide, murder--or an elaborate scheme to disappear? A clandestine meeting in the U.S. Capitol, a startling revelation on a windy hill, and cryptic messages from Rebecca cloaked in eighteenth-century poetry are all part of the suspenseful tale of whether Rebecca is alive or dead--and the truth about Asher Investments. Featuring an absorbing plot, colorful characters, and fascinating winemaking detail, "The Vintage Vendetta "combines an entertaining mystery with luminous prose that has become Crosby's trademark.

International photojournalist Sophie Medina usually works in war zones and natural disaster sites, but when a high-flying friend offers her a commission photographing his country house, she reluctantly accepts. It's a mistake. Former Secretary of State Quill's been keeping secrets. Secrets that are about to blow up in Sophie's face ...

Washington, DC-based photojournalist Sophie Medina is not a murderer - but someone is determined to make sure she goes down for a crime she did not commit . . . When billionaire philanthropist and art collector Robson Blake hires Sophie Medina to take photographs for him, she doesn't expect to show up and find her client dead. It seems he was the victim of a burglary gone wrong. But why was his state-of-the-art security system turned off . . . and why, in a house of full priceless Old Masters, is the only thing missing a beautiful but insignificant Ukrainian religious icon? Before long, Sophie finds herself in the crosshairs of a D.C. homicide detective who suspects she knows more than she is saying about Blake's murder - and he's not wrong. To Sophie's mixed delight and horror, she's recently learned she has a half-brother . . . who might also be an international art thief, with eyes on Blake's collection. As the police get closer to finding Blake's killer, Sophie is certain someone is trying to frame her for his murder. Can she find the real killer in time - even if it means turning in her own brother to prove her innocence? The latest instalment in this gripping series featuring fearless photojournalist Sophie Medina is a great choice for readers who enjoy high-flying female sleuths, deft red-herrings and page-turning plot twists, and glamorous settings.

Claire Brennan has travelled to Moscow to fill in at work for her former boyfriend Ian, a journalist who is ill in the hospital. But she arrives to bleak news: Ian is dead. Instead of a hotel, her first stop is the hospital morgue. When Claire learns that a considerable amount of money is missing from the office, and that Ian is believed to be behind the theft, she becomes obsessed with tracing the cash-and proving his innocence. But for every truth that she uncovers there is another lie in its place. She seems to have stumbled on a conspiracy. Then the autopsy reveals that Ian's death was no accident. Everyone she has met in Moscow-Russian and American alike-seems to have their own agenda. Do any of them also have a motive for murder? Praise for Ellen Crosby "Crosby's picture of Moscow is as bewildering and gripping as the post-war Vienna of The Third Man" -GERALD KAUFMAN, THE SCOTSMAN

In this gripping installment of the Sophie Medina mystery series, a photojournalist embarks on a high-stakes quest to uncover an international treasure. As she navigates dangerous challenges, she must also evade a relentless murderer who is hot on her trail. The novel promises a blend of intrigue and suspense, showcasing Sophie’s resourcefulness and determination in a race against time.

Love, blackmail, murder, and intrigue are blended like a complex full-bodied wine in the latest installment of Ellen Crosby’s Virginia vineyard mystery series, The Champagne Conspiracy. Welcome back to the Montgomery Estate Vineyard, where Lucie Montgomery and winemaker Quinn Santori have decided to bottle a sparkling champagne-like wine a week before Valentine’s Day. But on the eve of a major snowstorm, Quinn’s cousin Gino, patriarch of one of Napa’s wine family dynasties, turns up demanding help in solving a long-ago family mystery that has its origins in Prohibition-era Washington, D.C., where bootlegging and blackmail, jazz and murder, went hand in hand. Before long Lucie realizes someone will go to any lengths to keep a century-old secret involving a scandalous presidential affair buried in the past. Can she learn the identity of the ruthless modern-day blackmailer determined to stop her before it’s too late?

This book features bonus content, including Ellen Crosby's insightful "Introduction to Merlot," which explores the characteristics and nuances of this popular wine varietal. Additionally, readers will get a sneak peek of her upcoming novel, "The Chardonnay Charade." This combination of wine appreciation and literary preview provides a unique blend for both wine enthusiasts and fans of Crosby's storytelling.

Vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery's upcoming wedding to winemaker Quinn Santori is threatened by diseased grapevines, a catastrophic storm and the discovery of a dead body. But what especially troubles Lucie is why the victim had secretly arranged to meet Quinn - and whether Lucie's soon-to-be husband knows something he's not telling her.

In 1949, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had a romantic relationship with Lucie Montgomery's French grandfather - until recently, a well-kept secret. Seventy years later, as Lucie's grandfather is flying to Virginia for a 90th birthday party for Cricket Delacroix, Lucie's neighbor and Jackie's schoolfriend, someone is found dead in Lucie's vineyard.

After discovering the body of a prominent wine merchant near her Virginia vineyard, Lucie Montgomery helps a family friend by traveling to California, where she teams up with Quinn Santori in a deadly game involving a vengeful killer.