The French Paradox
by Ellen Crosby

Lucie Montgomery’s discovery of her grandfather’s Parisian romance unlocks a series of shocking secrets in the gripping new Wine Country mystery.

In 1949, during her junior year abroad in Paris, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis bought several inexpensive paintings of Marie-Antoinette by a little-known 18th century female artist. She also had a romantic relationship with Virginia vineyard owner Lucie Montgomery’s French grandfather – until recently, a well-kept secret.

Seventy years later, Cricket Delacroix, Lucie’s neighbor and Jackie’s schoolfriend, is donating the now priceless paintings to a Washington, DC museum. And Lucie’s grandfather is flying to Virginia for Cricket’s 90th birthday party, hosted by her daughter Harriet. A washed-up journalist, Harriet is rewriting a manuscript Jackie left behind about Marie-Antoinette and her portraitist. She’s also adding tell-all details about Jackie, sure to make the book a bestseller.

Then on the eve of the party a world-famous landscape designer who also knew Jackie is found dead in Lucie’s vineyard. Did someone make good on the death threats he’d received because of his controversial book on climate change? Or was his murder tied to Jackie, the paintings, and Lucie’s beloved grandfather?

Reviews

Entwined with fascinating facts about wine and winemaking, this satisfying addition to the series will please oenophiles

Booklist on The Angels' Share

Wine lore and mystery, both historical and modern, combine in an enthralling read

Kirkus Reviews on The Angels' Share

Crisp and elegant ... The disparate plot threads come together in an exciting and satisfying conclusion. Crosby knows how to keep the reader guessing

Publishers Weekly on The Angels' Share

A corker of an entry in a series that often pairs fascinating historical mysteries with clever modern ones

Kirkus Reviews on Harvest of Secrets

Crosby is a steady hand in unraveling the tangled subplots, and she populates Lucie's world with sympathetic secondary characters who come fully alive. Fans of contemporary regional mysteries will be well satisfied

Publishers Weekly on Harvest of Secrets

Ellen Crosby

Ellen Crosby is a former reporter for the Washington Post, foreign correspondent for ABC News Radio and economist at the U.S. Senate. She has spent many years overseas in Europe, but now lives in Virginia with her husband. She is the author of the Wine Country mysteries and the Sophie Medina mysteries.

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Editions

The French Paradox by Ellen Crosby is available in the following formats

Hardback97807278910136th April 2021148 X 225mm256$28.99
Hardback978072789101329th January 2021148 X 225mm256£20.99
Ebook97814483049671st March 2021N/A256$14.99
Ebook97814483049671st March 2021N/A256£12.99
Hardback - Large Print978178029197030th November 2021145 X 225mm368$36.95
Hardback - Large Print978178029197030th September 2021145 X 225mm368£22.99
Paperback978178029758327th September 2021139 X 218mm256$17.95
Paperback978178029758329th July 2021139 X 218mm256£12.99
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