Blood Vines

Written by Erica Spindler

Narrated by Orlagh Cassidy

In this bare-knuckled adrenaline ride from New York Times bestselling author Erica Spindler, Alex Clarkson's worst nightmares are about to come true…

A sinister, hooded figure…

When Alexandra Clarkson starts having terrifying visions filled with blood and ceremonial images, she tries to find a rational explanation – maybe her mind is playing tricks on her, resurrecting creepy tableaux from her research on religious ceremonies and sects. But when Alex's mother, Patsy, commits suicide without leaving behind any information, Alex is left wondering: could she be haunted by something from the childhood she doesn't remember?

Naked, writhing bodies…

Detective Daniel Reed was the last person to speak to Patsy. What he reveals to Alex is shocking. Twenty-five years earlier, Patsy was married to Harlan Sommer, one of Sonoma County's most prominent vintners, when their infant son disappeared without a trace. The loss destroyed the Sommers' marriage, causing Patsy to leave and take Alex with her.

A dead child…

Called on to investigate the identity of a baby's remains unearthed in a Sonoma vineyard, Reed had picked up a trail that led him to Patsy in San Francisco. Now Reed and Alex both wonder if the cold bones could be her baby brother Dylan, and Alex decides to accompany Reed back to Sonoma for the investigation. No sooner does she arrive, however, than she is drawn deep into the search for a twisted killer…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Mar 2, 2010
• ISBN: 9781427208675

Erica Spindler

New York Times bestselling author Erica Spindler has written many novels, including Breakneck, Blood Vines, Watch Me Die, Bone Cold, In Silence and Last Known Victim. Her books are published in 25 countries. Raised in Rockford, Illinois, Spindler planned on becoming an artist, and earned visual arts degrees from Delta State University and the University of New Orleans. But one day in 1982, she picked up a romance novel and was immediately hooked. She soon tried to write her own romance, but it was when she leapt from romance to suspense that she found her true calling. Spindler has won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence, the Kiss of Death Award, and has been a three-time RITA Award Finalist. She lives just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband and two sons.

Reviews for Blood Vines

[darcia_10 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I normally love Erica Spindler's books, but this one left me kind of shrugging my shoulders. The story feels more about the setting - Sonoma County, California, or Wine Country. We learn about wine, take a tour through a winery, find out about the caves once used to keep the wine cool. At times I felt a bit like a tourist. Pretty much everyone always has a wine glass in his/her hand.The characters feel secondary, as if they've been placed there as accessories. I didn't find them particularly well developed or believable. Given the circumstances of Alex's upbringing and her impulsive decision to move to new area, she should have been, for the most part, an independent person. But she's often needy and unstable. The plot is interesting and has some good twists. It also has a couple holes that were never filled in, and it sometimes feels forced. Despite all this, there is no denying Spindler's storytelling ability. I just did not feel this story lived up to her ability.

[senorag163 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not nearly as good as her other books.

[miyurose_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was merely okay. When the remains of a baby, long dead, are found in a vineyard, the mystery looks promising. How will it all connect to Alex and her mother? But what starts as promising eventually falls flat, because the characters never grow enough to carry it. Alex and Reed spend a lot of time in bed, but we don’t get much of an opportunity to see them in non-intimate situations. Their relationship in the book would have greatly benefited from some sexual tension and build-up. And, for me, too many pieces of the mystery didn’t hold together. It ended up a big jumble of events. I tend to run hot and cold on Spindler, and this one left me cold.

[willowone_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Erica Spindler has written 29 novels according to the book jacket. This is the first time I have read any of her work and I wish I would have found her sooner.Blood Vines is about a woman, Alexandra Clarkson, trying to find out about her mother's life and their past. As Alex digs for information she unearths old demons in herself and in others, both physical and perceived.I usually would not read this type of thriller. The story touches on ritualistic sacrifice/paganism and the like and this type of thing is usually off limits in my mind. I find that type of thing disturbing, distasteful and out of my comfort zone. I, however decided to give it a chance after reading the book jacket. I found that even though certain parts of the book made my skin crawl, they didn't taint the overall book enough to make me stop reading. As I said in the beginning, I will look into more of Mrs. Spindlers work in the future