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    A Good Day for Chardonnay: A Novel
    A Good Day for Chardonnay: A Novel
    A Good Day for Chardonnay: A Novel
    Ebook500 pages7 hours

    A Good Day for Chardonnay: A Novel

    By Darynda Jones

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    From the New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones comes the second novel in her laugh-out-loud Sunshine Vicram mystery series, A Good Day for Chardonnay.

    Running a small-town police force in the mountains of New Mexico should be a smooth, carefree kind of job. Sadly, full-time Sheriff—and even fuller-time coffee guzzler—Sunshine Vicram, didn’t get that memo.

    All Sunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind that starts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven). Turns out, that’s about as easy as switching to decaf. (What kind of people do that? And who hurt them?)

    Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny’s got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior. All evidence points to a local distiller, a dangerous bad boy named Levi Ravinder, but Sun knows he’s not the villain of her story. Still, perhaps beneath it all, he possesses the keys to her disappearance. At the very least, beneath it all, he possesses a serious set of abs. She’s seen it. Once. Accidentally.

    Between policing a town her hunky chief deputy calls four cents short of a nickel, that pesky crush she has on Levi which seems to grow exponentially every day, and an irascible raccoon that just doesn’t know when to quit, Sunny’s life is about to rocket to a whole new level of crazy.

    Yep, definitely a good day for chardonnay.

    Praise for the Sunshine Vicram series

    "Laugh-out-loud funny, intensely suspenseful, page-turning fun."--New York Times Bestselling author Allison Brennan

    "A Bad Day For Sunshine is a great day for the rest of us."--    New York Times bestselling author
    Lee Child

    *Best of Suspense Magazine 2021*

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJul 27, 2021
    ISBN9781250233134
    Author

    Darynda Jones

    New York Times and USA Today bestselling author DARYNDA JONES won a Golden Heart and a RITA for her manuscript First Grave on the Right. A born storyteller, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.

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    Reviews for A Good Day for Chardonnay

    4.5/5

    83 ratings18 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This story had me laughing for days. It's perfect for curling up with a great glass of chardonnay and reading the day away. I loved the main character. Picturing her as she patrolled the town is definitely worth the read!
    • 5/5
      I really vacillated between 4.5 and 5 stars with this one. Overall, I loved the book from start to finish, and that last .5 of a star is really nit-picky personal tastes.A Good Day for Chardonnay picks up where A Bad Day for Sunshine leaves off with a multi-story arc surrounding the mystery of Sunshine Vicram’s abduction when she was a teen-ager. It also introduced too new parallel plots: Sunshine’s investigation of an apparent bar fight gone bad involving her romantic interest, Levi, and a cold case discovered by her daughter in the attic (in the form of newspaper clippings) surrounding the unsolved disappearances of several transients that took place decades previously. There’s also a racoon wreaking havoc, a blind date gone bad, and another multi-story arc concerning Levi’s family.There’s a lot going on, but this is Jones’ forte. She excels at writing fast-paced, multi-plot stories told with a lot of humour and only slightly less heart. After reading almost 20 of her titles, I can say while I didn’t love all of them, I was never, ever bored by any of them.This particular book though, was amongst the best. Good mysteries, yes. Humor, yes. But this book was also an emotional roller coaster at the end; between the events of Sunshine’s daughter Auri and her friends coming to a rather explosive climax, and Sunshine’s life-long mystery coming to a satisfying conclusion, a tissue (or three) were required during the reading of this book.Why didn’t I end up going the full 5? I was aggravated with the last page; the story ended WAY too abruptly. And Auri’s storyline. I really like Auri, and Cruz and love Auri and Cruz together as a team, but her story line was, perhaps, a tiny bit too precocious. It was handled realistically, in the sense that, IF teenagers in real life were to decide to take it upon themselves to investigate a cold case involving a serial killer, it’s easy to imagine they’d go about the same way Auri did. But as much as I like Auri, Jones walks a razor fine edge between Auri being likeable and Auri being cloyingly sweet and earnest. Her selflessness is not entirely realistic, and I can’t say I wouldn’t skim her story where I to re-read this.And re-read it I shall, because it’s going to be a long year, or however long it takes, before the next book. And I already can’t wait.
    • 5/5
      Love the book and all the witty repartee. I flew through this book.
    • 3/5
      Well, this second book in the Sunshine Vicram series was a little disappointing. I love Darynda Jones; her Charley Davidson series was one of my favorite series of all time - and I read all different genres of books. While the Sunshine Vicram series does still carry Jones's trademark humor (which I love!), it doesn't grab me as much as I would hope. The first book in this series, "A Bad Day for Sunshine," introduced us to Sunshine Vicram; while it took a little while to get going, I did eventually enjoy the book very much. This second book, "A Good Day for Chardonnay," just didn't do it for me. Part of the problem is that I'm just not that interested in the crimes that Sunshine is investigating. What I loved about the Charley Davidson series was that the crimes introduced in each book were interesting and gripping and did a good job of supporting the development of multiple characters in the series. This book did not do that. The crimes were kind-of thrown in there haphazardly; I didn't feel a connection with that part of the plot, and I didn't feel like I was inside the characters as they investigated.Also, Jones is a very good romantic writer - paranormal romance, romantic mystery, etc. She really knows how to turn up the heat. The problem with this book is that the heat got turned up so suddenly that it was jarring and felt almost out of place. I have no problem with explicit sex scenes; those were some of the best parts of the Charley Davidson series. But the one sex scene in this book didn't seem to fit -- because there hadn't been any sex scenes in this entire series thus far -- and without the slow-burn buildup of sexual tension throughout the book, the inclusion of a sex scene just seemed too sudden.I want to like this series because I love the author so much, but it's not clicking with me. I'll still give the next book in this series a chance, but if it doesn't get better, I'm done with Sunshine Vicram.
    • 4/5
      I love anything that Darynda Jones writes and would easily give them all 5 stars but I'm nit-picky when it comes to sex scenes so on occasion I have to give a book 4 stars. I will never, ever understand why reading an amazing story means you have to waste time with details of a sex scene. It brings me great sadness that we can not be trusted to use our imaginations. I always blame it on the publicist saying it has to be added. Thus said, that is the only reason I gave this book 4 stars. Please, please read it, if only to get to THE POEM. If you don't cry over that then I will eat my shoe. And let us not forget THE ENDING! It is well worth skipping the pages or fast-forwarding the audio past the sex.
    • 2/5
      I don’t know what happened between the first book and this one. I loved the first one. And this one seemed good at first but quickly started losing my interest. It was a mess. There were gazillion threads in this and none of them were that interesting or realistic. And Auri has turned into a TSTL character and I started to skim through her chapters. I had been excited about this book and I had actually bought it (I borrow majority of my books) and this was not worth buying. I kind of still like the characters and I will read the next one but it better be better than this one. I also liked the chapter headings. But the author needs to focus more on having at least one good plot. Banter is annoying without any substance behind it, however good it might be
    • 5/5
      Sunshine has a lot on her plate. She is sherriff of a small town, raising a strong willed teenager and trying to keep her parents out of her love life! But, when a bar fight gets out of hand, Sunny knows her day is about to get worse. Will the fight lead her to find out about her past or will it lead her to love…better read this to find out!I have never read this author….GASP…I KNOW! Where have I been?! I have seen her books in many places, I just have never picked one up. That is about to be remedied! I enjoyed this novel tremendously! I loved the characters, the snarkiness and the twisted story. This definitely took me on a ride I will not soon forget.This is number two in the Sunshine Vicram series. I have not read the first. I did ok without reading it but, I have some major questions so I am going to get that one soon. I need to know what happened to Sunshine in the first book!The narrator, Lorelei King, did an excellent job. Perfect inflection…even with the snarky parts…must listen to find out!Need a great mystery…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review.
    • 5/5
      Darynda Jones does everything right in the new book in the Sunshine Vicram series, A Good Day For Chardonnay. Sunshine Vicram was kidnapped 15 years ago and rescued five days later with a memory full of holes and a baby on the way. Now she is the sheriff in Del Sol, New Mexico, where things are usually quiet, including her love life. A stabbing at the Roadhouse Bar and Grill leaves one man clinging to life and Sunshine’s lifelong crush, Levi Ravender, struck by the car that fled after he intervened to save his friend. Now Sunshine has a whole bunch of interesting going on in her life.Sunshine has to find the criminals from the bar, figure out why everyone keeps confessing to the 15-year-old murder of the man who abducted her, and figure out why a young boy whose unsolved disappearance she worked on as a member of the Sante Fe police department suddenly shows up on a convenience store surveillance video. All this while dealing with her precocious teenage daughter, Auri, who is convinced the nice old lady who confesses to every crime might actually be a serial killer.Jones keeps all these balls in the air in a hilarious and entertaining story that never slows down. Sunshine and Auri are lovable characters on their own, but the cast is rounded out with a quirky mix of deputies, well-meaning parents, a handful of villains and some quirky townsfolk. Add in some steamy sex scenes and you have a wildly entertaining mashup!Lorelei King narrates the audiobook and is the perfect match for the humor and pace of the book. She captures the characters in every mood, adding levity, seriousness, and passion as it is called for. She brings out the sly humor at every turn and really makes the book a delight to listen to.If you are not already a fan of this series, you will become one. This series is must-read. What a fun book!I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.
    • 4/5
      Oh, this was a lot of fun! I enjoyed the first book in the Sunshine Vicram series so I knew that I wanted to read this one just as soon as I could. All of the characters that I grew to like in the first book were back in this installment. This book could easily work as a stand-alone but I would recommend reading the series in order if at all possible so that you get the full background for each of the characters. Once I started listening to this book, I was hooked and hated to take my headphones off until I reached the end.Sunshine just wants to enjoy some time off but that plan is out just as soon as she learns that there has been a stabbing and a hit and run at one of the local establishments. The fact that Levi is in the middle of the chaos just makes things more interesting. Sunshine’s daughter is determined to catch a serial killer, someone with knowledge of her past promises her the answers she desperately wants, and she even decides to try something new in her romantic life. There was never a boring moment with a rather complicated mystery, plenty of action, and more than a few laughs.I really liked the characters in this book. There were some pretty big revelations in this story and while I can’t say that I was too surprised by some of them, I enjoyed seeing the characters get the answers that they needed. Some of the characters faced some pretty difficult situations and I felt for them as they navigated a world with no easy answers. I really thought that each of the key characters showed a lot of growth in this installment of the series.Lorelei King is the perfect narrator for this story. I thought that she did a phenomenal job with all of the character voices. She performed all of the scenes with a lot of emotion and I thought that she did fantastic with the more humorous moments in the book. I believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of this story.I would recommend this book to others. I had a lot of fun with mystery filled with fantastic characters and a few laughs. I cannot wait to read more of Sunshine Vicram’s adventures in the future!I received a digital review copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.
    • 5/5
      Four months after being elected Sheriff of the small New Mexico town of Del Sol, Sunshine Vicram, is called to a bar fight that ended with one man hospitalized, the assailant and the Sheriff’s long-time crush are on the lam. In addition, she’s still trying to piece together the details of her abduction years earlier, a daughter who decides to investigate and solve a serial killer’s murders, and, to add insult to injury, she’s sure her best friend is hiding something from her.Jones has created a unique character in Sunshine. She’s flawed, tougher than she looks, and her inner thoughts are laugh-out-loud funny. Jones’ writing is awfully good, the secondary characters are well drawn and fleshed out, and the storyline will keep you reading past your bedtime.This is the perfect summer read because it’ll lighten your mood, keep you turning pages, and busy trying to figure out what’s going on in Sunshine’s small town. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Edelweiss for an eARC.
    • 5/5
      This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.---Last year, on a whim, I put in a request for the first book in a new series on NetGalley, a comedic novel about a Sherriff in quirky Del Sol, New Mexico. I'm pretty sure of the new-to-me authors I tried last year, Darynda Jones was y favorite. The combination of clever comedy, tense crime drama, slapstick, romance, sweet mother-daughter ness, and a splash of sexiness*. With that list of ingredients, you either have yourself a very tasty dessert or a giant mess—A Bad Day for Sunshine was the former.* I don't normally look sexy in a book, but if it's done right, I can appreciate it. This was a bit too much for me, but it was tolerable.This brings us to...WHAT'S A GOOD DAY FOR CHARDONNAY ABOUT?A typical day—as far as you can consider any day "typical" in Del Sol--is underway when Sunshine is called to the scene of Levi Ravnder's bar—he was involved in breaking up what looked like a bar fight and things went very, very bad.The investigation into what actually happened opens up a veritable Pandora's box. There's the fight (which leaves an old friend of Ravinder's near-death) but soon, Sunny finds herself looking into a couple of cold cases from her past, forced to consider she might have been wrong. Meanwhile, she's dodging the follow-up attempts of one of history's worst blind dates.Oh, yeah, and Sunny's still digging into her abduction from her adolescence—and what she learns and remembers in this book makes the revelations we got last time out seem like nothing.AURIAs great as I think Sunshine is as a character, ditto for almost all the other characters in this series. They all pale in comparison to Sunshine's daughter, Auri. Her spunk, intelligence, and humor just endear her to me—and the relationship (particularly the conversations between the two).We know that she's done a Veronica Mars-kind of thing at her old school, and she played an active role in one of the investigations. This time out, speaking of cold cases, she's got it into her head that one of the more colorful citizens of Del Sol was a serial killer decades ago and sets out to prove it (dragging her best friend and boyfriend along with her).That might sound a little wacky, and it was at the beginning, but in the end, it was one of the richest storylines in the novel. Auri does some foolish, foolish things—but she does so with great intentions and care for others. It's hard not to cheer for someone doing that—even if it lands her, her friends, and others in peril.WOW, SHE REALLY DID THAT?Beyond telling a pretty fun story, ABDfS set up a lot of interesting ongoing arcs and introduced a great cast of characters that I was expecting to enjoy reading for a few novels. And Darynda Jones pulled the rug out from under my expectations.Not all of the characters from ABDfS survive this book and more than a couple of the ongoing arcs were resolved. This didn't seem like the kind of series where that kind of thing was going to happen.Clearly, I was wrong—and, as per usual when an author surprises me, I liked the way Jones did all of those. While I was expecting two of the arcs to go on for another book or three, I was relieved and pleased they didn't. There are new characters and arcs to take their place--and I'm eager to see what happens to all of them.MY MOTHERYeah, this is odd for me to talk about, but I have to throw this in. Last week on our road trip, my wife and I listened to the audiobook for ABDfS, and I was taken aback by how racey it was. I vaguely remembered it, but my memory was a little off.But this book? It's, um, more detailed. Which isn't my thing, but I get what Jones is doing and am sure that most of her readers will appreciate it. All I could think of as I read those sections was, "My mom is going to read this." She's going to read it because I bought her the first book. Not only is she going to read this book, but she's also going to know that I read those scenes. And then I wanted to burst into flames.Which is just a long way to say, if you like reading that kind of thing—Jones does a pretty effective job,SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT A GOOD DAY FOR CHARDONNAY?Short answer—I think I enjoyed ABDfS a smidgen more than this one, but that was probably the joy of discovery because I think this was a better novel. Either way, it doesn't really matter, because this was a blast.Jones throws everything into the pot—crime, romance, teen romance, family drama, dumb comedy, clever wordplay, and more—and it works. It all works. I laughed, I felt the tension, I even got a little misty at one point—well, okay, I got very misty at one point.Darynda Jones and Sunshine Vicram are a dynamite pair and I hope to be reading them for a long, long time.
    • 4/5
      When Sunshine Vicram became the sheriff of small town Del Sol, New Mexico she didn't think it would require as much on-the-clock work. As it stands, Sunshine barely has a life outside of work, hence why her parents have started setting her up on blind dates. But solving a bar fight turned into attempted murder, finding a missing child, and solving her own kidnapping and disappearance years earlier, Sunshine has enough on her plate. When her teenage daughter Aurora decides to take it upon herself to solve a decades old case involving a serial killer, there's not enough coffee in Del Sol to help Sunshine handle it all, which makes it A Good Day for Chardonnay. After being a huge fan of Darynda Jones's Charlie Davidson series, there was no way that I was going to miss this new series. I liked that in this new series it's a pretty lateral move for Darynda Jones. The mystery aspects are still here, the many twisting storylines. The unknown that needs to be solved. The banter and chemistry between the characters. The only thing missing is a supernatural aspect and I was honestly fine with that. A Good Day for Chardonnay is the second book in the series. I'd almost say you could read this on it's own, the main mystery is contained within the pages, but you'd miss out on some overarching storylines. That said, I was happy to get back to Del Sol. This time around Sunshine is investigating a bar fight that left a man nearly dead and the boy he was caring for missing. As far as mysteries goes it's a tangled web and as I sit here after the fact getting my review out I'm finding it difficult to remember how everything connected leading us from one point to another. I'd say of the three mysteries we tackling in this book (because in a Darynda Jones book there is always a lot happening) this one suffers the most for me personally not being as invested as the others. Meanwhile, there's also the matter of Aurora, Sunshine's teenage daughter, taking it upon herself to solve a series of murders that occurred in Del Sol decades ago. It was always believed the wrong man was convicted and Aurora is determined to set things to right. As much as I didn't mind Aurora settling herself into her mother's investigation in the first book, it was really irksome this time around. Especially as things progress. I feel like Aurora's actions severely violated safety101. I don't know if a point was being made that even though Aurora is a smart girl - she's a sheriff's daughter so she should be well aware of the dangers out there - that one can still get caught up in trouble. I would keep increasingly cringing as we went along on this one. Of course the big mystery is that of Sunshine's own kidnapping and disappearance years ago of which she's only recovered bits and pieces of her memory. I like the ongoing storyline with Sunshine and figuring out her past. There's a lot of headway made in this regard, but the thing is, when all was said and done, and revelations were made, I wasn't really surprised by them. I had most things figured out from the middle of the first book. I feel like all the pieces were there, they all added up how they should have. It makes me wonder if it's more about Sunshine finally being ready to accept her foggy memories. Since the book is told from Sunshine's perspective I can see how that would be the case and readers are kind of along for the ride while she processes and comes to terms with things. I also have the feeling of things being "too easy" like waiting for the other shoe to drop. That they'll be some kind of other revelation that comes to light that no one saw coming. I guess we'll have to wait to see. Where the book excels, and honestly where Darynda Jones has always excelled, is in the characterization. Seriously every interaction between the characters is so lively. The banter and back and forth, you can feel the comradery and the love between them. It's why I can't completely dismiss Aurora when she makes terrible decisions, or Sunshine for that matter either. It's why every interaction between Sunshine and Levin Ravinder just spark. It's what makes me care about all the secondary characters in this small town setting. I'm so interested in the goings on that those were the most interesting parts of this book for me. The further glimpses we get into life in Del Sol. As I said, this book wraps nicely for it's main mysteries, but the overarching storyline still has some loose threads that could definitely be a bit tidied up in a third book. I haven't heard yet if there will be more, but I hope so because I do love spending time in Del Sol.
    • 5/5
      Snarky and wonderful.
    • 5/5
      Giggles, gasps, heart palpitations, tears, anxious, sleepless, happiness, sorrow, and absolute love, those are some of the feels I got from this book. I couldn’t have loved it more. You’ll need tissues boxes, coffee, pints of ice cream, and face cream to keep those laugh lines to a minimum.Sunshine doesn’t get to sit down much in this book. The mayor is on top of her, her daughter is like her (LOL), her parents are setting her up on blind dates, the town has been getting stabby, strangers in town, bodies and the past is creeping back. Her time with relaxing with a glass of chardonnay and a good book are only a dream.Darynda Jones writes characters that I want to be BFF’s with. I never miss a book written by her. I really relate to them and like them. Sunshine, Levi, Auri and Cruz, and the supporting cast of perfection, all so fun.
    • 5/5
      Book source ~ NetGalleySunshine Vicram is back home in Del Sol, New Mexico where she grew up. Except now she’s the Sheriff and she has no idea how she won the election when she didn’t even run. Ok, that’s not true. She believes her mom and dad had something to do with it, but she goes along with it so they don’t all get arrested for fraud. With her is her adorable mini-her, Aurora or Auri to her family and friends. While Auri sneaks around trying to solve a serial killer cold case Sunshine has a lot on her plate to deal with including a bad bar fight, a pesky raccoon, a hunk named Levi Ravinder who may or may not have info about her kidnapping so long ago, and an unsolved case from her early days as a detective. She’s going in all different directions, juggling all these plates, but somehow Sunshine manages to not drop a single one.There’s so much going on! I always think: what in the hell is happening? How is all of this connected? There’s no way this is going to come out coherently. However, Darynda Jones always manages to pull all these different threads together by the end of the book and in a way that not only holds my attention, but entertains, too.The mystery (or I should say mysteries) keep me guessing and the revelation at the end of the book is something I figured out in book 1, but having it confirmed is satisfying. The characters are awesome. There isn’t a terrible one in the whole lot. Ok, there are some I want to smack, some I hate, some that make me drool, some that make me laugh…well, you get the idea. It’s small town living brought to life in the pages. The plot seems like such a mess, but it’s really not. I promise. The pace is just right for all that’s going on. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more Sunshine and gang shenanigans to come.
    • 5/5
      This book was an emotional roller coaster. I went from laughing out loud (several times) to sobbing equally loudly. It would be hard to summarize this plot because there were so many threads and so much happened in this story. The book blurb gives some hint of the variety of things that happen in the book but leaves out a lot too.I loved the way the characters - especially Sunshine and her daughter Auri - interact. The characters from the old woman who confesses to every crime and the flasher who haunts the park and the guy in pest control Sunshine's parents set her up with for a blind day and who now won't stop texting her all add interest, humor, and mystery to the story. The chapter headings which are adds for various local business also provide a lot of humor. I like the romance plots too. Auri's young first love sort of romance with Cruz was touching. And Sunshine's growing romance with Levi Ravinder was also really entertaining. I liked the friendships in the story too. Sunshine's best friend is her Chief Deputy and he is quite a character. In fact, all the deputies are unique characters.I really, really enjoyed this story and hope that there is more to come in this series. There were plot threads left hanging. I want to know what happens next for these characters.
    • 5/5
      mystery, thriller, situational-humor, verbal-humor, law-enforcement, suspense, romance, family-dynamics, friendship, attempted-murder, murder, murder-investigation*****Hard to put down! All kinds of cops, all kinds of fun, a plot line that has many threads woven together to keep us reading through to the end and waiting for the next one! It also has plenty of misdirection, plot twists, and red herrings. Sunshine's daughter is fifteen now and just as unruly as her sheriff mother and unusual father. Especially after his friend was stabbed, beaten, and run over by a truck. The publisher's blurb is pretty good at providing hooks and hinting at an overview, and I see no need for spoilers. Just let it grab you by the imagination so you can enjoy the fun stuff while working out the tough stuff. I absolutely loved it!I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from St Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
    • 5/5
      OMG! I totally hated this book...NOT!!! I loved it, but I did hate the fact that we have to wait more than a year (I hope only that long) to find out the cliff-hanger!There was so much going on in this book that sometimes I wondered just how everything would get resolved. But never fear, most of the storylines did get resolved, although I can see where some of this resolution will be used in future books.I'm not even going to hint or try to recap the story for fear that I will give away something important. But rest assured that there will be deaths (bad guys---mostly), blood, heroism, and an 'apple that hasn't fallen far from the tree'!ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and NetGalley.

    Book preview

    A Good Day for Chardonnay - Darynda Jones

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