ARC Review: Blood on the Vine by J. T. Falco

Blood on the Vine
Author: A. J. Falco
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (April 22, 2025)

Description: True Detective meets the rolling hills of Napa in this wine-soaked thriller perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Allison Brennan.

Lana Burrell grew up on an idyllic Napa Valley vineyard with her best friend Jess–until Jess mysteriously disappeared and Lana’s father was falsely accused of her murder. Over twenty years later, he’s still serving a life sentence, but Lana knows he’s innocent, just like she knows Jess’s real killer is still out there.

Now, as a seasoned FBI agent in the San Francisco field office, Lana figures she can handle just about anything--until a killer strikes the Valley again and those old wounds come bursting open. Two women are slain in ritualistic fashion near the vineyard she once called home, and Lana has no choice but to revisit the site of the nightmarish past she tried to leave behind.

A past that seems to be repeating itself as the blood and wine continue to spill all over Napa Valley.

With rumors of a dangerous cult embedded at the center of wine country, the most powerful family in the Valley breathing down her neck, and a mysterious stranger stalking her every move, Lana’s quest to solve the murders takes an even darker turn when she soon realizes the awful truth: she might be the next to die.

My Thoughts: Lana Burrell is an FBI Agent. She is sent to the Napa Valley to look into the murder of two young women. Lana is reluctant. She grew up in the Napa Valley and lived there until her best friend disappeared and her father was accused and convicted of her murder. 

Lana soon finds herself deep in the investigation and being reminded of the time she would most like to forget. The murders took place on or near Bancroft land which isn't surprising since they own a lot of the valley. But the Bancrofts had a lot to do with the events she'd like to forget. Her best friend Jess was a Bancroft and the first love she left behind was her best friend's brother Jonah. Jess's mother is now running the vineyard. The current sheriff was a deputy who arrested her father.

The sheriff assigns her a deputy to be her liaison - a 60+ woman who has only been a deputy for four months. But Essie proves to be a lot of help in the investigation despite really wanting the killer to be the Bancroft who sued her and her husband for selling some wine they produced on their land. 

This was a twisty thriller as secrets of the past are revealed, bodies are discovered, cults are outed, and a murderer is found -- but not before Lana finds herself in danger of losing her own life. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.