Ellen Crosby: The Merlot Murders

Special thanks to Tony and Belinda Collins for an introduction to and education on Virginia’s 90+ (and growing) wineries—and for plying me with reading material and good wine over the years.

Cathy Brannon, Debbie Gador, Catherine Kennedy, and Leslie Shepherd read and commented on early drafts of this book. I am also indebted to Donna Andrews, Carla Coupe, Laura Durham, Peggy Hanson, Val Patterson, Noreen Wald, and Sandi Wilson.

Thanks especially to Sarah Knight and Brant Rumble, my editors, and heartfelt thanks to Dominick Abel, my agent.

Finally, it’s an oft-repeated truism that although writing is a solitary pursuit no writer works in a vacuum. If it were not for André, Peter, Matt, and Tim, nothing I do or say would matter as much.

Ellen Crosby is a freelance regional reporter for The Washington Post and a former Moscow correspondent for ABC News Radio. Her first novel, Moscow Nights, written while living in London, was published in the United Kingdom and is based on her experiences working in the former Soviet Union. The Merlot Murders marks her American debut, and takes place nearer her current home in Virginia’s historic horse and hunt country. She’s married and has three sons. She is currently writing the sequel to The Merlot Murders .

Visit her website at www.ellencrosby.com.