A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram, #2)

by Darynda Jones

'Laugh-out-loud funny, intensely suspenseful, page-turning fun' Allison Brennan on A Bad Day for Sunshine

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.

'A Bad Day For Sunshine is a great day for the rest of us' Lee Child

• ISBN10: 1250233119
• ISBN13: 9781250233110
• Publish Date: 27 July 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

A Good Day for Chardonnay is a bitingly humorous murder procedural and the second book in the series by Darynda Jones. Released 27th July 2021 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 416 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats (paperback due out in 2022). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is such a relentlessly humorous book - honestly more of a slapstick romcom with murder mystery elements. The dialogue can only be described as repartee and is delivered rapid fire and glibly throughout even when (in my opinion) it's unwarranted such as discussing murder, abduction, sexual assault, and stabbing. Protagonist Sun, the titular sheriff of her small mountain town, has more inappropriate intrusive sexual thoughts about potential perpetrators and random passersby than would seem possible or entirely healthy. It's all crotches and abs. To be fair, most of the crotch references were concerning a local raccoon run amok (don't ask) which irritatingly enough was referred to on multiple occasions as a rodent (they're not - they're procyonids and more closely related to kinkajous and coatis).

All that aside, the drawbacks for me personally: the rapid fire funny dialogue, the relentless sexy talk, the bitingly sarcastic writing, and the tough-guy action will be pluses for readers who really enjoy romance mysteries with lots of action and fighting. The plotting is tight and the descriptive writing is competent and readable; the author does know her craft. There are several plot threads which entwine more closely throughout this book, culminating in a satisfying denouement and resolution. Most of the plotlines are resolved in this book so it works well as a standalone, but there's a central background theme which arcs throughout this book and the first one. That plot theme includes abduction and sexual assault in Sun's past, so readers should be aware of potential triggers.

Three and a half stars (for me), likely higher for readers who enjoy humorous romance.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Quirky Cat]

A Good Day for Chardonnay is the second novel in Darynda Jones' Sunshine Vicram series. It's a delightful mystery/thriller series that somehow maintains a sense of humor and confidence despite all of the horrors that go on. I love it.

Sunshine Vicram (yes, that is her real name) is the Sheriff of a small town somewhere in New Mexico. You'd think that running a small town would mean things are quiet for her and her force – but you'd be wrong.

Between Sunny's past, her family, and the never-ending drama of the town, Sunny doesn't have time for much else. It will take a lot of coordination to get to the bottom of everything she's dealing with, but thankfully Sunny's got the required determination.

"Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you to death with a feather duster?"

If you like thriller novels with a whole lot of personality, a dash of humor, and a touch of that cozy mystery vibe, then you're going to love A Good Day for Chardonnay. However, I would recommend checking out the first in the series (A Bad Day for Sunshine) first.

What I love the most about this series and Sunny's character, in particular, is that it deviates from the norm. Calling it a bit of a thriller alongside a cozy mystery really does not do it justice. It's charming and unique and isn't afraid to bounce all over the place between those two borders.

It's more than enough to keep my attention and allow me to have a lot of fun in the process. Yes, there are some darker moments in A Good Day for Chardonnay, but Sunny's personality lives up to her name, and her sense of humor will always work to brighten the mood. It helps keep the story from getting too dark and thus makes it the perfect escape of a read.

Thanks to StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks>