Mortal Zin

A Mystery Novel

By: Diane Schaffer

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Paperback | 4 March 2025

At a Glance

Paperback
412 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.4 x 13.5 x 2.9

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Corporate attorney Nollaig (Noli) Cooper, age 34, is tough, single, and ready to change her life.

When a family birthday brings her back to her childhood home in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Peter and Tina Hanak, her adoptive parents, propose that she stay and live at their zinfandel winery. But her first day back, the body of her childhood mentor, crusading attorney John (Fitz) Fitzgerald, is discovered in a rocky ocean cove, pecked by seagulls. The sheriff insists it was suicide. Noli knows better. She teams up with Fitz's PI, Luz Alvarado, daughter of Mexican farmworkers, to find his killer.

Noli learns the Hanaks' winery has been sabotaged and their lives threatened. As threats escalate, Peter Hanak is framed for murder. To defend him, Noli digs through evidence from wildly diverse sources: the ambitions of a 19th Century robber-baron, the oral history of an early winemaker, and research on zinfandel genetics. Meanwhile, Luz risks her life to expose a dot-com mogul who will stop at nothing to acquire the Hanaks' property. Webs of greed, hatred and revenge are at last untangled when Peter reveals a painful secret he has carried since the Vietnam war. Ultimately Luz puts everything on the line to halt the escape of Fitz's murderer, and Noli must plunge through a wall of fire to find the answers.

Industry Reviews

"An attorney investigates the death of her mentor, leading her into the darkness of his past in Schaffer's mystery novel. Schaffer creates a vivid world with realistic and understandable characters, especially Noli, who is the heart of this large cast. A satisfying, fast-paced whodunit with two strong female leads." -Kirkus Reviews

“In the tradition of Robicheaux and Clete and Spenser and Hawk—but female—two unstoppable women—a hard-edged PI and a high-powered attorney—partner up to find out who killed the beloved Fitz. Through twists and turns, beaches, vineyards and coastal redwoods, historical layers and modern changes is Santa Cruz, the story’s setting, described in such engaging detail that, for this alone, Mortal Zin stands as a notable debut by Diane Schaeffer.” —Robin Somers, author of Eleven Stolen Horses and Beet Fields

“On her first day home for a visit, Noli Cooper learns her friend and childhood mentor has been found dead on a nearby beach. Suicide? Or murder? Solving this mystery is only the tip of the iceberg in this captivating story, which weaves wine history and war history as danger increases for Noli and the people she loves. In the same way Louise Penny's mysteries leave readers craving a fresh croissant or a cup of hot chocolate, Mortal Zin will make you want to settle in for an uninterrupted read with a glass of zinfandel and your own private charcuterie.” —Kate Woodworth, author of Little Great Island

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