Sleuth Seeks Truth Among Trellises

By Wine Press Staff

Portland resident Judy Nedry has released her first mystery novel, “An Unholy Alliance.” Set in 2005 in Newberg and Dundee, the novel documents the adventures of accidental sleuth Emma Golden.

“Like many in the mystery genre, ‘An Unholy Alliance’ is a cozy,” Nedry said. “By definition, a cozy involves an amateur sleuth and most often is set in a quiet English village. Think Wilkie Collins’s ‘The Woman in White’. Think Miss Marple; Agatha Christie set the tone for the classic cozy.”

Unlike the traditional cozy, however, Nedry’s new novel has what she describes as an edge.

“Typically, if there is sex, blood and violence in a cozy, it happens off-stage. That is not necessarily the case in this novel.”

Wine aficionados will take pleasure in tracing protagonist Golden’s steps through the Red Hills of Dundee and environs as she tracks an unknown killer or killers through a Willamette Valley grape harvest.

Nedry is well qualified to write a novel set in wine country. She worked for two decades documenting the growth of the Northwest wine industry and is the author of two nonfiction books on Northwest wineries. She co-founded Northwest Palate magazine and served as its editor for seven years.

Nedry resided in Newberg and Dundee for 20 years and now lives in Portland.

To learn more about the book, visit the author’s website, www.judynedry.com. “An Unholy Alliance” is published by iUniverse, and may be purchased from your favorite bookseller.

Nedry will be signing books Friday, July 3, 5 to 9 p.m. in the Chehalem tasting room (106 S. Center St., Newberg) during Newberg’s First Friday Art Walk.