Tangled Vines.

Little Brown & Co., 1993. Paperback. Good. Spine creases, small chip on top edge of cover. Clean pages, moderately aged. From Publishers Weekly\nDailey's latest novel (after Aspen Gold ), which all but begs to be made into a TV miniseries, features elegant nonegarian Katherine Rutledge, who runs her family's Napa Valley winery. Katherine is beset by problems caused by her estranged son, who runs a rival winery, and an alcoholic, n'er-do-well neighbor, Len Dougherty, who lives in squalor on 10 acres given to his family by the Rutledges as compensation for the accidental death of his father, a Rutledge employee. Enter beautiful, ambitious Kelly Douglas, a rising TV newscaster assigned to prepare an in-depth report on the Rutledge winery. Kelly dreads the assignment because it threatens the new life she has built for herself since she escaped her physically abusive father: Dougherty. Soon she is involved in a murder in which her father is the prime suspect, and her loathing for him conflicts with her sense of filial responsibility. Further complications ensue via her attraction to that grows between her and Sam Rutledge, Katherine's grandson and the manager of the Rutledge winery. With a single exception, the plot is predictable; the characters have little substance, and the dialogue is wooden in the extreme. This hackneyed novel will try the loyalty of Dailey's legions of fans. \nCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. \n\nFrom Kirkus Reviews\nThis time out, Dailey (Aspen Gold, etc.)--sets her dynasty- feudin' romance in the wine-growing country of California. But after the start--a TV anchorwoman in New York has a terrifying childhood flashback, and threats fly in Napa Valley--it's all on automatic pilot. On the Rutledge estate--a class winery run by a proud, cane- stumping ancient, 90-year-old Katherine Rutledge--some plans to merge with a French winery are fermenting. In the meantime, Katherine has never set much store by taciturn grandson Sam, and Gilbert, Katherine's surviving son, hates his mother so much that, along with his son Clay, he's established his own excellent winery down the road. Also growling around the vines is ne'er-do-well drunkard Len Dougherty, owner of ten acres of Rutledge vineyard that were given to him after the job-related death of his father. Len has one daughter--none other than the East coast anchorwoman now known as Kelly Douglas. Kelly won't give her dad a dime--not after a childhood of abuse--but now Len needs money and so offers his services to Gilbert, who would love to muck up the French deal for Mom. Eventually, Kelly will be forced to return to home territory to cover the merger story--but before the happy close, there'll be a murder, an old scandal uncorked, a confrontation between Kelly and Len, and (of course) romance. It's all here: the still-handsome dynasty head, sharp as a tack at 90; head-butting family rows; and just enough about that wine biz for a fleeting infusion of reality. (And, believe it or not, to fuel a pun: ``Life,'' says Sam, ``is a cabernet.'') Easy going for Dailey fans. (Literary Guild Triple Selection for October) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.