Running on Empty, the second in a series, is an enjoyable return visit to Karin Fitz Sanford’s Wine Country. This well-written mystery includes a current suspicious death as well as a 16-year-old murder, doubling the intrigue.

Ex-FBI agent Anne McCormack, who now works as an estate liquidator, teams up with her retired detective uncle, Jack, to solve the cold case murder of the wife of Lino Pardini, owner of a prestigious winery, lawyer, and financier. When Lino dies suddenly, it’s discovered that he has bilked his clients of a fortune. His widow, Renee, is left penniless and dealing with shame as his estate is liquidated to compensate his investors for some of their losses. Renee, along with Anne, searches their property in hopes of finding cash he stashed away for some purpose known only to Lino.

The story is told from Renee’s point of view as well as Anne’s, as they become friends while trying to locate the missing money and to find out what really caused Lino’s death and why. Both come across as strong women despite their flaws and sometimes questionable morality. In addition, we see the point of view of Dave Silver, with whom Anne shares a mutual attraction and who has a past that is suspect. I enjoyed the building of Anne and Dave’s relationship as Dave’s involvement in the cold case is investigated by Anne’s uncle. Uncle Jack wants to bring closure to the cold case he investigated years ago, suspecting Lino of killing his wife but not having proof; he also has a personal stake in the financial fallout as his wife invested their savings in Lino’s Ponzi scheme. Author Fritz Sandford shows how easily one’s life can be turned upside down both by their actions or by circumstances they don’t control, and how that affects those dear to them.

The title, Running on Empty, is itself a clever clue to the unravelling of the mystery (or mysteries) in this case. Who killed Lino’s wife? How did Lino die? Where is the money he stashed away and why did he hide it? Piece by piece, the truth is unravelled, with twists thrown in you won’t see coming. Set against the beautiful landscape of the Santa Rosa area, Running on Empty will have you questioning everyone’s motives and their innocence.

The owner of an estate sale business, Anne used to be an FBI agent and now occasionally assists the police on cold cases. She is a well-developed, strong character who wants to do the right thing but at times is tempted to bend the rules. She has made mistakes in the past - as have some of the other characters in the story. Their backstories emerge in stages, giving depth and a realistic, human feel to the characters. The plot of this well-written mystery is intricate and evenly paced, with several surprises along the way. An enjoyable read.

4* Absorbing

Ex-FBI agent Anne McCormack is investigating a 16-year old unsolved murder case of a woman who's husband has just died under suspicious circumstances. For a 'who done it', this was surprisingly easy to read, probably because it's so skilfully written, the characters are clearly introduced and believable, the complex plot contains enough twists to offer a few surprises. Only when reaching the end does the book title make sense.

A compelling read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

Anne McCormack, an ex-FBI agent, runs an estate sales business with her uncle Jack, retired law enforcement. Sometimes they help the police in cold cases. They are doing that when they are led into this particular case.

Unfortunately, the recent victim had initialed a Ponzi scheme which bilked many friends, family, and anyone connected out of millions of dollars. There was no shortage of people who thought he got what he deserved.

The Ponzi tale is complex, the bad guys corrupt, the good guys (and gals) sincere but not infallible. Anne is well developed and I enjoyed reading about the estate sales business. Lots of twists and turns and the ending zinger was fun.

Believable characters, well-plotted and paced. I’ll be interested in another wine country installment.

I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. The main character Anne loves solving cold cases and she is good at it and a sixteen year old murder is just up her street. If you throw in a Ponzi scheme and missing money you have a brilliant story.

A bit of romance and a dead client's diary what more could you ask for, throw in a deadly chase and you have book well worth reading.

I liked this enjoyable mystery. The characters are drawn well, especially Anne. Ex-FBI, she has investigative skills but is also a flawed human, being tempted by a possible financial gain. I like that she and her uncle Jack, retired policeman, are used by the local police department to investigate cold cases. They do not have all the resources the police do, however. That makes solving the murder a mix of professional and amateur work.

The plot moved along well. Sanford's writing style is pleasant to read. Even though there were many elements to the mystery, including revelations and twists, it was not hard to follow. I like the addition of relationship issues among the family members. The potential romance between Anne and Dave was done well too.

It is the first novel I have read by Sanford and I like her writing style. While this is the second in a series, I felt it read very well on its own. I will be looking for more from her.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Love books that you can't put down and find yourself up in the middle of the night to try to finish. The story weaves in and out family drama, a ponzi scheme and questioning who the bad guys are while rooting for justice. This is a great read

Running on Empty by Karin Fitz Sanford is a cold case mystery set in the wine country of California. Sometime police officer and ex FBI agent Anne and her uncle Jack work together solving a murder from years ago while trying to find newly missing money from a Ponzi scheme. The characters aren't perfect which makes them more believable. Anne now works as an Estate auction facilitator, and it was fun to learn more about that job. This is the second in the series and I would definitely read more from the author.

Flawed characters are the best and there a number of them in Running on Empty. There is a cold case which brings in Anne McCormack, a woman who had worked for the FBI but now runs an estate-sales business, along with her uncle a retired policeman. The 2 of them sometimes help the police with cold cases. The dead woman's husband is now dead and there's a lot of questions.

There is a Ponzi scheme with a lot of local people out a lot of money. Family rivalries, and characters in all the age ranges. It's a very believable premise with lots of twists and turns along the way.

If you like a fast paced read with mysteries to solve, try it out! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Books by NetGalley authors are consistently well written and this is no exception. It is a complex, and carefully plotted story line with a sensible, rational protagonist, (which gets my approval). It reads easily and smoothly. Very enjoyable. I received this as an advance copy copy from the author via NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

An unsolved murder. A Ponzi scheme. And a heist that has ex-FBI agent Anne McCormack racing throughout the wine country! Good book! This book had the usual, it had good suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a good who done it and a few twists and turns! The storyline was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This is a fun read in an interesting setting. It kept me guessing until the end! What I thought was a huge plus was
the realistic character development in regards to the various ages and stages of life of the characters-realistic and not superficial.