Chez Paradise

After a horrific fire levels the gorgeous Sonoma Valley villa they had rented, vacationing friends scramble to find alternative accommodations. They laugh their way through a series of snafus until their situation turns suddenly dire when a woman in their party goes missing. Making matters worse, local authorities are more interested in asserting arson allegations than in listening to a tale of abduction. Searching for clues while dodging the cops, the traveling companions run up against some shadowy figures intent on keeping certain secrets buried beneath the rubble of Chez Paradise. With nowhere else to turn, the woe begotten tourists are left relying on just one man, an out of shape, retired detective, in desperate attempt to escape their hell?

According to Volkman, the mountainside retreat that Celeste Marinelli scores for her friends is “frickin’ fantastic.” A long weekend of wine tasting and basking in the Sonoma Valley sun begins merrily enough until, poof, the villa burns to the ground. The vacationers’ bumbling efforts to find a replacement rental are rather comedic at first, but what was an inconvenience turns terrifying when Jessica Kelly suddenly disappears. Her husband’s rescue mission is hobbled by local authorities who label Steve and his buddies as arsonists. Then when their search for Jessica leads back to the charred villa, the amateur sleuths are confronted by sinister forces who take exception to their nosing around. Apparently there are secrets buried beneath the rubble at Chez Paradise—secrets worth killing over. Fortunately, there is one Good Samaritan, Armond Wilson, willing to step up in attempt to unravel the mysteries that bind the troubled tourists. But can Wilson, an out-of-shape, retired police detective, help all his new friends escape the valley alive?