Friends in Napa: A friendly, deadly drama

While this best-selling novel, Friends in Napa, by Sheila Yasmin Marikar is not necessarily a traditional mystery, it is what any good classic film noir is—a melodrama with some violence.

This novel is perfectly poised to be made into a miniseries for any network—it has the elements of all the mandates for TV series which include (usually), a group of good-looking successful friends with some dark secrets, a lot of money mixed with at least one character in a secret crisis about a lack of money, sexual betrayal, emotional betrayal, selfish behavior, a look at wealth and how it can either ruin or exalt people and finally, a venue for this drama to unfold; preferably with the death or another metaphorical demise of a key player. Friends in Napa most certainly delivers on these mandates for any future miniseries.

Marikar’s vast knowledge from writing feature articles about food, wine, and wellness destinations informed her story as she expertly name-drops throughout the novel, making the reader feel like both an insider and a student secretly learning all the ins and outs of exclusivity in Los Angeles, Napa, and New York.

A great deal of the narrative alternates between two of the main characters, Rachel and Anjali. These two women, although best friends from long before college, have gone down vastly different paths in life. While the friendship and its issues are prevalent throughout the drama, the focus of the narrative centers around the long weekend initiated by Raj and Rachel Ranjani, at their opulent vineyard in Napa Valley. We see glimpses of life through not only Rachel and Anjali but Raj, Rachel’s husband, and Anjali’s first significant love, and the other friends who feature in the story as well. Old wounds are open and hidden passions are reignited, which will culminate in murder.

If you like drama, living large, and murder, then definitely give Friends in Napa a look. You will never see wine (or the industry) the same way again.

Friends in Napa is published by Amazon Imprint Mindy’s Book Studio, founded by Mindy Kaling. It is out now. Thank you to Megan Beattie and MB Communications for providing me with a complimentary Advanced Reader’s Copy of the novel.