Late Harvest Havoc

(mystery) Release date: December 15, 2015 at Le French Book 169 pages ISBN: 9781939474599 Website | Goodreads

SYNOPSIS

Vineyard revenge. Winter is in the air in Alsace and local customs are sowing trouble, piquing the curiosity of the famous winemaker from Bordeaux, Benjamin Cooker. While the wine expert and his assistant Virgile settle into their hotel in the old city of Colmar, distinguished vineyards are attacked. Is it revenge? The plot thickens when estates with no apparent connection to one another suffer the same sabotage just days prior to the late harvest. All of Alsace is in turmoil, plunged in the grip of suspicion that traces its roots back to the darkest hours of the German occupation. As he crosses back and forth into Germany from the Alsace he thought he knew so well, Cooker discovers a land of superstition, rivalry, and jealousy. Between tastings of the celebrated wines, he is drawn into the lives and intrigues of the inhabitants.

My Review

I loved all the books I have read in this series but it was my favorite. It was most adventurous, full of twists and suspense with some interesting historical references. In this new adventure Benjamin showed us around another beautiful French region, Alsace. I have been there a few years ago and I found it charming, a perfect mix of French and German culture. I liked so much to visit it again with the famous winemaker.

Benjamin and his increasingly indispensable assistant Virgile are in Alsace for a tasting and find themselves involved in an unpleasant episode. In the picturesque town of Colmar a mysterious vandal destroyed some vines. This act is somehow connected to the Nazi occupation of the region? Virgile and her cantankerous boss will try to find the culprit.

A plot well woven, a compelling mystery to solve, magnificent and vivid descriptions of landscapes, great tasting and wine recommendations and perfect culinary combinations: this book is a real treat, ideal for a pleasant winter evening.

I can't wait to see where Benjamin and Virgile bring us in their next adventure.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen, wine lover and music lover respectively, came up with the idea for the Winemaker Detective series while sharing a meal, with a bottle of Château Gaudou 1996, a red wine from Cahors with smooth tannins and a balanced nose.

ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR

Sally Pane studied French at State University of New York Oswego and the Sorbonne before receiving her Masters Degree in French Literature from the University of Colorado where she wrote Camus and the Americas: A Thematic Analysis of Three Works Based on His Journaux de Voyage. Her career includes more than twenty years of translating and teaching French and Italian at Berlitz and at University of Colorado Boulder. She has worked in scientific, legal and literary translation; her literary translations include Operatic Arias; Singers Edition, and Reality and the Untheorizable by Clément Rosset, along with a number of titles in the Winemaker Detective series. She also served as the interpreter for the government cabinet of Rwanda and translated for Dian Fossey’s Digit Fund. In addition to her passion for French, she has studied Italian at Colorado University, in Rome and in Siena. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband.

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