Deadly Tasting - Jean-Pierre Alaux, Noël Balen

Le French Book

Now I enjoy a glass of good wine with a meal but I am certainly not a wine connoisseur though I know what I like and I can decipher a wine label.  Initially, a mystery built around the many intricacies of wine did not appeal to me.  I have however, enjoyed everything that I have read so far from Le French Book and decided that was reason enough to read at least one volume from this series.  Again, a big Thank You to Anne Trager for translating and making these enjoyable award winning reads accessible to English readers.

Deadly Tasting is book four in the Winemaker Detective Series.  Local Bordeaux police consult wine expert Benjamin Cooker,  following the discovery  at the scene of a brutal murder, of twelve wine glasses deliberately placed in a semi-circle and only one glass contains wine. Cooker needs to identify the wine in the glass to understand the message the killer is leaving.  But when a second murder occurs and this time two glasses are filled with wine, Cooker and the police realize that time is of the essence if they are to stop the killer from striking again. 

Certain the wine left in the glasses is a grand crux Pomerol from the Pétrus estate, Cooker must figure out who could have an apparently unlimited access to such an expensive wine.  Delving into the history of the wine necessitates revisiting the history of the Nazi occupation of the area and digging up secrets from this dark time in Bordeaux history. 

 

The writing is tight and the story fast paced.  There are some lighter moments involving Cooker and the cabbage soup diet that his wife has him on.  Though not strictly necessary to the story, these moments help to lighten the mood following some of the more gruesome murder scenes and the telling of the heavier aspects of the Nazi occupation.

 

Much to my surprise I became quite intrigued by the wine information and found myself researching Pomerol wine, the Pétrus estate and even the cabbage soup diet.  Everything that I learned from my investigations confirmed how well the authors had done their research and how smoothly they incorporated facts and history into the mystery.

 

My research also led me to discover that I can order the Pétrus estate's Pomerol locally but I definitely can't afford to.  At thousands of dollars for a bottle, if I should ever be fortunate enough to have a full glass of it in front of me, there is no way I will be leaving it behind for someone else to discover as a clue.  Salut!

Have a look at some interesting facts about wine and be thankful you weren't a woman in Roman times.

http://interestingthings.info/food-and-beverages/10-interesting-facts-wine-know.html



 

The Bleiberg Project by David Khara

Translated by Simon John

Le French Book

I’m not a big fan of books that relate to World War II, the Holocaust, and famous Nazis etc.;  but I do like a good thriller.  I also very much like the books I have read from Le French Book and that is why I decided to read The Bleiberg Project. 

 

The story centers on Jay Novacek, real name Jeremy Corbin, a trader who has made himself a small fortune on Wall Street, enough money to last him the rest of his life if he chooses.  Money however, can’t buy him happiness or the peace of mind he so desperately seeks. 

The news of his estranged father’s death is the first domino in the series to fall.  When he tells his mother the news, she gives him the locket she has always worn and asks him to leave her alone. Before he has the chance to ask his mother about the locket’s contents she is assassinated and he turns to the one person he knows he can trust, his boss, only to discover that he too has been keeping secrets.

Suddenly, men in black cars with Argentinian plates are after Jeremy and they mean business.  The first attack on his life ends with him being inexplicably saved by a giant of a man, Eytan Morg, a very dangerous Mossad agent.  At this point the CIA enters the picture and Jeremy finds himself on a plane to Zurich with Jackie, a very petite and attractive CIA agent.  Jeremy soon realizes he needs to discover what his father had been involved in if he stands any chance of staying alive long enough to enjoy the fortune he has amassed.

The story ricochets between past events and the present to gradually make sense of what is happening in the present. The WWII backdrop provides real monsters to interact with the fictional ones to reveal a consortium at work to gain the ultimate power to rule the world. This may sound a little like Austin Powers, especially when a scientific formula is included in the plot, but it is much, much better than that.

Khara has written a fast-paced race against time thriller with sympathetic characters.  Everyone has a secret it seems and it is this vulnerability of each of the main characters that serves as a stark contrast to the power seekers for whom life is cheap.  The pace is a bit slow at the very beginning but once it picks up it doesn’t let up. My one criticism is that the epilogue could have been fleshed out a bit more but that is really a small detail.

This is a thriller that fans of John Grisham, Robert Ludlum or Ian Fleming will enjoy.


http://www.lefrenchbook.com/

The Paris Lawyer by Sylvie Granotier

Translated by Anne Trager
Le French Book

Book Review 

This is another award winning psychological thriller from LeFrench Book.

 

In this story Sylvie Granotier introduces us to Catherine Monsigny a young, ambitious lawyer and a rising star at a major Parisian law firm. Catherine finds herself with a major felony case and sees an opportunity for her career to take off.  She has to defend a black woman accused of murdering her rich husband in a pastoral village setting on the outskirts of Paris.  The journey to the village to meet her client and investigate the case becomes a journey of self-discovery for the young lawyer.

Always close to the surface of Catherine’s mind, is the unsolved murder of her mother that happened when Catherine was a toddler; she often finds herself in a whirlwind of questions, memories or dreams related to this traumatic event. Unfortunately, she has a father unwilling to provide any answers that might help ease her mind. As Catherine attempts to uncover her past, she is unknowingly being manipulated in the present and complicating her future.  Happening in parallel is the story of her client, a woman who quite deftly hides her past and ingeniously manipulates the present to ensure she has a future.   

As we meet the many characters in this story who provide insight into both the murder of Catherine’s mother and the case of the murdered husband, we witness different types and different aspects of love and relationships.  There is the passion of lovers, the love of husband and wife, and the love, devotion and loyalty between parent and child.  We also see happy marriages, marriages of convenience, the fallout from divorce, and the ramifications of lovers betrayed. 

 

As there is a lot going on in Catherine’s mind and life, there is also a lot going on in the story line.  Some readers will find the back and forth between past and present, dream and reality, a little confusing but it reflects the main character and makes this book so much more than just another procedural thriller.  Some readers may not like that the ending to the Paris Lawyer, isn’t neatly wrapped up and tied with a bow. However, you are left with a feeling of closure for the past and a sense of hope for the future.

The 7th Woman by Frédérique Molay - Book Review

One of the best books I have read in a long time. This book should come with a warning – Highly Addictive!

From the moment we meet Nico Sirsky we are instantly drawn into his world.  As Chief of Police, Nico leads a highly stressed life, further complicated by an ex-wife, adolescent son, interfering though well-meaning sister and a demanding mother.  

As the story begins, Nico is undergoing a medical exam to help determine, not surprisingly, if he has an ulcer.  There is to be no immediate relief for his stress level as a serial killer becomes his new case.  A serial killer with an agenda to kill a woman per day, for one week, is leading Nico’s team down a frustrating trail with few clues and many twists and turns.  The killer is an expert manipulator and a master at creating distractions for the police.  As the days go by and Nico is drawn further and further into the case, it becomes increasingly clear that the killer also has a personal interest in Nico and those close to him. 

I'm sure many readers will figure out the identify of the serial killer.  However, for me, this didn't reduce the tension, in fact if may have actually increased it as I so wanted to warn Nico.

This book is a real nail biter and even the last sentence will leave you breathless and craving more.  Highly, highly, addictive.http://www.lefrenchbook.com/our-authors/frederique-molay/