Summer Reads: Mystery, Murder and Cabernet Sauvignon

Thinking about summer reads? Dreaming of mystery, murder and cabernet sauvignon? Treachery in Bordeaux by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen fits that bill, and it’s available in paperback now.

It’s a cozy mystery; it’s a wine novel; it’s the start of a series that’s a hit on TV. Winemaker Benjamin Cooker and his sidekick Virgile Lanssien navigate the world of winemaking, where the beverage has aromas of deceit and intrigue.

“This book and its successors will whet appetites of fans of both Iron Chef andMurder, She Wrote,” Booklist says. It is set in vineyards and has an Epicurean hero, embodying that French something people love, and it’s an entertaining escape. An ideal summer read.

When some barrels end up contaminated at the prestigious grand cru Moniales Haut-Brion, world-renowned wine expert Benjamin Cooker starts asking questions. Is it negligence or sabotage? Who would want to bring down this esteemed vintner? Cooker and and his assistant Virgile Lanssien search the city and the vineyards for answers. Here, the wine is served up with money, duplicity, crime, and jealously—all the ingredients needed to distill a fine detective series.

Other Books in the Winemaker Detective Series

Grand Cru Heist (9781939474049) navigates from the Loire Valley to Bordeaux. In between a glass of Vouvray and a bottle of Saint-Émilion, the Winemaker Detective and his assistant Virgile turn PI to solve two murders and very peculiar heist. Who stole those bottles of grand cru classé?

Nightmare in Burgundy (9781939474056) takes the Winemaker Detective to Burgundy, where a dream wine-tasting trip turns into a nightmare when Cooker stumbles upon messages from another era. What dark secrets haunt the Clos de Vougeot?

In Deadly Tasting (9781939474216), a serial killer stalks Bordeaux, signing his crimes with a strange ritual. To understand the wine-related symbolism, the local police call on the famous wine critic Benjamin Cooker. The investigation leads them to the dark hours of France’s history, as the mystery thickens among the once-peaceful vineyards of Pomerol.