venerdì 22 settembre 2017

Review & Giveaway:Requiem in Yquem by Jean-Pierre ALAUX and Noël BALEN

Jean-Pierre ALAUX and Noël BALEN

on Tour September 11-22 with

  REQUIEM-IN-YQUEM cover

Requiem in Yquem

(mystery) Release date: September 12, 2017 at Le French Book 215 pages ISBN: 9781943998104 Website | Goodreads

SYNOPSIS

The intricate taste of greed and remorse. The “addictive” Winemaker Detective series returns with a French mystery set in Sauternes, home of one of the world’s finest dessert wines, Yquem, known to some as liquid gold. In the mist-covered hills of Sauternes, where the wine is luscious and the landscape beguiling, the brutal murder of an elderly couple intrigues the wine expert Benjamin Cooker and awakens memories for his dashing assistant Virgile Lanssien. Drawn into the investigation, the two journey through the storied Sauternes countryside, where the Château d’Yquem has reigned for centuries. Will the murder go unexplained and the killer remain free? The Winemaker Detective’s discernment and incessant curiosity pushes investigators to look deeper, while Virgile rekindles memories of his days at school and questions the meaning of his life. In another satisfying wine novel with a French flair, authors Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen give readers a perfectly intoxicating combination French wine, gourmet meals, and mystery in the gloriously described Sauternes wine region with all the scenery, scents, and sounds of France. This light, fun mystery combines amateur sleuths, food, and wine in a wonderfully French mystery novel that doubles as a travel guide. It is a new kind read on the international mystery and crime scene: a pitch-perfect, wine-infused, French-style cozy mystery.

My Review

Thanks to this series I spent some nice hours discovering great wines and visiting some beautiful French locations, increasing my list of places to visit absolutely.
Husband and wife are killed in their double bed hand in hand. They did not notice anything. In their house there were no signs of eviction, nothing was stolen and they were not so rich to justify such a crime. The region where they lived was famous for Yquem, a very expensive dessert wine. Benjamin Cooker is France's preeminent wine expert but also an excellent amateur detective. Along with his assistant Virgile has solved many intricate cases. Will they also solve this one?
In this episode, Virgile's role is very important, it was very nice to know him better. He's a nice, funny, not very loyal man, especially if his girlfriend lives in New York.
It was a fast, easy, engaging, fast-paced reading. Descriptions of landscapes are really fascinating. The notions about Yquem's characteristics and its production are added here and there enriching the story without annoying the reader.
You do not have to read the series in order but once you discover Benjamin and Virgile you want to read all their adventures.
This series is perfect for lovers of  cozy mystery genre but especially for those who love a good glass of French wine.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Alaux-Balen
©David Nakache
  Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen, the authors of the Winemaker Detective series are epicures. Jean-Pierre Alaux is a magazine, radio and TV journalist when he is not writing novels in southwestern France. | He is the grandson of a winemaker and exhibits a real passion for wine and winemaking. For him, there is no greater common denominator than wine. He gets a sparkle in his eye when he talks about the Winemaker Detective mystery series, which he coauthors with Noël Balen. Noël lives in Paris, where he shares his time between writing, making records, and lecturing on music. He plays bass, is a music critic, and has authored a number of books about musicians in addition to his prolific novel and short-story writing.
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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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1 commento:

  1. thanks for your wonderful review. Yes, great story, great series! Emma at FBT

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