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Richard Wilson, a prominent wine critic, routinely makes or destroys the careers of winemakers in his popular newsletter, The Wine Maven. When he disappears after a tasting in Californiaโs Napa Valley, his sister, Janie, asks her ex-husband, Babe Stern, to investigate. Babe gave up a successful career in the wine industry to run a local bar that does not appear on the tourist circuit. Working with the police after Wilsonโs body turns up in a vat at Norton Winery, he uncovers a long list of possible suspects who would like to get revenge for the bad reviews that ruined their businesses. As Stern digs further into Wilsonโs life, the trail takes him to Burgundy, France, and to the family of a young intern at the Norton Winery who was one of the few people in the winery when Wilson died. This is a well-crafted debut that will appeal to mystery fans interested in winemaking. --Barbara Bibel
Product Description
Prominent wine critic Richard Wilson makes a living elevating and destroying winemakersโ reputations with the stroke of his pen. When he disappears after a tasting at Napa Valleyโs Norton Winery, his sister Janie looks to her ex-husband Babe Stern for help. But when Wilsonโs body is found floating in a vat at Norton, Sternโs search turns into a hunt for the killer.
Working with the Napa Valley police, Stern quickly finds a string of suspects, all with one thing in common: their desire to get revenge for the reviews that shattered their wines and livelihoods. But as the police work to quickly clear the case, those same suspects have a string of alibis and the trail begins to fade.
Stern digs further into the circumstances of Wilsonโs death and finds himself following his only lead, to Burgundy, France. In cellars and tasting rooms from Beaune to Nuits-Saint-Georges, Stern tracks the troubled son of a family of vignerons, one of the few people in the winery the night Wilson died. But the wine families of the C?te dโOr are secretive and entangled, and the further Stern goes to discover the truth, the more he becomes the ultimate target. In a stunning debut mystery packed with revenge and murder, Sternโs only choice is to find the truth.