Read Backstabbing in Beaujolais (Winemaker Detective Book 9) Online
Authors: Jean-Pierre Alaux,Noël Balen
Tags: #gourmet, #wine, #cozy mystery, #food, #whodunit, #European fiction, #European mysteries, #Beaujolais nouveau, #France, #gentleman detective, #French culture, #amateur sleuth
Backstabbing in Beaujolais (Winemaker Detective Book 9) (11 page)
Epilogue
Sylvain Périthiard was convicted of murder and sentenced to thirty years in prison. Guillaume Périthiard then purchased his cousin’s Beaujolais vineyards.
Eric Chavannes closed his real estate agency and moved out of the region.
The Vol-au-Vent Régnié turned out to be delicate and perfumed, seductive, supple, round, and generous, with some similarities to Burgundy.
Annabelle Malisset got Maison Coultard-Périthiard off to a solid start, picking up significant clients in Russia, Asia, and other foreign markets, as well as France. But she resigned after a year to take the reins of a major Australian winery in the Barossa Valley.
After Solène’s murder, Guillaume Périthiard hired someone to oversee his chain of bistros. The restaurants got some unfavorable publicity following a few visits from the health inspector. By that time, however, Périthiard had sold every one of the eateries.
Mercedes de Ambroyo managed to finish her manuscript before her publisher pulled the plug. Better than a bestseller, it became a long-selling classic.
Nicolas Curutchet, the forensics officer, was transferred back to the southwest—not to Biarritz or Bayonne, but to Talance, in the southern suburbs of Bordeaux, just forty-five minutes from the coast. Benjamin Cooker had, indeed, put in a good word for him.
Virgile wrote up the tasting notes for several of the year’s Cru Beaujolais wines, along with the Beaujolais Nouveau, for the
Cooker Guide
. He said the light-bodied wine had zest and a creamy palate. But the Beaujolais Nouveau didn’t prove to be as popular as Périthiard had hoped. Sales continued to fall.
As he said he would, Benjamin presented Guillaume Périthiard with a bill for his services. It was a sum big enough to make a dent in the businessman’s checking account. Périthiard, however, didn’t argue or haggle. He was satisfied with the winemaker detective’s contributions to his venture, and even though his Beaujolais Nouveau wasn’t selling the way he had hoped, there was another—and quite unexpected—source of satisfaction in his life. After seeing how attractive another woman had found her husband, Bérangère Périthiard had decided to join Guillaume at the Vol-au-Vent estate. Périthiard had refurbished the manor house to his wife’s taste, and after she moved in, the servants frequently heard giggling and sighs coming from the bedroom. The Périthiards, it seemed, were enjoying a third honeymoon.
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The Winemaker Detective Series
An epicurean immersion in French countryside and gourmet attitude with two expert winemakers turned amateur sleuths gumshoeing around wine country. The following titles are available in English.
Treachery in Bordeaux
Barrels at the prestigious grand cru Moniales Haut-Brion wine estate in Bordeaux have been contaminated. Is it negligence or sabotage? Benjamin Cooker and his assistant Virgile Lanssien search the city and the vineyards for answers, giving readers an inside view of this famous wine region.
Grand Cru Heist
After Benjamin Cooker’s world gets turned upside down one night in Paris, he retreats to the region around Tours to recover. There, he and his assistant Virgile turn PI to solve two murders and a very particular heist. Who stole those bottles of grand cru classé?
Nightmare in Burgundy
The winemaker detective leaves his native Bordeaux for a dream wine tasting trip to Burgundy that turns into a troubling nightmare when he stumbles upon a mystery revolving around messages from another era. What do they mean? What dark secrets from the deep past are haunting the Clos de Vougeot?
Deadly Tasting
A serial killer stalks Bordeaux. 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.
Cognac Conspiracies
The heirs to one of the oldest Cognac estates in France face a hostile takeover by foreign investors. Renowned wine expert Benjamin Cooker is called in to audit the books. In what he thought was a sleepy provincial town, he and his assistant Virgile have their loyalties tested.
Mayhem in Margaux
Summer brings the winemaker detective’s daughter to Bordeaux, along with a heatwave. Local vintners are on edge, But Benjamin Cooker is focused on solving a mystery that touches him very personally. Along the way he finds out more than he’d like to know about the makings of a grand cru classé wine.
Flambé in Armagnac
The Winemaker Detective heads to Gascony, where a fire has ravaged the warehouse of one of the region’s finest Armagnac producers, and a small town holds fiercely onto its secrets.
Montmartre Mysteries
The Winemaker Detective visits a favorite wine shop in Paris and stumbles upon an attempted murder, drawing him into investigation that leads them from the Foreign Legion to the Côte du Rhône.
About the Authors
Noël Balen (left) and Jean-Pierre Alaux (right).
(©David Nakache)
Jean-Pierre Alaux
and
Noël Balen
came up with the winemaker detective over a glass of wine, of course. Jean-Pierre Alaux is a magazine, radio, and television journalist when he is not writing novels in southwestern France. The grandson of a winemaker, he has a real passion for food, wine, and winemaking. For him, there is no greater common denominator than wine. Coauthor of the series Noël Balen lives in Paris, where he writes, makes records, and lectures on music. He plays bass, is a music critic, and has authored a number of books about musicians, in addition to many novels and short stories.
About the Translator
Anne Trager loves France so much she has lived there for well over a quarter of a century and just can’t seem to leave. What keeps her there is a uniquely French mix of pleasure seeking and creativity. Well, that and the wine. One day, she woke up and said, “I just can’t stand it anymore. There are way too many good books being written in France not reaching a broader audience.” That’s when she founded Le French Book to translate some of those books into English. The company’s motto is “If we love it, we translate it,” and Anne loves crime fiction, mysteries and detective novels.
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