The Vintage Caper »

Peter Mayle is the author of eleven previous books, five of them fiction. He has received the Légion d’Honneur from the French government for his cultural contributions. Mayle has been living in Provence with his wife, Jennie, for twenty years.

Set in Hollywood, Paris, Bordeaux, and Marseille, Peter Mayle s newest and most delightful novel is filled with culinary delights, sumptuous wines, and colorful characters. It s also a lot of fun.

The story begins high above Los Angeles, at the extravagant home and equally impressive wine cellar of entertainment lawyer Danny Roth. Unfortunately, after inviting the Los Angeles Times to write an extensive profile extolling the liquid treasures of his collection, Roth finds himself the victim of a world-class wine heist.

Enter Sam Levitt, former corporate lawyer, cultivated crime expert, and wine connoisseur. Called in by Roth s insurance company, which is now saddled with a multimillion-dollar claim, Sam follows his leads to Bordeaux and its magnificent vineyards, and to Provence to meet an eccentric billionaire collector who might possibly have an interest in the stolen wines. Along the way, bien sûr, he is joined by a...

The New York Times - James Oliver Cury

As soon as Levitt begins his sleuthing—first in Paris, then in Bordeaux and Marseilles—the pace, tone and rhythm of the book shift. Suddenly, Mayle's descriptive powers move into cinematic overdrive: meals are lovingly described, scenery comes to life, paragraphs take long floral detours. And everyone is blessed with hypersensitive taste buds. Unlike most novels, this one lets you hear what dishes everyone orders at restaurants…wine is clearly the main character. And the book generously flows with vinous minutiae. By the time Levitt returns to America, readers will have learned much about the history of winemaking, the key wine regions, various auction houses, critics and books—and even how to lift fingerprints from bottles.