Mystery, Murder and Côte de Nuits New Paperback is Released

New York, New York

Nightmare in Burgundy, a Winemaker Detective mystery, hits bookstores this week. Like its predecessors, this book provides an entertaining tour of French wine country. Along with mystery, intrigue and strong characters, readers learn about wines, local folklore, history and, this time, some Latin. There's suspense, suspicion, desperation, humor, lust and erudition.

The authors bring the scents, scenes and taste of France to life as wine expert Benjamin Cooker heads out on the trip of a wine-lover's dreams: a tasting tour of Burgundy. Cooker displays his customary calm, loyalty and tenacity as he comes to grips with the mystery he stumbles upon.

Publisher Anne Trager say, "This is a perfect series for escaping to France. The authors transport you there with their detailed descriptions. In addition to being a cozy mystery, each book pays homage to a different wine terroir. I've even used them as travel guides."

In Nightmare in Burgundy, expert wine critic Benjamin Cooker leaves his native Bordeaux for Burgundy, where he is accepted into a prestigious wine-tasting brotherhood. Soon, mysterious messages from another era start popping up. Can a local reporter and a elderly monk help Cooker and his assistant understand their meaning before more harm is done?

The Winemaker Detective series of cozy mysteries has over twenty books to it and has also been adapted into a hit television series in France known as "Blood of the Vine," with French actor Pierre Arditi.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Other Books in the Series
The first in the series, Treachery in Bordeaux (9781939474025) takes readers behind the scenes of a grand cru wine estate that has fallen victim to either negligence or sabotage. World-renowned winemaker and critic Benjamin Cooker sets out to find out what happened and why. Who would want to target this esteemed vintner?

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?

In Deadly Tasting (9781939474216 - release date: October 2014), 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.

In Cognac Conspiracies (9781939474322 - release date: February 2014), 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 is stonewalled, crosses paths with his first love, and stands up to high-level state officials keen on controlling the buyout. Meanwhile, irresistible Virgile mingles with the local population until a drowning changes the stakes.

The Authors
Jean-Pierre Alaux is a magazine, radio and television journalist when he is not writing novels in southwestern France. He is a genuine wine and food lover and the grandson of a winemaker. For him, there is no greater common denominator than wine. Coauthor of the Winemaker Detective series, Noël Balen 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 novel and short-story writing. Nightmare in Burgundy was translated by long-time translator Sally Pane from Boulder, Colorado.

Praise for the Winemaker Detective series

"A fine vintage... It will stay with you for a very long time." -Peter May, prize-winning, international bestselling author

"An excellent mystery series in which you eat, drink and discuss wine as much as you do murders." -Bernard Frank, Le Nouvel Observateur

"The shoes are John Lobb, the cigars are Cuban, and the wine is 'classic.' As is this book." -Rantin', Ravin' and Reading

"Will whet appetites of fans of both Iron Chef and Murder, She Wrote." -Booklist

About Le French Book
Le French Book is a New York-based publisher specialized in great reads from France, with a growing catalog of top contemporary mysteries and thrillers with a French touch. An IPS publisher.

©2014 Le French Book, Inc. All rights reserved. Information is subject to change without notice.

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