Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen, wine lover and music lover respectively, came up with the
idea for the Winemaker Detective series while sharing a meal, with a bottle of
Château Gaudou 1996, a red wine from Cahors with smooth tannins and a balanced
nose. The series has 24 titles to date and is a hit TV series in France. So far 10 have been translated. Jean-Pierre Alaux
currently lives in southwestern France and Noël in Paris. They both are full-time writers and participate in the TV
adaptation of their series.
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. She has
translated several titles in this series.
And Anne Trager has a
passion for crime fiction that equals her love of France. After years
working in translation, publishing and communications, she founded the mystery
and thriller publishing house Le French Book, dedicated to picking top
mysteries and thrillers from France and translating
them into English.
Their latest book is the cozy mystery, The Winemaker Detective: An
Omnibus.
For More Information
- Visit the authors’ website..
- Connect with the authors on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about the authors at Goodreads.
About the Book:
An immersion
in French countryside, gourmet attitude, and light-hearted mystery.
Two amateur sleuths
gumshoe around French wine country, where money, deceit, jealousy, inheritance
and greed are all the ingredients needed for crime. Master winemaker Benjamin
Cooker and his sidekick Virgile Lanssien solve mysteries in vineyards with a
dose of Epicurean enjoyment of fine food and beverage. Each story is a homage
to wine and winemakers, as well as a mystery.
In Treachery
in Bordeaux, barrels at the prestigious grand cru Moniales Haut-Brion wine
estate in Bordeaux have been contaminated. Is it negligence or
sabotage?
In Grand Cru
Heist, Benjamin Cooker’s world gets turned upside down one night in Paris. He retreats to the region around Tours to recover. He and his
assistant Virgile turn PI to solve two murders and very particular heist.
In Nightmare
in Burgundy, a dream wine tasting trip to Burgundy that turns into a
troubling nightmare when Cooker and his assistant stumble upon a mystery
revolving around messages from another era.
This made-for-TV series is "difficult
to forget and oddly addictive" (ForeWord Reviews).
For More Information
- The Winemaker Detective: An Omnibus is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
What authors have inspired you and your writing?
Perhaps the first to mention is Georges Simenon, because he was an
expert in the art of creating mysteries with atmosphere in few words. Even
today, rereading Simenon is a pleasure unlike any other. His work is timeless.
Our references also include other classic authors such as Maupassant, Mauriac
and Balzac, along with such foreign authors as Henning Mankell and Andrea
Camilleri. It is hard to pick just a few authors of the authors who have
inspired us directly.
What is it about the genre that makes the story translatable to other
cultures?
Our books are set in the world of wine and winemaking. Wine by
definition is a drink that brings people together. The history of humanity is
intertwined with the fruit of the vine. Rare are the cultures that have not
given wine some place of honor. Also, it is not a coincidence either that our
central hero Benjamin Cooker is part British. Haven’t the British been one of
the best ambassadors for Bordeaux wines? It seems natural that a wine-base
mystery series will find a place in all countries where wine plays a role in
the culture.
What makes your novel quintessentially "French"?
Well, France is the world’s top producer of wine and has a long-standing
reputation in this area. Wine may be made throughout the world, but France
still holds more than its share of top estates and names in the business. And
the stories about legendary wines are deeply rooted in France, in Bordeaux and
Burgundy. Our hero benefits from vast knowledge in this area, and France’s
cultural heritage, both the vineyards and architectural sites, adds a dimension
to these books that stimulates the imagination. Who doesn’t start dreaming when
they read about the countryside around Medoc or the Yquem fortress surrounded
by morning fog?
What was it about this book specifically that will appeal to American
readers?
Americans have an understanding of the wine world that is only matched
by the Belgians in terms of European wines. This knowledge lends itself to
enjoying the universe in which Benjamin Cooker works. The series is meant to be
both fun and to teach readers something. The places we mention — restaurants,
sites and more — are worth the detour in real life too, and all the information
about wine is all thoroughly researched and accurate. We are not yet finished
exploring France’s wine world. We are Epicurean, and will remain so, and we
know that the wine world is an endless source. The more you think you know, the
more humbling it becomes. There are so many fine wines to drink, and every year
Mother Nature makes something new. This series could go on infinitely.
