The Vintage Caper

June 15, 2009
Mayle uncorks a winning wine caper in the tradition of To Catch a Thief
. When a hot-shot Hollywood lawyer's most treasured and expensive wines are stolen, his insurance company calls in Sam Levitt, a gourmand and lawyer-of-all-trades with a varied background, to investigate. The investigation takes Sam to Paris and Bordeaux, where he hooks up with the elegant insurance agent Sophie Costes, a fellow wine and food snob. The trail finally leads them to a man named Francis Reboul in Marseille, and soon, with the help of Sophie's journalist cousin, Phillipe, they get an in with Reboul and close in on closing the caper. While the plot may be predictable, the pleasures of this very French adventure—and there are many—aren't in the resolution, of course, but in the pleasant stroll through the provinces and in the glasses of wine downed and decadent meals consumed.

August 1, 2009
The celebrated author (A Good Year, 2004, etc.) introduces a wine-savvy sleuth who traces an L.A. cellar heist back to France.

Light, slight and very tidy, Mayle's sixth novel wastes no time on superfluous characters or subplots. Its pared-down story line features vain Hollywood entertainment lawyer Danny Roth, whose pride in his $3 million wine collection leads to a boastful article about it in the L.A. Times and then its theft. Attractive insurance agent Elena Morales hires ex-boyfriend Sam Levitt, a hunk with a nose for fine vintages, to track it down. The trail leads to Marseille via Paris and Bordeaux, affording Mayle many opportunities for travel guide–type asides:"High on the Corniche Kennedy, the restaurant offers an irresistible combination of fresh fish, fresh air and a glittering view of the Frioul islands." Levitt's companion is another insurance agent, attractive Sophie Costes, whose presence makes Elena jealous. Sam, suspecting billionaire tycoon and wine-collector Francis Reboul of the theft, pretends to be a publisher working on a book on private cellars, gains access to Reboul's vast collection, discovers Roth's fingerprints on some of the bottles and steals the stolen wine back. No hitches, no glitches, and Sam gets the girl too.

The term"easy read" was surely invented for this amiable but scorchingly efficient amusement that comes with the added benefit of menu and wine-list recommendations.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

May 15, 2009
Never was a novel more aptly titled than this latest effort by Englishman Mayle, who has staked out the south of France not only as hispersonal stomping grounds but also as the setting for numerous delightful books, both fiction and nonfiction, beginning, of course, with A Year in Provence (1990), a delectable account of Mayles experiences in his adopted homeland. The vintage part of this title refers to rare and expensive wine. The caper part adds the element of stolen rare and expensive wine. Danny Roth is a Hollywood lawyer whose wine collection is his pride and joy. One day a major portion of that collection turns up missing, and his insurance companybefore handing over the $3 million Roth feels the bottles are worthhires an investigator to look into the matter. The California setting soon gives way to Mayles trademark south of France, and the trail to resolving the case provides a richly atmospheric ride for the reader. Mayle delivers what is almost a French version of Robert B. Parkers Spenser novels: good, clean writing; a sophisticated and mouthwatering use of food and wine as the storys upholstery; and a quick yet captivating plot, well sprinkled with humor. This novel is a special invitation for newbiesto begin appreciating Mayles talent as a writer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)