The Vintage Caper - ISBNLookup.com

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.
—The New York Times

Publishers Weekly

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. (Oct.)

Kirkus Reviews

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. First printing of 125,000

From the Publisher

“Peter Mayle . . . has been celebrating the pleasures of Provence in seductive prose since the mega-bestselling A Year in Provence . . . This tradition flourishes anew in his latest Provençal picaresque, The Vintage Caper . . . The [novel’s] trail leads—naturellement!—through a succession of excellent repasts and leisurely ambles, which Mayle depicts with painterly ease and signature savoir vivre . . . The wine case has enough twists and turns to propel the plot along, but the star of this caper is the vineyard-veined, lavender-scented, sun-showered, garlic-seasoned setting itself: pure Provence.”
            -Don George, National Geographic Traveler (Book of the Month)

“Meals are lovingly described, scenery comes to life, paragraphs take long floral detours. And everyone is blessed with hypersensitive taste buds . . . 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.”
            -James Oliver Curry, The New York Times Book Review

“A lighthearted romp through Bordeaux and Marseille, in which picking the right restaurant, choosing the best dish on the menu and, of course, finding the perfect wine (and female companion) to accompany the feast is every bit as important as catching the thief . . . Bon appétit!”
            -Bernadette Murphy, Los Angeles Times

“Wine and food aficionados will find much to savor in The Vintage Caper . . . The Vintage Caper is light, funny, and packed with a menu’s worth of scrumptious descriptions of exceptional dinners and drinks.”
            -Carol Memmott, USA Today

“A trip to France for 25 dollars? No, it’s not a super-discount on Air France, it’s a book, another Peter Mayle flight of fancy . . . It’s a smooth ride you’ll enjoy from beginning to end . . . Peter Mayle’s love of France is infectious.”
            -John Greenya, The Washington Post

“This novel provides a delightful behind-the-scenes tour of France and its wines, a satisfyingly satirical view of materialistic excesses in America, a mystery that keeps the reader guessing, and a pleasing, robust finish.”
            -Scotia W. MacRae, Philadelphia Inquirer

“Relentlessly entertaining . . . Peter Mayle has concocted a shameless guilty-pleasure bonbon in The Vintage Caper.”
            -Raleigh News-Observer

“Mayle’s prose bubbles with the pertness of champagne and teems with sumptuous delights . . . His story has as many unexpected twists as the wending streets of France that are featured throughout the novel, making this one countryside romp that will both thrill and transport oenophiles and armchair travelers alike.”
            -Cathy Shouse, Bookpage

“Mayle uncorks a winning wine caper . . . The pleasures of this very French adventure—and there are many—aren’t in the resolution . . . but in the pleasant stroll through the provinces and in the glasses of wine downed and decadent meals consumed.”
            -Publishers Weekly

“Mayle delivers . . . good, clean writing; a sophisticated and mouthwatering use of good and wine as the story’s upholstery; and a quick yet captivating plot, well sprinkled with humor. This novel is a special invitation for newbies to begin appreciating Mayle’s talent as a writer.”
            -Booklist