Treachery in Bordeaux by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen is Released

New York, New York

For summer readers dreaming of mystery, murder and cabernet sauvignon, Treachery in Bordeaux by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen fits the bill and is now available in paperback.

It's a cozy mystery; it's a wine novel; it's the start of a series that's a hit on TV. Winemaker Benjamin Cooker and his sidekick Virgile Lanssien navigate the world of winemaking, where the beverage has aromas of deceit and intrigue.

"This book and its successors will whet appetites of fans of both Iron Chef and Murder, She Wrote," Booklist says. It is set in vineyards and has an Epicurean hero, embodying that French something people love, making for an entertaining escape, an ideal summer read.

When some barrels end up contaminated at the prestigious grand cru Moniales Haut-Brion, world-renowned wine expert Benjamin Cooker starts asking questions. Is it negligence or sabotage? Who would want to bring down this esteemed vintner? Cooker and his assistant Virgile Lanssien search the city and the vineyards for answers. Here, the wine is served up with money, duplicity, crime, and jealously-all the ingredients needed to distill a fine detective series.

For New York Times bestselling author William Martin, it is "a great mystery about wine, and winemaking, and the whole culture of that fascinating world." French actor Pierre Arditi says he loves portraying Benjamin Cooker because the character's sensibilities, culture and personality help him solve the cases. Cooker is an iconoclast, unforeseeable, stubborn, guided by his instincts, feelings and his memory of aromas and savors.

Bestselling author Peter May adds that, "Treachery in Bordeaux is a fine vintage, best consumed slightly chilled, and never alone." Clearly, this is the perfect book for people who might like a little treachery with their evening glass of Bordeaux, a little history and tradition with their Merlot.

Praise for Treachery in Bordeaux
"Unusually adept at description, the authors manage to paint everything... the journey through its pages is not to be rushed." - ForeWord Reviews

"A terrific new series." - NYT bestselling author William Martin

"A fine vintage." - International bestselling author, Peter May

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

"A wonderful translation, wonderful descriptions of the art, architecture, history and landscape of the Bordeaux region...The shoes are John Lobb, the cigars are Cuban, and the wine is 'classic'. As is this book." - Rantin', Ravin' and Reading

Treachery in Bordeaux
by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen; translated by Anne Trager-ISBN: 978-0-9853206-2-1 (Kindle)/ 978-0-9853206-3-8 (epub) /978-1-939474-02-5 (trade paperback)-First published in French (Mission à Haut-Brion, Librairie Arthème Fayard, Paris)-Direct-to-digital translation available; trade paperback release: May 29, 2014

Other Books in the Winemaker Detective Series
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?

Nightmare in Burgundy (9781939474056) takes the Winemaker Detective to Burgundy, where a dream wine-tasting trip turns into a nightmare when Cooker stumbles upon messages from another era. What dark secrets haunt the Clos de Vougeot?

In Deadly Tasting (9781939474216), 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.

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 the grandson of a winemaker. His co-author Noël Balen lives in Paris, where he shares his time between writing, making records, and lecturing on music.

About Le French Book
Le French Book (http://www.lefrenchbook.com) is a New York-based digital-first publisher that brings France's best crime fiction, thrillers, novels and short stories to new readers across the English-speaking world. Its motto is: "If we love it, we'll translate it."

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