I had previously read a later book in this series, so it was very interesting to go back to the beginning and read from there. There are three books in this omnibus, and I much preferred the very first one - it seemed to have more substance and less product placement than the later books, which I must admit had become quite irritating. If it is to establish the bona fides of the main character, I would rather the authors took this as accepted, and did not tell us every page or so of something else that established that he was a connoisseur of everything. The wine was okay, the rest a bit over the top. But apart from that, these were interesting stories and I did like the background.

Three novellas about wine, winemaking, history and present times at France. Lot of philosophy and intellectual conversation, lots and lots of good food and drinks and some sleuthing thrown in into the mix.

This is typically French book (or collection of books, to be precise)! French people love to converse, love to have an opinion, love educated and/or intelligent discussion and they love to eat and drink. They love life and it is contagious (and yes, I must buy my plane ticket soon to join them!).

But as for mysteries - these ones are the cozies at least. No Agatha Christie here, no intellectual game, no hardened and diabolically intelligent psychopaths from the scandi crime novels. Just - well, life. If you like the genre and some truly appetizing temptations accompanying them, go for it.

I liked only one novel amongs these three - Nightmare in Burgundy, and that because of the religious mystery (my pet peeve) and the lovely Cistercian monk.

But - what is ever wrong with good food and wine? Nothing. And I can read my smart mysteries somewhere else :) Here I can have my appetite awoken and my mind alerted to the beauty of the past and present times.

If you like wine or just want to learn more whilst enjoy a cosy mystery set in France, then these books are for you. They are easy to read, there is no overt violence, the descriptions of the scenery make the story come to life; and there is a great personal interaction between Benjamin and his protegee, Virgile. The stories are not overly long, and the pace is constant, all being riveting to the end.

I was excited for the book because I assumed it will be a cosy mystery that I will enjoy as I sip on my chilled drink. It was cosy. A pleasant read but nothing that leaves an impact or something that I will return to.

It is always a treat to see a mystery solved while exploring France and the food and drink the protagonist enjoys.

A very interesting mix of wine, wine making and France all blended into a mystery thriller. Very good read with a glass of wine.

I found it a bit dense and the ending rather rushed. Still enjoyable.