Deadly Tasting

A throughly enjoyable page turner .

Deadly Tasting by Jean-Pierre Alaux. Published by Le French Book

June 27, 2014 by cayocosta72 Leave a comment

Wine expert Benjamin Cooker is back. This time he is assisting police in a bizarre murder in Bordeaux. As a dinner table set with 12 wineglasses, a man is found brutally murdered. Only one of the wine glasses has wine in it and Cooker is tasked to identify it. When he does he gets a surprise. Soon another murder occurs, this time, two of the glasses hold wine. As memories of the Nazi occupation of France rear their ugly heads, Cooker does his best to find the killer before he call fill all twelve glasses.

Another spanking good mystery set in the wine country of France. A story to savor.

Winemaker and wine connoisseur Benjamin Cooker and his assistant Virgile are back solving crimes in “Deadly Tasting”. This time they are dealing with a serial killer with a strange calling card: twelve wine glasses lined up in a semi-circle wherein the number of victims is the same number of wine glasses filled with wine.

Consulted by the police, Benjamin Cooker has one job – identify the wine with the hope that it will lead to the killer.

“Deadly Tasting” is another great mystery from authors Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen with a poignant touch as our amateur sleuths look into crimes committed about 70 years ago.

As always Messieurs Alaux and Balen description of the wines, their vintage and history was impeccable. In fact, I learned so much about wines from the series). And, as if this was not enough, a little bit of history of Bordeaux and how the French wine industry suffered during World War II.

Interspersed in the story are several laughs out loud moments which gave readers a glimpse of the writers’ great sense of humor. And though I appreciate those funny moments, I also got a feeling that those were segued into the story to lighten the mood a bit because of the seriousness of the subject matter in this book.

Again, a great read and a great mystery!

I absolutely loved this book and could relate to the main character. I have to follow a strict diet. This book taught me a lot about WW11 history, especially about wine. Great book!

All the books in this series are well written and interesting. The combination of gourmet dishes, fine wines, some touring through France and a mystery make for a tasty dish. All of them are enjoyable but I must admit, I think this one is my favourite so far.
Our intrepid hero, Benjamin Cooker, wine expert and amateur detective, is asked to help in the investigation of a particularly brutal murder of an elderly man. He is called in because beside the body are 12 wine glasses in a circle with one glass filled with a rare and expensive wine. It is a welcome diversion from the agony of the cabbage soup diet his wife has inflicted on him. Benjamin is kept hopping trying to find out more about the victim, soon to be victims, and the wine which accessorizes the site of the murders or desecration of tombs. His research takes him into the realm of Occupied France. During the War there were heroes, although few and far between and there were Collaborators. As evil aa were the Nazi, particularly in the roundup of Jews, they could never have been as efficient without the complicit assistance of their "friends".
It was interesting that in reading the book, it spoke of the mass transportation of the Jews of Bordeaux that was written so evocatively in another book I read recently, Alex's Wake. This figures prominently into this story but if you want to read about real life victims, this other book will sadden and enlighten you.
We learn how the men who have been murdered or whose graves have been destroyed connect to each other and why this "justice" was sought. It is a heartbreaking end and while no one has the right to murder, one can appreciate why the perpetrator did what he did. I cannot convict him.
So, once again Alaux and Balen have given the readers a grand book but also one that is thought provoking. I look forward to more.

I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review which I am happy to provide. The book is translated, excellently, from the original French and their are no problems with the English. This is a cozy mystery, replete with Parisian neighborhoods, French food and ambience and, yes, French wine. As the story progresses, the reader can't help but crave some of the tastes and scents of the book. That is, all except the Spartan diet the main character is forced to follow for the duration of the mystery! This is a fast-moving story and a quick read with a solution fitting to the location.

I have to confess that I thought this book would be hard for me to get into. I usually stay away from books written by two authors because I think it doesn't always help the storyline flow, I'm glad to know that was not the case for "Deadly Tasting." I was captivated with the intrigue from the very beginning. The tension of the story was perfectly paced and I was caught up in the mystery of catching the serial killer. The writing was very good and the storyline very creative. Fun and intriguing read!

wonderful light entertainment - as wine expert Benjamin and his young valiant assistant Virgile eating cabbage soup to support him on an awful diet to lose the excess weight his wine-tasting and good living have added on. Meanwhile a a serial killer is loose and the chief detective needs him to taste the signs at the site of the deaths - a glass of mediocre wine (mediocre for its vintage), and give him all the details he can about them; they've been left in the form of a ritual as the men in their 8th decade of life are either dug up from their graves, or murdered in a a bloody fashion. it is terrifically pleasant to meet the characters i read in an earlier volume, and the jovial and not too gruesome story is wound up with additional pleasure of learning about wines and the history of the war at that time. this is an easy read for an undemanding few hours - really suggest you get started, they are like bons bons.

A delightful story filled with both fun and suspense. The interactions between Benjamin and his assistant, the police sergeant and his friends are absolutely delightful. The only problem I had with this book is it ended too soon. I wanted much more.

A light easy read. The plot line is a little sketchy but the translation is excellent.

I'm not sure when this book was first published in France, but I laughed and laughed when Benyamin's wife decided he needed to go on the "cabbage soup" diet. It was all the rage here in my neck of the woods back in the late 80's or very early 90's. Poor Benjamin!

Once again, this has the vibe of a genteel-man's club. With posh wineries, homes and general surroundings. The descriptive details about wines, cigars and food makes one feel like they are there with Benjamin and Virgile. This is more a character story than a mystery. The mystery itself is a cozy style on the verge of gruesome. People are being murdered in a horrendous way and the murderer is leaving an unusual calling card. This time we're given a glimpse into Frances history from WWII.

I truly enjoyed following Benjamin through the trials and tribulations with his diet, wine tasting and the Inspector. A nice 4th book in this series.

Twelve wine glasses, one filled with each death had me at the premise, hooked me into the "WineMaker Detective" series. The only flaw is perhaps a bit too much information. A real wine fan will find adequate detail available even for a Frenchman, a bit overkill for the mystery enthusiast. Overall: quite clever, enjoyable, nuanced in all the right ways.

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This is one of my favorite mystery series. This is, book number four in the Winemaker Detective series, Each book is delightful in this fine series. .
This takes place in France, and our detective, Benjamin Cooker, is a winemaker of worldwide renown. Cooker is the ever winemaker par excellence" who also happens to be incredibly human and humane..
In Deadly Tasting, Cooker is challenged with determining the type and vintage of the wine that's being left behind as the calling card of a serial killer. He soon finds himself awash in the history of the Bordeaux region and learns of unsavory goings on in the lives of Nazi-collaborators during World War II.
This is a fine mystery and a very enjoyable series. I look forward to the next in series.
Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my review.