The Vintage Caper

Set in Hollywood, Paris, Bordeaux, and Marseille, Peter Mayle's newest and most delightful novel is filled with culinary delights, sumptuous wines, and colorful characters. It's also a lot of fun.<br><br>The story begins high above Los Angeles, at the extravagant home and equally impressive wine cellar of entertainment lawyer Danny Roth. Unfortunately, after inviting the <i>Los Angeles Times</i> to write an extensive profile extolling the liquid treasures of his collection, Roth finds himself the victim of a world-class wine heist.<br><br>Enter Sam Levitt, former corporate lawyer, cultivated crime expert, and wine connoisseur. Called in by Roth's insurance company, which is now saddled with a multimillion-dollar claim, Sam follows his leads - to Bordeaux and its magnificent vineyards, and to Provence to meet an eccentric billionaire collector who might possibly have an interest in the stolen wines. Along the way, <i>bien sûr,</i> he is joined by a beautiful and erudite French colleague, and together they navigate many a chteau, pausing frequently to enjoy the countryside's abundant pleasures.<br><br>The unraveling of the ingenious crime is threaded through with Mayle's seductive rendering of France's sensory delights - from a fine Lynch-Bages and Léoville Barton to the bouillabaisse of Marseille and the young lamb of Bordeaux. Even the most sophisticated of oenophiles will learn a thing or two from this vintage work by a beloved author.