The Dark Vineyard

Author: Martin Walker
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307454711
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 338

Book Description
The second installment in the delightful, internationally acclaimed series featuring Bruno, Chief of Police: When a bevy of winemakers descend on Saint-Denis the idyllic town finds itself the center of an intense drama, with suspicious fires at the agricultural research station that is working on genetically-modified crops. Two young men—Max, an environmentalist who hopes to make organic wine, and Fernando, the heir to an American wine fortune—become rivals for the affections of Jacqueline, a flirtatious, newly arrived Québécoise student of wine. Events grow ever darker, culminating in two suspicious deaths, and Bruno finds that the problems of the present are never far from those of the past. "Captivating...Sure to appeal to readers with a palate for mysteries with social nuance and understated charm." —The Wall Street Journal "A gentle reminder to slow down and smell the grapes.... [Walker] beguiles the reader." —The New York Tiems Book Review "The real pleasure of the book is the place itself.... As readers are drawn into wine-stomping parties, truffle omelet dinners, and the aged dignity of a French hunting hound, the narrative tension gathers." —Houston Chronicle

Bruno, Chief of Police

Author: Martin Walker
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307271463
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 234

Book Description
The first installment in the delightful, internationally acclaimed series featuring Chief of Police Bruno. Meet Benoît Courrèges, aka Bruno, a policeman in a small village in the South of France. He’s a former soldier who has embraced the pleasures and slow rhythms of country life. He has a gun but never wears it; he has the power to arrest but never uses it. But then the murder of an elderly North African who fought in the French army changes all that. Now Bruno must balance his beloved routines—living in his restored shepherd’s cottage, shopping at the local market, drinking wine, strolling the countryside—with a politically delicate investigation. He’s paired with a young policewoman from Paris and the two suspect anti-immigrant militants. As they learn more about the dead man’s past, Bruno’s suspicions turn toward a more complex motive. "Enjoyable.... Martin Walker plots with the same finesse with which Bruno can whip up a truffle omelette, and both have a clear appreciation for a life tied to the land." —The Christian Science Monitor "A nice literary pairing with the slow-food movement.... [It is] lovely...to linger at the table." —Entertainment Weekly "A wonderfully crafted novel as satisfying as a French pastry but with none of the guilt or calories." —Tuscon Citizen's Journal

Dead in Vineyard Sand

Author: Philip R. Craig
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743270444
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
When the body of a radical environmentalist is discovered in a golf course sandtrap, J. W. Jackson finds himself named a prime suspect and sets about identifying the killer from among a horde of developers, golfers, and other potential culprits.

Solomon's Vineyard

Author: Jonathan Latimer
Publisher: Murder Room
ISBN: 1471910709
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 190

Book Description
'From the way her buttocks looked under the black silk dress, I knew she'd be good in bed' So begins the most hardboiled of Latimer's novels, whose notoriety meant that it was only published in unexpurgated form in the States in 1982, 40 years after its original publication. In this classic noir novel, St Louis private eye Karl Craven, who likes his steak rare, his liquor hard and his women fallen, arrives at the small town of Paulton to protect his wealthy client's daughter from a religious cult. He soon finds himself involved with various unsavoury characters, as well as a femme fatale named Princess, and proves more than a match for the worst of them.

Tangled Vines

Author: Frances Dinkelspiel
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1250033225
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 319

Book Description
Noted California historian rips the oh-so-laid-back label off the California wine trade to show the violent and obsessive world underneath

Vines & Vision

Author: Matthew Kettmann
Publisher: Tixcacalcupul Press
ISBN: 0938531077
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 649

Book Description
Vines & Vision: The Winemakers of Santa Barbara County is a first-of-its-kind exploration of the people, places, history, trends, and soul of Santa Barbara County wine country. Featuring nearly 1,000 photographs by renowned visual anthropologist Macduff Everton and about 100 chapters written by the region's leading food & wine journalist Matt Kettmann, Vines & Vision is a one-stop shop for learning about the past, present, and future of Santa Barbara wine culture.

Dark Wine at Midnight

Author: Jenna Barwin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780998654911
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Book Description
Dr. Cerissa Patel's a scientist, not a secret agent. But when the Lux order her to spy on the vampires she's trying to help, her duty to obey them leaves her no choice, not with the fate of humanity on the line.Her cover story seems easy as pie: become a vampire's envoy, move to Sierra Escondida, and sign-up investors from among the secret vampire communities to finance her biotech research lab. At least, it looks easy until an assassination attempt leaves the Hill vampires suspicious of her arrival. They don't want her--or her research lab--in their small town.Worse, she must ignore her growing attraction to Henry Bautista, a vampire winemaker with eyes the color of dark bourbon and just as intoxicating--who's hiding his own deep secrets. He's rich, dangerous, and as complex as the wines he makes, and he will do anything to stop her from hurting his town.With him watching her every move, she must uncover who's behind the vampire movement to enslave mortals--before Henry discovers what's hidden beneath her skin...Dark Wine at Midnight is book 1 in the Hill Vampire series.

The Vineyard at Painted Moon

Author: Susan Mallery
Publisher: HQN Books
ISBN: 1488077762
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 454

Book Description
"In true Susan Mallery fashion, strong female characters, friendship, and family are at the center of THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON. You're sure to laugh and cry along the journey and delight in the happy ending."—Robyn Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Virgin River “The Vineyard at Painted Moon feels like a story about courage—about making hard choices so that you can live an authentic life.”—Katherine Center, New York Times bestselling author of What You Wish For Step into the vineyard with Susan Mallery’s most irresistible novel yet, as one woman searches for the perfect blend of love, family and wine. Mackenzie Dienes seems to have it all—a beautiful home, close friends and a successful career as an elite winemaker with the family winery. There’s just one problem—it’s not her family, it’s her husband’s. In fact, everything in her life is tied to him—his mother is the closest thing to a mom that she’s ever had, their home is on the family compound, his sister is her best friend. So when she and her husband admit their marriage is over, her pain goes beyond heartbreak. She’s on the brink of losing everything. Her job, her home, her friends and, worst of all, her family. Staying is an option. She can continue to work at the winery, be friends with her mother-in-law, hug her nieces and nephews—but as an employee, nothing more. Or she can surrender every piece of her heart in order to build a legacy of her own. If she can dare to let go of the life she thought she wanted, she might discover something even more beautiful waiting for her beneath a painted moon. Don't miss The Happiness Plan, a new novel coming from #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery where three women experience hope, heartache, and the power of friendship as they search for true happiness!

Vineyard Shadows

Author: Philip R. Craig
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 9780380820993
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 262

Book Description
J.W. Jackson abandoned Boston for the tranquil pleasures of Martha's Vineyard, hoping to leave the violence of the big city behind. But when the past comes looking for him in the guise of two brutal thugs, the former cop knows it is time to put down his fishing pole and start opening doors he'd hoped were closed forever. And when the man the hoodlums were searching for -- a face from Jackson's yesterday -- turns up seeking help, J.W. realizes that personal revenge should be the least of his concerns. Because the shadows darkening the island are longer and deadlier than he ever imagined. And if he can't stem the dark tide lapping at the shores of his beloved Vineyard, the new life he loves and everyone in it will be changed forever.

Black Diamond

Author: Martin Walker
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 030770145X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 310

Book Description
The third installment in thed elightful, internationally acclaimed series featuring Chief of Police Bruno. Something dangerous is afoot in St. Denis. In the space of a few weeks, the normally sleepy village sees attacks on Vietnamese vendors, arson at a local Asian restaurant, subpar truffles from China smuggled into outgoing shipments at a nearby market—all of it threatening the Dordogne’s truffle trade, worth millions of dollars each year, and all of it spelling trouble for Benoît “Bruno” Courrèges, master chef, devoted oenophile, and, most important, beloved chief of police. When one of his hunting partners, a noted truffle expert, is murdered, Bruno’s investigation into the murky events unfolding around St. Denis becomes infinitely more complicated. His friend wasn’t just a connoisseur of French delicacies, he was a former high-profile intelligence agent—and someone wanted him dead. As the strange crimes continue, Bruno’s detective work takes him from sunlit markets to dim cafés, from luxurious feasts to tense negotiations—from all of the paradisial pleasures of the region to its shadowy underworld—and reunites him with a lost love, an ambitious policewoman also assigned to the case. Filled with an abundance of food and wine (including, bien sûr, many, many truffles) and a soupçon of romance, Black Diamond is a deliciously entertaining concoction that delivers all the complexity and delights of the Dordogne itself.