The Dark Vineyard: A Mystery of the French Countryside

nThe second installment in the delightful, internationally acclaimed series featuring Bruno, Chief of Police. nWhen a bevy of winemakers descend on Saint-Denis, competing for its land and spurring resentment among the villagers, the idyllic town--where Benoit Bruno Courreges is the town's only policeman--finds itself the center of an intense drama, with suspicious fires at the agricultural research station that is working on genetically-modified crops. n n 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 Qu b coise 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. n nCaptivating...Sure to appeal to readers with a palate for mysteries with social nuance and understated charm. --The Wall Street Journal n nA gentle reminder to slow down and smell the grapes.... Walker] beguiles the reader. --The New York Tiems Book Review n nThe 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 nn