In Ireland we usually get to hear about Californian wine
production so this Finger Lakes Wine Mystery let me
see
behind the scenes of wine country in New York State. Maybe
for a lover of grapevines there are worse places to die
than in a vineyard, but in A TASTE FOR DEATH the deceased
has been murdered.
Sydney Keller has moved here from NYC to help her aunt and
uncle open their winery business near Seneca Lake. She
never dreamed that a wine critic called Gerard Bellamont
would be strangled after the opening party. Maybe those
Tarot readings she tried to ignore were telling her
something. The police, in the person of Inspector Louis
Deville, are swiftly on the scene, and Sydney blurts out
that the critic had mercilessly destroyed the reputations
of vintners. Could this be a case of revenge? Or could it
have been a calculated killing to stop the critic from
publishing a new article?
Interestingly the new owners of this winery do not come
from a winemaking tradition, and are finding it tough
going. Not only is harvesting hard work, but grounds need
to be kept up to give a good impression, tastings need to
be held, and the other friendly local vintners can't help
being in stiff competition with the incomers. I also
learned that Finger Lakes is known for sweet wines, with
many varietals, but produces some great dry wines as well.
The more savvy wineries also sell t-shirts, wine stoppers
and the like with their branding, and sponsor local sports
events.
Tension of a slightly amusing sort, is provided by the
fact
that Deville doesn't drink, so people keep offering him
bottles which are wasted on him. More seriously the critic
seemed to be disconnected from his wife and son, while
motives for killing him vary from the personal to the
professional. By exploring the world of the characters we
see modern lifestyle issues, from prescription medications
to troubled youths, and as the situation deteriorates we
start to fear for the lives of these difficult
individuals.
A TASTE FOR DEATH is certainly different and well-nuanced,
but written in an informal style so that those mystery
readers who are not wine buffs will find it approachable.
Don Stevens gives us an interesting detective in a
specialised world where even rumours about murders are
heard on the grapevine.
Taste for Death is the first in a mystery series in the Finger Lakes Wine region of Upstate New York. Gerard Bellamont, a famous wine critic with French roots, is found strangled with what appeared to be trellis wire at Allenwood Vineyard, where he was one of the guests to a party the previous night. At this party, Bellamont was heard saying something odd when staring at one of the local wine bottles, “I didn’t like it the first time I laid eyes on it”. Investigator Deville, also originally from France, remembers the victim briefly. The crime scene disturbs him, triggering his memory about his own past. He arrived in the United States in an alcohol induced coma which caused amnesia. Many parts of his past unveil itself as he investigates. Many suspects had a reason to kill Bellamont, his wife, his teenage son, the woman he was having an affair with, plus the owners from the winery he gave merciless reviews. Three wineries are always in the picture: Allenwood Vineyard, Owen’s Winery, and Catalina. Which winery has the most to gain and who was responsible for the death?
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