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?
No excerpt available.
© 2003-2026