Flambé in Armagnac

<em>Wine Expert Benjamin Cooker is called in to estimate the value of the losses when a warehouse of an Armagnac estate is burned down. Also, the master distiller is killed in the fire that was classified as an accident. But was it really an accident? Cooker and his assistant Virgile travel to Gascony to find out the truth…</em><br /><br />One thing I really like with this series is how perfect they are to read between books because of their shortness and because of the cozy French mystery book feeling. This is the third book in the series I have read and now I feel quite familiar with the characters and the setup of the books. Yes, sometimes I wish they were a bit thicker, with a deeper story since the milieu is so fantastic and with a few more twist and turns would be really good. But then the cozy feeling would probably disappear and that would also be a shame.<br /><br />The story in this one was OK, I kind of liked the previous book <em>Mayhem in Margaux</em> a little bit more, but I think that is because Cookers daughter Margaux was in it and he was very fatherly worried for her when he was introduced to Virgile. I hope she will return in future books.<br /><br />If you feel like reading some cozy mystery books that take place in France, then perhaps this series is for you.<br /><br /><em>I received this copy from Le French Book through Edewleiss in return for an honest review!</em>

I mentioned the Winemaker Detective series to a friend who lives in Paris. She said she hadn’t seen the series or read the books, but that one of the stars in the television series was a good actor. This led to a conversation about American crime shows versus French crime shows: dumbed down versus too complicated. But we both agreed that the French have the wine market locked in.<br /><br /> And in many ways that is what this series is in the cozy mystery market.<br /><br /> This installment finds our favorite wine expert in the home of D’Artagnan, while he and his ever present assistant Virgile are hired to write a report for an insurance company. Benjamin (the French version of Jessica Fletcher) soon discovers that as always there is more going on that at first appears. Because this is France, it involves adultery, good alcohol, food, and rugby.<br /> And in this installment, literature as not only Dumas is referenced by Charles Perrault as well. <br /><br /> In many ways, the mystery presented here – based on the rise and fall of a family- is more tightly plotted than the last book I read in the series. Unlike the previous book, the ending and resolution for some of the characters is more up in the air than in Mayhem in Margeaux, mostly likely because the reader knows nothing too bad will happen to the family Cooker family. Additionally, while still keeping the air of a cozy mystery, there are looks at class and gender differences or double standards. This doesn’t make the book darker than the rest of the series, but perhaps meatier than some of the other volumes.<br /><br /> While it would be impossible to describe Virgile as a lightweight, he comes into his own more in this book. Instead of being given a romantic sub-plot (Virgile is usually the active sensualist), Virgile finds himself in the midst of a new friendship. Some of the best sections in the book concern this relationship, including some very funny rugby scenes, and they serve to deepen Virgile’s character and even make him a tad more likable. He becomes more than the pretty face and servicing body part that he was in danger of being in a few of the earlier books. He is far more likable here.<br /><br /> I find myself looking always on the lookout for the newest volume in this fun, cozy mystery series.<br />

* ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. * <br /><br />I recently started the new meme „International Crime“, starting with French crime authors this month. I really think that there is no better start for this meme than a book about wine, mystery and a French castle. <br /><br />I met Benjamin and his assistant Virgile previously in „Mayhem in Margaux“ and joined them solving the mystery of the car accident. This time they are back with another brand of wine and mystery to solve. There has been a fire in a castle where the best wine Armagnac is produced and the master distiller is dead. Benjamin Cooker is called to estimate the losses and find out more about the fire. Was is an accident or was it all about the insurance? Was the death of master distiller an accident or an attempted murder? Benjamin Cooker has to leave his wife alone on New Year and with his assistant Virgile drive on thin ice to the Chateau Blanzac to find out. But the Chateau doesn't reveal its secrets that easy. The winemaker duo has to use the detective skills to solve the mystery behind the sweetness of the Armagnac. <br /><br />The character that I absolutely adore here is Virgile, Benjamin's assistant. He is smart, young, clumsy, everything. He is very educated about wine, but he is also a great detective himself. With every other mystery his observation skills are more and more expressed. He is also Virgo, like me, and I can see many of my Virgo habits in his character. It is very easy for me to connect with him as a character. <br /><br />I also love the writing style of the authors. There are many expressions and old sayings that are used in my country and it is easy for me to understand the whole story. I fell in love with the characters and the plot and I felt like almost tasting the Armagnac. <br /><br />So, wine lovers, and book lovers also, if you love a perfect break in the shadows of your garden or under the sun on the beach, get a glass of the tasteful Armagnac, and enjoy this cozy mystery perfect for relaxation. Even your gray cells will enjoy!<br /><br />My opinion: 4,5 / 5.

[I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank them for their generousity. In exchange, I was simply asked to write an honest review, and post it. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising]<br /><br />Benjamin Cooker, and his trusty sidekick Virgile head down to the Gascony area, home of the Three Musketeers and some of the best Armagnac in the world, and the town that holds many secrets. Cooker has been sent to inspect and report on an insurance claim from Jean-Charles de Castayrac, one of the long time producers of this distilled product known all over for many centuries. It will give Benjamin and Virgile another adventure wrapped in food, wine and irony.<br /><br />They find more than what is asked for as long held secrets are unburied, misapprpriated funds are reported, and long held understandings are both locked away and blown wide open. Is Castayrasc on the up and up? Are his children as innocent as they appear? Just who is who?<br /><br />Another French Winemaker mystery; what fun, was my though upon finding this, my fourth foray into these lovely books. I learn so much within them. And I really like that Benjamin isn't treating Virgile as just his lackey anymore. Virgile knows people as Cooker knows wines. It's nice to see the interaction and respect grow as the series matures.

'Flambé in Armagnac' is the 7th book in the Winemaker Detective series by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noel Balen. It seems to show no signs of slowing down and there is still a lot to learn about the world of French wine.<br /><br />This time around, the story takes place in Gascony. A fire at one of the top distillers of Armagnac has occurred and Benjamin Cooker and his assistant Virgile are called in to estimate the value of the losses. Benjamin has friends in the region, which is good because the owner of the disillery is hostile. Along the way, Virgile meets a fellow rugby player and family secrets as well as a possible murder are uncovered.<br /><br />These are quick reads, but I enjoy the series. One aspect is the wine education, one is the travel and food of the different regions of France, but the main one might be our two main characters. A quick enjoyable read. I only wish I'd had a glass of Armagnac to sip while I read it.<br /><br />I received a review copy of this ebook from Le French Book and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Flambe in Armagnac is another enjoyable entry in the Winemaker Detective Series, based on a long-running French TV series. The famous winemaker, Benjamin Cooker, and his assistant, Virgile are called into Gascony to consult with the insurance provider for a famous winery/distiller. The winery was destroyed by fire, killing the Cellarmaster as well. The owner is claiming huge damages but as usual, things are not as they seem. The business is in financial ruins and the owner has a very bad reputation, to say the least. Could the fire have been set deliberately?<br /><br />The Winemaker Detective Series is full of descriptions of the various French regions, winemaking lore and food, food, food! They are all short reads, just right for an evening's reading and escape. Thanks to Le French Book and netgalley.com for an advance digital copy.

Need a quick read while waiting at the doctor's office or flying off to a meeting in a not too distant city, this just might be the book for you. The pace is quick with sparse description of the French surroundings but oh the description of the food and seasoned vintages of Armagnac - a golden elixir of the gods. This cozy mystery has the usual suspects but with the needed twists to keep it interesting and clever. This was a quick and most enjoyable read. Bon appétit!<br /><br />I am grateful to translator Sally Pane, publisher Le French Book and LibraryThing Early Reviewers for having provided a free copy of this book. Their generosity did not, however, influence this review - the words of which are mine alone. <br /><br />

This is the second novella in the Winemaker's series that I have read and already the characters of Benjamin and Virgile feel like friends I am happy to be in the company of and indeed cherish.<br /><br />The two are asked to look into a fire on the Armagnac estate in which the master distiller dies. As the business was in trouble, the question arises as to whether it was done for the money. Family and local secrets are uncovered.<br /><br />As usual, I found myself imbibing the culture and the atmosphere provided by the novella, the humour and wit of Benjamin and Virgile and their interactions. Loved it and I intend to continue reading these gems. Many thanks to Le French publishers for a ebook copy via netgalley for an honest review.

Starting with a really badly designed cover, through boring writing and a very thin plot to a wrap-it-up with a quick confession ending, this was not a good read. Benjamin Cooker, a wine expert who is referred to as such ad nauseum, and his skirt-chasing sidekick Virgile investigate a fire at the estate of a well known armagnac producer to determine the payout of an insurance policy. The losses and the death of the chateau's master distiller when the still supposedly exploded puts the future of the estate in jeopardy. Not surprisingly, the insurance claims are inflated, and the owner's gambling debts and tangled family situation are to blame. I was roped in by the armagnac and the Gers, and did find some happy memories of the foie gras, the pot stills, the folle-blanche, woodcock hunting, and slicing bread with a Laguiole - but they were all just glimpses, not rich experiences.

If you like wine or just want to learn more whilst enjoy a cosy mystery set in France, then these books are for you. They are easy to read, there is no overt violence, the descriptions of the scenery make the story come to life; and there is a great personal interaction between Benjamin and his protegee, Virgile. The stories are not overly long, and the pace is constant, all being riveting to the end.