The Vintage Caper

This is a hard one to give stars to. I found the reader to be a little stilted, but my husband liked his variety of voices. The story itself was amazingly devoid of action for a mystery. Nothing went wrong! I went looking for another copy when we had two minutes left assuming I had missed a disc, only to find it had ended without a very satisfactory conclusion. We enjoyed listening, but felt curiously unfulfilled when it ended. Good writing, though I find Bruno, Chief of Police and Inspector Brunetti are better at food description. They make my mouth water, not so much with this one.

*The Vintage Caper* is another work of charm and temptation by Peter Mayle. Detective Sam Levitt eats and drinks his way through Marseilles to solve the theft of five hundred bottles of rare wine belonging to an obnoxious Hollywood collector. The mystery is less the point of the novel than an excuse to write about life in southern France and to introduce us to some engaging characters. There are some nice little twists — the victim is more villainous than the perpetrator of the heist — but delightfully, there were no fraught car chases or moments of unbearable tension. The book is merely a joy from start to finish, and I am quite happy that it is the first in a series. I look forward to renewing my acquaintance with Mr. Levitt and show more friends in the next installment. show less

I picked this up because after two books with extreme violence toward women, I needed something light. This was not just light, it was bubbly. Sam Leviett is called in after Danny Roth's wine celler is robbed of some rare and expensive vintages. To get them back, Sam goes to France and teams up with the alluring Sophie, who works for the insurance company that is trying NOT to have to pay out a settlement, and her "louche" cousin, Phillipe. A really fun time!

Digital audio performed by Eric Davies
3.5***

This is book #1 in the Sam Levitt series. Sam's a former corporate attorney and now something of a crime expert; he's also a lover of good food, good wine and beautiful women. When he's asked by his former girlfriend, and lead insurance investigator, to help discover the truth behind a $3 million wine heist, Sam agrees. After all, it involves an expenses-paid trip to France.

Mayle has given the reader a crime caper with a plausible (if fantastic) plot, a wonderful cast of characters, and mouth-watering descriptions of food and wine. (Fair warning: You may find that you are constantly hungry when reading this.) Mayle’s love of France shines through; I could practically smell the aromas from show more a restaurant’s kitchen and feel the sun on my face. And I love that twisty ending! A fast, fun, delicious read.

Eric Davies does a fine job reading the audiobook. He sets a good pace and has the skill to differentiate the characters. I loved his interpretation of Reboul. show less

A very light book, but ultimately an enjoyable and well written read. Don't expect much heft to this "mystery", but it is perfect for afternoon on an airplane. Good dialogue and descriptions of places, wines, restaurants and food. Interesting characters -- the book "wanted" to be longer and more complex.

I have a gripe against characters who are completely arrogant and annoying. I absolutely hated Sam Levitt and his know-it-all personality. This is totally on me though, I knew what I was getting into when I read he was a former corporate lawyer, cultivated crime expert, and wine connoisseur. Honestly, it would be a shock if he wasn’t an arrogant a-hole. The only way to enjoy this book would be by enjoying the descriptions of the food and wine Levitt tasted but I’m the kind of person who likes actually eating and drinking wine instead of watching or reading about other people enjoying it.

It’s a no from me dog.

I loved all the Peter Mayle memoirs and I enjoyed his earlier novels, but I had to force myself to finish The Vintage Caper. I kept waiting for something to happen, for some conflict, but it never materialized. The plot was step-by-step predictable and I cared nothing about the characters. I really wanted to give up and re-read A Year in Provence instead.