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The Richebourg Affair    by R. M. Cartmel Amazon.com order for
Richebourg Affair
by R. M. Cartmel
Order:  USA  Can
Wordsmith, 2014 (2014)
Softcover, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

If you are a wine aficionado, then The Richebourg Affair by R. M. Cartmel is the book for you. If mysteries are your thing, again The Richebourg Affair fits the bill. Mix the two together for a good read.

Commandant Truchaud is a member of the Paris police, accustomed to dealing with all sizes and shapes of villainy and violence in the big city of Paris. But he doesn't expect what greets him in his home town, Nuits-Saint Georges, in Burgundy. He returns to the site of the family home after the death of his brother, Bretin.

What looked like a natural death raises some questions in Truchaud's mind. He spends his compassionate leave delving into much more than he bargained for. His search for answers to his brother's death, as well as other strange happenings in the wee village, takes him to vineyards, not only to sample fine wines but also to investigate a cave beneath a wine shop. Here he finds remnants of munitions from World War I as well as what could be an illegal bottling operation.

Truchaud is a very interesting character who is determined to discover who is behind the bottling scam, while looking for a killer. He is also reunited with woman for whom he has pined for twenty-five years. I loved the references to all the wines that I know I will never sample. But it was fun to imagine going to a tasting. And living for a time in a small French village appeals to me also. Don't miss this one. A very good read.

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