Jean-Pierre ALAUX and Noël BALEN

on  Tour

October 27-November 15

with

Backstabbing in Beaujolais

(cozy mystery)

 Release date: November 19, 2015
at Le French Book

140  pages

ISBN: 9781939474537

Website | Goodreads

SYNOPSIS

A business magnate calls on wine expert Benjamin Cooker to kickstart his new wine business in Beaujolais, sparking bitter rivalries. Can the Winemaker Detective and his assistant keep calculating real estate agents, taciturn winegrowers, dubious wine merchants and suspicious deaths from delaying delivery of the world-famous Beaujolais Nouveau? [provided by the publisher]

An episode in a long successful French mysteries series
that is a hit television series now in its fourth season
and attracting an audience of over 4 million.
The series is a huge success in France, Belgium and Switzerland.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

©David Nakache

Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen,
wine lover and music lover respectively,
came up with the idea for the Winemaker Detective series
while sharing a meal,
with a bottle of Château Gaudou 1996,
a red wine from Cahors
with smooth tannins and a balanced nose.

 ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR

 

TOUR QUOTATIONS

The Discerning Reader

Food, wine, literature and art served with a clever mystery always leave me craving more from the twosome of Alaux and Balen.
Riveting from the first page as the mystery simmers until it is smartly deduced. Alaux and Balen provide yet another well crafted mystery with renaissance man Cooker and his trusted charming acolyte Virgile.

Queen of All She Reads

Once again the authors treat the readers to the beauty of France by providing a glimpse into a different region, the wines produced in the area and the local cuisine.
The mystery is well developed and takes several twists and turns.
The story’s pace is good and the author’s writing style is well established and easy to follow.

It’s A Mad Mad World

This is a cozy french mystery book, so it’s not much blood and gore. I find these books very nice to read between heavier and darker books. And, it’s quite fun to read cozy mystery books set in France instead of England. A change of scenery is never wrong.

LibriAmoriMiei

I love more and more this series, the books are short but very funny and interesting with intriguing mysteries to solve, lovable characters, many notions about wines and their production and a wonderful region of France to visit.
It’s the ideal reading for a relaxing afternoon, perhaps with a glass of wine.

Griperang’s Bookmarks

I am so happy that I got to visit the Winemaker Detective series again. In this book you will not find a lot of bloody graphics but what you will find is great characters, a murder, suspense and a whole list of suspects.

An Accidental Blog

From the beginning, the characters dove right into their plentiful knowledge of wine and the countryside of France. This book takes place in Beaujolais, which is a wine many Americans will recognize. The wine is usually released around Thanksgiving here in the States, so I enjoyed learning about the region and the wine-making process.
Illicit affairs, relatives, jealousies, all contribute to the intrigue within this carefully-written book.

I’d Rather Be At The Beach

There is a lot of drama and a murder, and it all makes this book worth the time spent reading it.
If you like books that take place in France, about wine or murder, this is a book for you.

Jean-Philippe Blondel

on  Tour

September 14-18

with

The 6:41 to Paris

(fiction)

 Release date: November 10, 2015
at New Vessel Press

153  pages

ISBN: 978-1939931269

Website | Goodreads

SYNOPSIS

Cecile, a stylish 47-year-old, has spent the weekend visiting her parents in a provincial town southeast of Paris. By early Monday morning, she’s exhausted. These trips back home are always stressful and she settles into a train compartment with an empty seat beside her. But it’s soon occupied by a man she instantly recognizes: Philippe Leduc, with whom she had a passionate affair that ended in her brutal humiliation 30 years ago. In the fraught hour and a half that ensues, their express train hurtles towards the French capital. Cécile and Philippe undertake their own face to face journey—In silence? What could they possibly say to one another?—with the reader gaining entrée to the most private of thoughts. This is a brilliant psychological thriller, a high-wire act of emotions on rails, about past romance, with all its pain and promise. [provided by the publisher]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jean-Philippe Blondel
was born in 1964 in Troyes, France
where he lives as an author and English teacher.
His novel The 6:41 to Paris
has been a bestseller in both France and Germany.

 ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR

Buy the book | on Amazon

 TOUR QUOTATIONS

I’d Rather Be At The Beach

It’s a really short book at only 170 pages, but it’s impact on you will be huge.
This is a book unlike any I’ve ever read, and it is well worth the time it takes to read it. I would definitely recommend this book.

Words And Peace

Short dense novel highlighting the rampant anonymity of our individualistic society, but also how a simple train ride can invite you to re-examine your life and your connections.

Book And Ink

This story simply bowled me over.
This is one story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading in spite of a very regular story line.
The translation was just perfect ensuring that all the right emotions weren’t lost in translation.

#redhead.with.book

This book, originally written in French, was translated into English by Alison Anderson.  It was incredibly well done.
There were many gentle and amusing anecdotes and reflections which I found to be beautifully written.
A pleasant and easy read (perfect for a trip!).  You’ll want to pass this this story on to someone else to enjoy as well.

 Fuonlyknew

I can honestly say I’ve not read a book like this before.
I read this in less time than the characters shared on their train ride. The story stayed with me a lot longer.

 The Book Binder’s Daughter

The ending to this book is very interesting as the author builds up to the conclusion.
New Vessel Press has provided us with another entertaining translation of a charming French book.

French Village Diaries

I loved the mystery the author created and how he made questions keep popping in to my mind.
The suspense created and the emotions Cécile and Philippe experienced in their minds, still as strong as ever from their personal recollections, but kept suppressed from the other passengers around them, kept me page turning.
This book is something a bit different and I’m sure anyone who is used to taking regular train journeys would enjoy it.

  

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AND AN EXCERPT

Dominique Marny

on  Tour

September 29 – October 8

with

In the Shade of the Almond Trees

(historical fiction)

 Release date: September 29, 2015
at Open Road Media

280  pages

ISBN: 978-1480461178

Website | Goodreads

SYNOPSIS

In the aftermath of World War I, a family estate hangs in the balance.

For generations, the Barthélemy family tended to the olive trees of Restanques, a sprawling property in Cotignac whose olive oil and almonds were as incredible as the countryside that produced them. But all that changed when war came to France. Robert Barthélemy never returned from the trenches, and without him, the farm is beginning to die. His widow has lost the will to live, and only the fierce efforts of their daughter, Jeanne, have kept the creditors at bay.

Jeanne is spending an afternoon at home with the family’s grim financial statements when a handsome stranger appears on the front steps. His name is Jérôme Guillaumin and he is a brilliant botanist about to embark on a journey around the globe. From the moment they meet, Jeanne is struck by feelings she never thought possible: feelings that could save her life or destroy everything she has ever known. [provided by the publisher]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dominique Marny
was raised in a family
that loved art, literature, adventure, and travel.
In addition to being a novelist,
she is a playwright and screenwriter,
and writes for various magazines.

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TOUR QUOTATIONS

Unshelfish

Marny always manages to exploit her characters emotional strength, fragility and vulnerability yet they manage to overcome victoriously. Her lush descriptions of France be it untouched countryside or the bustling city captivates the reader without hesitation. I find her romances contain the perfect blend of mischance and serendipity, always a pleasure to read.

The Fictional 100

The pace of Marny’s prose is measured and restful, like the undulating rows of olive trees in their estate of Restanques.
What I liked most about this novel was that it presented two strong female characters, who were NOT romantic rivals, but rather childhood friends, whose lives converged again at this critical moment.
At the risk of repeating a stereotype, this novel felt ‘very French’ to me (in the best way!), focusing as it did on the sometimes disastrous love affairs of the principal characters. Perhaps that is just the hallmark of good historical romance, in any language!
With the strength of this book’s compassionate portrayals of Jeanne and Rosalie, and Marny’s sure hand in crafting a well-paced story, In the Shade of the Almond Trees captured my interest throughout, and I can highly recommend this slice of Provençal life and love in the aftermath of the First World War.

French Village Diaries

This novel is set in the years directly after the First World War and as well as beautiful descriptions of it’s Provencal setting and the olive and almond tree orchards, that conjured up perfect pictures in my mind, there was lots of historical interest added in as well.
We are shown a snippet of the real Provence of the period and this all added to the story for me, making it a very enjoyable read.
This would be an ideal book for readers who enjoy historical fiction set in France.

LibriAmoriMiei

I loved the atmosphere of this book, the author makes some wonderful descriptions of the countryside: its colors, its scents, fruits, local markets. It makes you really feel like going to visit this estate.
I appreciated very much the choice of the author to use an omniscient narrator, it was possible to know the story from the point of view of all the characters, it was really exciting.
It’s the first book I read of this author but I like her style and will certainly read something else.
It was a compelling historical novel, the pace is not fast but the setting and the characters are lovable. It’s well written and was a real treat.
I definitely recommend this one.

Queen of All She Reads

Filled with colorful characters, the beauty of the countryside, the changing social structures and a young woman’s discovery of love, this is a book romance lovers will enjoy.

Svetlana’s Reads and Views

I did enjoy a lot of things about the book such as the way the scenes are built, and the way the characters are experiencing uncertainty when it comes to romance or whom they should be with, and the language or the way the book is translated has a strange beauty that pulls one in and doesn’t really let them go.

History from a Woman’s Perspective

Overall, this story is about one woman’s strength and perseverance to survive. It is filled with loss, love, family, hope, and choices.
I liked the author’s writing, and I thought the setting of Jeanne’s countryside farm was beautifully described. I recommend this to anyone interested in historical fiction, strong heroines, France, and the aftermath of World War I.

Musings of a Writer & Unabashed Francophile

There are a great many characters, and this book is written in a omniscient point of view, which is one that is not used very commonly.
The book was interesting in a historical sense, and learning about olive groves and nougat and almonds and such, because I had little idea of these things before.