KindlePrintReviews

Minced, Marinated and Murdered

Written by Vanessa Barrot and Noël Balen, translated by Anne Trager — France and fine cuisine go hand in hand, and who better to introduce us to its delights than Noël Balen, co-author of the Winemaker Detective series? You can read how Noël and his wife…
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Features

Interview: Vanessa Barrot and Noël Balen

Noël Balen is a journalist and writer, well-known in France for his Winemaker Detective series which has become very popular on French TV as well. He co-writes the books with Jean-Pierre Alaux, and we’ve reviewed several editions in the past – most recently Requiem in…
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News

Twice a ripper

On the Radar — This week, as well as a mix of settings from Whitechapel via Florida and on to France and Sweden, it also looks like our new crime books offer a blood-dripping combination of murder and mutilation with Jack the Ripper serving as…
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KindlePrintReviews

Requiem in Yquem

Written by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noel Balen, translated by Sally Pane — The Winemaker Detective Series seems to be one of the most popular offerings from independent publisher Le French Book, which translates a wide range of French crime fiction, from eco-thrillers to police procedurals and…
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News

The burnt remains

On the Radar — Reporting to you from Reykjavik, the world’s most northerly capital city, we start off this week’s new book’s column with a book set in the city that involves the burnt remains of a murder victim. On the Radar also offers stops…
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iBookKindlePrintReviews

Cognac Conspiracies

Written by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen, translated by Sally Pane — The Winemaker Detective series from Le French Book continues here and this time we’re in the Cognac region. As the heirs to one of the oldest family-run Cognac estates, the Lavoisier, face a hostile…
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News

The Return of the King

On the Radar — Don’t worry we haven’t crossed over into Tolkienesque fantasy. The King we’re refering to in the header is none other than Stephen King, whose book Mr Mercedes is the horror author’s first forray into hardboiled detective crime fiction. We can’t wait…
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KindlePrintReviews

Nightmare in Burgundy

Written by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen, translated by Sally Pane — This is the third in the Winemaker Detective series co-written by two French journalists who love gourmet food and wine. This gentle series features two amateur detectives – wine specialist Benjamin Cooker and…
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