Book Review: Deadly Tasting

Book: Deadly Tasting (Winemaker Detective Mysteries book #4) by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noel Balen with translations by Sally Pane

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Rating: 2 stars

Review:

I really hate to say it but the fourth book wasn't as good as the third. And what should have been a rather intriguing mystery got lost among all the historical information dump and slow moving story. And despite a serial killer going around killing people as well as vandalizing graves there didn't seem to be a lot of urgency from the police to find the killer. There was also a connection between the murders and WWII but my interest in this connection and the mystery was diminished by the slow moving story and info dump. I wish the information had been dispersed throughout the story instead feeling like it was piled on.

There was some humor in the story with Benjamin Cooker going on this strict cabbage soup diet by his wife Elizabeth. It seems he has been indulging a little too much and needed to take off some pounds.

The Inspector Barbaroux in this story was so annoying and definitely didn't seem as if he could solve the mystery but Benjamin and Virgile did a good job of trying to find clues. I really hate to give this two stars because I like the series but this story just wasn't that interesting and it suffered from being bogged down by too much information and a lagging pace.

Virgile's upbeat personality and the interaction and comradery between wine expert Benjamin Cooker and his assistant Virgile and the ending (or chapter 11) sort of saved this from being a bad read.