The Wine Broker (The Richard O'Brien Series Book 3) by Ian Rodney Lazarus; Vintage Third Volume Has a Dry But Crisp Taste of Suspense, High Stakes, and Murder

 The Wine Broker (The Richard O'Brien Series Book 3) by Ian Rodney Lazarus; Vintage Third Volume Has a Dry But Crisp Taste of Suspense, High Stakes, and Murder

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: The Richard O’Brien Series has a talent for beginning as one thing and turning into something else. Con and Consequence begins with an internet scam that eventually involves international terrorism. In Cease to Exist a lab theft leads FBI Special Agent Richard O’Brien to a mystery that includes genetic engineering and government conspiracies. Now in this third go round, The Wine Broker, Ian Rodney Lazarus begins this case with a bottle of stolen wine.

O’Brien investigates a burglary in the home of Alexander Sisky, a Russian diplomat. While observing the place, O’Brien notices that Sisky’s wine collection had been tampered with like someone took a bottle or left one behind. That and a threatening note regarding one of the bottles leads O’Brien to study the wine smuggling market. This seemingly innocuous crime spirals into larger ones involving organized crime particularly the Yakuza. Meanwhile, Jack Tanaka, the Yakuza’s latest recruit ascends higher into the criminal organization going from deliveries and smuggling to mutilation and murder.

The setup for The Wine Broker is nowhere near as compelling as the previous books in the series and falters a bit here and there. Because of that it is the weakest one in the series. How many people would be interested in reading about wine theft after all?

However, there is a lot of interesting information about the wine industry and the illegal activity that is involved. Much of the insider information includes ocean fermentation, intentional mislabeling and vintaging, sneaking contraband into cases and bottles, and using the seemingly victimless crime of wine smuggling to hide greater crimes. The greater crimes are where the Yakuza come in.

Volume 3 has a lot to offer in terms of plot and character to make it a worthwhile entry. O’Brien is up to his usual tricks particularly in his relationships with women. He has an affair with a wine connoisseur who offers more perspectives than just vino expertise. He reunites with his former colleague and lover, Sarah Goodman and it becomes clear that even though Goodman is married to someone else, she and O’Brien aren't quite over one another.

As with previous volumes in the series, we get another fascinating antagonist. This book's answer to Con and Consequence’s Jelani and The Professor and Cease to Exist’s Emma Lee and Dennis Spence is Jack “Tobacco” Tanaka. He has one of the most unique introductions. He does a stand up act at a comedy club and bombs tremendously.  

This shows him as a man with a lot of nerve and plenty of bravado but not a lot of sense. Tanaka is someone who wants to be noticed, wants to be wealthy, and wants to be the center of the room but is uncertain and naive about how to pursue it. He jumps into situations without any forethought over how it should go. He holds for the applause but doesn't bother with fine tuning the material to make it worth paying attention to.

Because Tanaka is in over his head with the Yakuza, many of the suspenseful and graphic scenes are seen by him. One of the early chapters shows Tanaka going through a painful induction ceremony that involves mutilation. It is a moment that makes the Reader cringe with empathetic while also yelling, “Get out while you still can, Idiot!”

Crime becomes an addiction for Tanaka. As he ascends higher, he becomes enamored with the money, glamor, fear from victims, and the reckless daring of committing crimes and getting away with it. It's quite easy to become hooked and Tanaka sacrifices everything about his former life, including his personal identity, to get his fix.

The Wine Broker has a dry, crisp taste of a psychological thriller and a hard boiled detective noir. Readers can feel the distinct aroma of suspense, high stakes, and violence in a dangerous world of criminal organizations hiding under a veneer of sophistication, wealth, glamor, and status. Overall, it has a long clean but not always pleasant finish.

Weekly Reader: Murder Uncorked (A Wine Lover's Mystery) by Michele Scott; Vintage Brand Cozy Mystery Series Set in Wine Country

 

Weekly Reader: Murder Uncorked (A Wine Lover's Mystery) by Michele Scott; Vintage Brand Cozy Mystery Series Set in Wine Country

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: I admit as much as I love cozy mysteries, I am amused by them as well. I mean aside from the fact that the term "cozy mystery" should be an oxymoron. (What's so cozy about murder? Not to mention, some of those murders are pretty graphic in execution.)

They are often set in small towns or rural areas. (either New England, the Midwest, or the South in the United States or in a quaint English, Welsh, or Scottish village in the U.K. Sometimes rural Ireland will do.)

The protagonist is rarely ever an actual police officer, but when they are, they are the rural sheriff or constable Andy Griffith-type (think Hamish Macbeth or Evans Evans). Usually the amateur detective, mostly a woman, sometimes has an occupation that is involved in law enforcement, though not a police officer or lawyer (mystery author, occasionally a legal secretary or paralegal, or just simply a mystery lover). More often the occupation has nothing to do with the legal or judicial profession (bookstore owner, postmistress, server, teacher, critic, retiree). Quite often they have a unique hobby that carries over through the series (book collecting, crossword puzzles, amateur theatre, wine aficionado, foodie) and/or a pet that is the sidekick or the real star of the show (Lillian Jackson Braun's Koko and Yum-yum or Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy).

 It stretches credibility more than a tad that this quaint profession or hobby would lead to such a huge body count or that this small town or village would have such a high murder rate. It makes you wonder why people would continue to move there or think that with approximately one to three deaths per book or episode, that would diminish the population quite dramatically. Not only that but said amateur detective would be under SWAT Team surveillance by now with how many times they happen to be in the vicinity of dead bodies, quite often friends, fellow townspeople, or acquaintances, sometimes an ex lover. 

In fact, some believe that Jessica Fletcher of Murder She Wrote fame is the most prolific serial killer of all time since in 12 seasons, she has shown Cabot Cove, Maine to be a cesspool of violence and murder and she has a nasty habit of being surrounded by murder on vacations as well. (Probably second only to Lt. Columbo's murder count.)

Well cozy mysteries are also well loved, because they are escapist fun. We know that the life of a crossword puzzle fanatic or a bookstore owner is not always stacked with dead bodies and that life in a small town is not always that exciting. (I can testify the life of a book reviewer in rural Missouri is not exactly a thrill a minute. Enjoyable and fun at times to read so many books, but not thrilling or filled with murder, police inquests, and mysteries.).We read cozy mysteries, because they are fun and we like the pleasant setting, the adventurous observant lead, the friendly supporting cast, the adorable pets, and of course the exciting mystery and puzzle that's just waiting to be solved.

Those good qualities can be found in Murder Uncorked, the first book in Michele Scott's Wine Lover Mystery series. Much like the subject of interest in oenophile Nikki Sands' life, this series is a vintage brand that is good to the last drop.

Unlike many of her cozy mystery sisters, Nikki actually has a tangible connection to law enforcement-a weak one but still a connection. She is a former actress whose most visible credit was as the star of a short lived detective series, playing Detective Sydney Martini. As a television detective, she did some research into law enforcement, but the reality of murder is nothing like what she has experienced on TV. There are some humorous moments as she investigates, she stops to consider what her former character, Sydney Martini would do and sometimes ends up doing the exact opposite.

Unfortunately, Nikki's acting was not what she considers "Emmy worthy," so she ended up working as a server at Chez Mer, a swank L.A. restaurant. She hates her job at Chez Mer, but gains a knowledge of fine wines by studying and sampling them. It is this knowledge of wines that impresses Derek Malveaux, owner of Malveaux Estates which produces some of the best wines in Napa Valley. After a difficult encounter with Derek's bitchy date which ends in Nikki's dismissal, Derek is impressed so he hires her as a sales manager and personal assistant for Malveaux.

The settings in many cozy mysteries are often spectacular and Murder Uncorked's Napa Valley is no exception. Much like the settings in contemporary romances, their descriptions are treats for the eyes and the imagination. 

Upon her first view of Wine Country California, Nikki sees a "serene elegance from days gone by….The people from his region knew how to be rich and carry it off. Old school wealth at its most gracious.

….Rows of chocolate brown soil-rich and vibrant mixed with flowing areas of intense green, looking as though they would be soft to the touch, like silk or satin. A light fog hung in the air, drifting down from the clouds, hovering above, appearing stormy and ready to explode-volatile in such a serene setting." One can just smell the earthly fresh scent and luscious grapes through their nose, feel the mist and fog on their skin, and taste the newly made wine on their tongue.

However, all is not peaceful in this serene setting as Nikki discovers when she encounters Derek's dysfunctional family. They consist of his snooty plastic in both personality and appearance stepmother, Patrice, his spoiled gay younger brother, Simon, Simon's catty lover, Marco, and Derek's narcissistic vindictive ex-wife, Meredith who,because of some odd stipulation in Derek's late father's will and for business reasons, has to remain on the premises even though she and Derek can't stand each other. It's quite a den of eccentric and potentially dangerous characters that Nikki has found herself among and when she stumbles upon the body of Derek's womanizing winemaker, Gabriel Asanti, the suspect list ends up being quite long.

The mystery itself presents some pretty suspenseful challenging moments such as Nikki finding an important clue just as she realizes that she is being watched. There is also a tense conversation that Nikki has with Derek's rival when she makes up a story to talk to him and he not only recognizes her as Malveaux's new employee but the actress who once played Detective Martini (even claims that he is a "bit of an actor-oops a liar" himself.)  Of course there is the creepy dinner party where Nikki is surrounded by suspects, many of whom clearly know that she is investigating the murder. There is also the climactic chapter where Nikki has to pull off a dramatic rescue while she is alone with the killer who reveals all.The identity of the killer as well as the twist in their identity is somewhat easy to guess, but it stil is an exciting ride to get to that conclusion.

To the food and wine connoisseur, there are plenty of details about how grapes are harvested and wine is made. There are some mouth watering recipes in between chapters that should delight those who like to eat and read. Murder Uncorked is a feast for the eyes and the mouth. It is a cozy mystery that is best to be sipped and savored like a fine bottle of wine.