The Dark Vineyard A Mystery of the French Countryside

In this riveting sequel to Martin Walker's internationally acclaimed novelBruno, Chief of Police,some of France's great pleasureswine, passion and intrigueconverge in a dark chain of events that threaten the peaceful village of Saint-Denis. Benoit (Bruno) Courregesdevoted friend,cuisinier extraordinaireand the town'sonlymunicipal policemanrushes to the scene when a research station for genetically modified crops is burned down outside Saint-Denis. Bruno immediately suspects a group of fervent environmentalists who live nearby, but the fire is only the first in a string of mysteries centering on the region's fertile soil. Then a bevy of winemakers descends on Saint-Denis, competing for its land and spurring resentment among the villagers. Romances blossom. Hearts are broken. Some of the sensual pleasures of the towna dinner of a truffle omelette and grilledbecasses,a community grape-crushingprovide an opportunity for both warm friendship and bitter hostilities to form. The town's rivalsMax, an environmentalist who hopes to make organic wine; Jacqueline, a flirtatious, newly arrivedQuebecoise; and Fernando, the heir to an American wine fortuneact increasingly erratically. Events grow ever darker, culminating in two suspicious deaths, and Bruno finds that the problems of the present are never far from those of the past. A splendid mysteryand a delectable serving of the pleasures of France. From the Hardcover edition.

MARTIN WALKER is a senior fellow of the Global Business Policy Council, a private think tank based in Washington, D.C. He is also editor in chief emeritus and international affairs columnist at United Press International. His previous novels in the Bruno series are Black Diamond; Bruno, Chief of Police; The Children Return; The Crowded Grave; The Dark Vineyard; The Devil's Cave; Fatal Pursuit; The Patriarch; and The Resistance Man, all international best sellers. He lives in Washington, D.C., and the Dordogne.