A new series, this time set in France, in the small village of St Denis, surrounded by vineyards and threatened by big business, in this case one of the giant wine families from the US. American wine mogul Fernando Bondino descends on St. Denis to buy up the vineyards for his wine production. Bruno, like most of his villagers, has mixed emotions as it means a vast change in the small vineyard wine making in the area. And it would drastically change the small town nature of St. Denis. So Bruno is skeptical but willing to wait and see how things develop. The mayor, of course, is hot to trot, thinking only of the taxes the development might bring in. When a young friend of Bruno's, a talented wine maker named Max, is found floating in a wine vat, things get more serious. Who is behind the murder and has it something to do with the fact that Max opposes the plans of Bondino, and he has just inherited a vast plot of land which the American had hoped to buy. And it does not help that Max is part of the Green Party and has lived on a commune, started in the 1970's, on the outskirts of San Denis, where a group of hippies still live and prosper.
Bruno is by no means a recluse but a bon vivant, and has a girlfriend who, unfortunately, has just moved to Paris, complicating his love life. He is wedded to his life in this small town, where he knows just about all of the inhabitants. Bruno, of course, is a gruff, no nonsense sort who eventually sorts things out. He discovers that Max and his girlfriend had a tryst, got drunk, and Max's death was accidental. And the truth about Bondino's plans are made clear: he wants to turn St. Denis into a center for his wine, by buying up all the land and changing the texture and life of the town. He obviously fails as Bruno makes Bondino's plans clear to the town.
No comments:
Post a Comment