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The Marseille Caper (Sam Levitt #2)
by
Peter Mayle
Lovable rogue and sleuth extraordinaire Sam Levitt is back in another beguiling, as-only-Peter-Mayle-can-write-it romp through the South of France.
At the end of The Vintage Caper, Sam had just carried off a staggering feat of derring-do in the heart of Bordeaux, infiltrating the ranks of the French elite to rescue a stolen, priceless wine collection. With the questionable...more
At the end of The Vintage Caper, Sam had just carried off a staggering feat of derring-do in the heart of Bordeaux, infiltrating the ranks of the French elite to rescue a stolen, priceless wine collection. With the questionable...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
November 6th 2012
by Knopf
(first published January 1st 2012)
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I was prepared for this foray into "suspense" writing by Peter Mayle to be fairly light-weight. I enjoyed his Provence cycle of books, and knew intuitively that this break in form was risky. The story lived up to my expectations. The book came off as if Jan Karon of "the Mitford tales" series fame tried to write a book of intrigue, without the dramatic or criminal suspense. The present book came off as a lame attempt to couch a cook's tour of Marseille culture and cuisine in mystery guise. Mayle...more
A sequel to Mayle's previous novel, The Vintage Caper, this is typical, if not, formulaic Mayle. But for enthusiasts of his writing, phrasing, and dry wit and understatements, this is Mayle in his element. After professionally and cleverly recovering a stolen vintage wine collection, Francis Reboul returns to recruit Sam Levitt to help with the selection process of a new development overlooking the Mediterranean. Levitt and his stunning partner, Elena Morales, take up Reboul's cause, and what en...more
Take a delightful romp with a charming ex-thief turned sleuth through the crowded, sun-blanched streets of Marseille and enjoy the feel of the Mediterranean breeze as you gaze out on its blue splendor and savor the tastes and sights that make this one of France's most popular sights. Sam Levitt, hired by a man he conned several months ago, is on a mission to secure a valuable seaside property for commercial development. The assignment sounds easy, but the underworld in this beautiful region is d...more
This was such a fun book. It's a sequel, which I haven't read, but the story stands alone, so I didn't feel like I missed anything. I've read "A Year in Provence", which is a non-fiction telling of living in a wonderful part of the world. This book was a fictional telling that still made me want to be there.
The story is about Sam Levitt, who gets hired to help Francis Reboul push a building project in Marseille. Sam robbed Francis in the previous book of some stolen wine, with the help of Elena...more
The story is about Sam Levitt, who gets hired to help Francis Reboul push a building project in Marseille. Sam robbed Francis in the previous book of some stolen wine, with the help of Elena...more
Peter Mayle was not a novelist first, though he has probably spent more time at it now than at his first employment. He is a man of many talents who writes to stay amused, one imagines, and to keep a crust on his table. Perhaps we should be thankful to him for sharing his time and stories with us, for he is clever and cogent and observant of his fellow man--especially his fellow French man. One imagines him to have a wide circle of friends and he no doubt takes advantage of opportunities that co...more
Quelle horreur! Ou est le vin?
A book by Peter Mayle with mere glancing references to wine, glancing I say! Food, yes, but not the glorious description of course after course, it was practically pedestrian, by Mayle-ien standards.
C'est dommage.
This is a sequel to The Vintage Caper, which had ended where I expected an adventure to begin, so I suppose my wish was granted for more story. But this is a VERY quick read, albeit pleasant enough, but if it were a wine? Light, not memorable, no legs and n...more
A book by Peter Mayle with mere glancing references to wine, glancing I say! Food, yes, but not the glorious description of course after course, it was practically pedestrian, by Mayle-ien standards.
C'est dommage.
This is a sequel to The Vintage Caper, which had ended where I expected an adventure to begin, so I suppose my wish was granted for more story. But this is a VERY quick read, albeit pleasant enough, but if it were a wine? Light, not memorable, no legs and n...more
Although I do not actually remember reading the first book, I thoroughly enjoyed it's sequel. A bit of a slow start, but then the action picks up and my stomach rumbled at the wonderful food and wine Sam and his girlfriend Elena are eating throughout. I stayed up late to finish the book which means it is a winner.
"At the end of The Vintage Caper, Sam had just carried off a staggering feat of derring-do in the heart of Bordeaux, infiltrating the ranks of the French elite to rescue a stolen, price...more
"At the end of The Vintage Caper, Sam had just carried off a staggering feat of derring-do in the heart of Bordeaux, infiltrating the ranks of the French elite to rescue a stolen, price...more
And now for something completely different...
After reading the lengthy and invovled Game of Thrones, I decided to read something short and light hearted. Peter Mayle writes delightful, funny books and his latest was ready for me at the library. Mayle has been writing books that take place in the south of France for quite a while now. They are always light, funny, and full of descriptions of food and wine. The Marseille Caper, the latest book, is no exception.
Sam and Elena, who we met in The Vin...more
In this sequel to The Vintage Caper, Francis Reboul, the victim in the last book, hires Sam and Elena to do a job in Marseille. Sam is not one to pass up an opportunity to delight in the food and wine of the region but even he is surprised at the sharks circling the real estate project and just how far the competition is willing to go to win. Robin Sachs, who could make the phone book exciting, give Peter Mayle's prose more to latch on to, making it lusher, tastier, more alcholic with ever word....more
Loved it, as I do most all of Mayle's books about Provence. His books transport the reader to the south of France where a fantastical story then transpires. In this book the protagonist has loads of money, a gorgeous female companion, and a huge appetite for the good life. The story transpires in places I have visited and that always makes the book more vivid. Great to read for half hour or so at bed time to relax and prime your dreams. I guess this book can be cataloged as travel, intrigue, rom...more
Peter Mayle's Provence books are always light entertainment. I usually read them for the atmosphere and the sense of place more than for the story. Two or three sittings usually finishes it off. The tricky part is fighting off the urge to travel sit in one of those cafes have a cafe creme and croissant or glass of vin rouge with some cheese.
This particular story is a a "caper" plot, as the title states. The good guys are busy tricking the bad guys, who are busy tricking them back, no one gets re...more
This particular story is a a "caper" plot, as the title states. The good guys are busy tricking the bad guys, who are busy tricking them back, no one gets re...more
I picked this up from my library's Blind Date with a Book display. It was wrapped in craft paper and said "French Thriller." It is set in France, but it's not so much a thriller. I'm having a hard time even thinking of this as a mystery. Perhaps it's more of an adventure--a mostly tame adventure populated by very wealthy older people. For the most part Mayle's characters are interesting--his male characters are more believable than his female--and his place and food descriptions are very detaile...more
At the end of The Vintage Caper, American Sam Levitt had just carried off a staggering feat of derring-do in the heart of Bordeaux, infiltrating the ranks of the French elite to rescue a stolen, priceless wine collection. With the questionable legality of the adventure—and the threat of some very powerful enemies!—Sam thought it’d be a while before he returned to France, especially with the charms of the beautiful Elena Morales to keep him in Los Angeles.
But when the immensely wealthy Francis Re...more
But when the immensely wealthy Francis Re...more
A light-hearted comedic adventure. This is a sequel to The Vintage Caper, starring the American Sam Leavitt. Interestingly, the cunning Raboul, a wine collector whom is outwitted by Leavitt in the previous book, recruits Leavitt and his charming and leggy insurance lawyer companion to make a business presentation in Marseille. (Some guys get all the luck!)
Despite all the food, beautiful women, and the buffoonish roughnecks, this novel, unlike its predecessor, didn't send me scouring local liquor...more
Despite all the food, beautiful women, and the buffoonish roughnecks, this novel, unlike its predecessor, didn't send me scouring local liquor...more
This is a pretty pathetic excuse for a book. Its plot and characters are as thin as can be and the book is padded out with tourist tips that read like they were produced by the local Syndicat d'Initiatives. They are so flat that you are never sure if he has actually ever set foot in the city. Mayle seems to be still trying to live off the reputation he won with A Year in Provence, which had some genuine charm. If this is all the effort he is willing to put into a book, he should just give up wri...more
I just loved it! The story was amusing, but the city was the star!. I've been to Marseille many times and still have lots of cousins there. And yes, some of them are retired Corsican policemen!
The author was quite correct. The citizens of Marseille often do not consider themselves "French".
My uncle even lived on one of the streets named in the book and I've visited some of the places mentioned often.
He could have spent more time in Corsica, so I could visit with more cousins. Maybe next time.
The author was quite correct. The citizens of Marseille often do not consider themselves "French".
My uncle even lived on one of the streets named in the book and I've visited some of the places mentioned often.
He could have spent more time in Corsica, so I could visit with more cousins. Maybe next time.
A fun book that I enjoyed reading. Sam is enlisted by the same rich & powerful French man (Francis Reboul) who was the subject of the wine theft in "The Vintage Caper." Here, Francis asks Sam to be his voice/face for a bid he is making for a real estate venture. Sam & Elena head to Marseille and the fun begins.
If you like a light adventure story accompanied by plenty of descriptions of food/wine along with the natural beauty of southern France, you will enjoy this book.
If you like a light adventure story accompanied by plenty of descriptions of food/wine along with the natural beauty of southern France, you will enjoy this book.
For a mystery novel, this book disappointed because there was hardly any mystery. The plot was obvious and unsurprising. However, I finished the book because I found the descriptions of the Marseille countryside and delicious French food to be absolutely stunning. I found myself constantly on the verge of drooling from the nights that the characters have out on the town. Fun, fast, unchallenging...good book for a poolside read or if you want something where you don't have to think.
Quick and fun read. I still think that the whole "Year in Provence" series is better than Mayle's novels. I didn't read the first book about Sam Levitt (Vintage Caper) and in the beginning it looked like that was going to be needed in order to understand this book, but eventually that was not the case. I may still pick that book up at one point though. In the end the story was okay, nothing spectacular, but the real treat was imagining all the delicious meals they were having.
The Marseille Caper is just the right kind of fun reading I needed after a few hectic weeks. Peter Mayle delivers a romp, this time centered in Marseille with familiar characters (Sam, Elena and Reboul) who continue the association started in The Vintage Caper. Along with the caper story line (real estate development) Mayle adds in bits and pieces of Marseille's and the surrounding area's history. Always fun, always enjoyable, Mr. Mayle's books continue to please this reader!
A pleasant bit of fluff, but not as evocative as Mayles's earlier novels about the region. The outcome never was in doubt, but he could have offered a bit more tourism (and less sexism, though that's his stock in trade) in the telling. I was mildly entertained, but I'll forget this within a day or two. On the other hand, "A Year in Provence" and its successor stayed with me and are books I own and have re-read. "Marsielle" was a library book, and I wouldn't bother to purchase it nor read it agai...more
Of course, nothing he's done topped "A Year in Provence," but Peter Mayle's Provençal stories have usually been fun: engaging characters, a light touch, great descriptions of the places, the food, etc., and a decent, if thin story to tie every together. This last novel was thinner than usual, taken up with very lengthy and not very interesting history and geography lessons about Marseille, the Carmargue, and French-British relations.
Quel domage!
Quel domage!
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I haven't read Peter Mayle for many years -- since he first wrote "A Year in Provence" and "Toujours Provence." This was a sample of his French mysteries - light, fun, filled with food, romance, and travel. I loved it -- it was straight forward, predictable, funny, filled with colorful characters, and a swift, imaginative, travel to France. A lovely afternoon read.
Sam Levitt is hired to help promote a valuable waterfront development in Marseille. The premise of this book is rather bland but the food and wine in the area is not. It seems every meal is described in the areas Sam and his friends visit. Makes you want to visit the same restaurants and places Sam does but you don't really care about the rest.
The author, Peter Mayle, received the Legion d'Honneur from the French government "for his cultural contributions" and it is easy to see why.
His enthusiastic descriptions of Frendh food, villages and towns make you want to book the next flight to the continent.
And, this book would be your perfect travel companion.
I received this novel through the FirstReads program and romped through it in a 24-hour period. It was light, frothy and enjoyable and would be perfect for your train or airplane trip,...more
His enthusiastic descriptions of Frendh food, villages and towns make you want to book the next flight to the continent.
And, this book would be your perfect travel companion.
I received this novel through the FirstReads program and romped through it in a 24-hour period. It was light, frothy and enjoyable and would be perfect for your train or airplane trip,...more
This was an easy, breezy account of a "caper" in the south of France. There are lots of meal descriptions, wine, women, and the finer things in life as the rich live it.
The hero is a bit of a rogue (to quote the book jacket) and one doesn't need to think very much while reading this book. Fun but not memorable.
The hero is a bit of a rogue (to quote the book jacket) and one doesn't need to think very much while reading this book. Fun but not memorable.
As someone else said, if this were a wine it would be light with no legs. Great descriptions of the food an the location, but the story lacked depth. I would have enjoyed more adventure and less food. But it was a light read after 400+ pages of A Greater Journey.
Clever. Cute. Fun to read because I have recently visited Marseille for the first time. Actually I wish I had read it BEFORE I had visited because the story plot is really just an excuse to review some restaurants and describe the FOOD. The book is worth is for this fact alone, but this read doesn't compare to the charm of Mayle's Provence books.
The descriptions of food and wine were wonderful, as you would expect from Mayle, but I thought the plot was weak. The plot has a particular problem, which I won't explain because to do so would spoil the story. I read the Kindle edition.
Purchased at SFO for a flight back to Seattle. Malye books are always a pleasant mix of travel in the French countryside, food and wine and pleasant characters. If you have enjoyed previous Mayle books then this one will not disappoint you.
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Peter Mayle (born June 14, 1939 in Brighton) is a British author famous for his series of books detailing life in Provence, France. He spent fifteen years in advertising before leaving the business in 1975 to write educational books, including a series on sex education for children and young people. In 1989, A Year in Provence was published and became an international bestseller. His books have be...more
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