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The Vintage Caper (Sam Levitt #1)
by
Peter Mayle
Set in Hollywood, Paris, Bordeaux, and Marseille, Peter Mayle’s newest and most delightful novel is filled with culinary delights, sumptuous wines, and colorful characters. It’s also a lot of fun.
The story begins high above Los Angeles, at the extravagant home and equally impressive wine cellar of entertainment lawyer Danny Roth. Unfortunately, after inviting the Los Angel...more
The story begins high above Los Angeles, at the extravagant home and equally impressive wine cellar of entertainment lawyer Danny Roth. Unfortunately, after inviting the Los Angel...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
October 20th 2009
by Knopf
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Famous for his delightful non-fiction, particularly ‘A Year in Provence’ which was, and is, a best seller, (and a charming film with John Thaw performing to his usual brilliant best,) Peter Mayle also writes novels. Well written, easy to read and thoroughly entertaining and amusing novels like ‘Hotel Pastis’ and ‘Anything Considered’. I found them terrific reads, but my favourite was ‘Chasing Cezanne’, that is until his latest, ‘The Vintage Caper’, came out. Peter Mayle has an ease with words an...more
This book, from the author of A Year in Provence and A Good Year (with Russell Crowe driving a Smart Car in France, who could resist the movie?) is a delightful little escapist read about wine. It covers the gamut too, with wine snobs and wine collectors but it always elevates wine to the place it needs to be: being enjoyed in good company without posturing.
There are so many wonderful meals associated, I feel as though I gained ten pounds just reading this. Still it is a quick read and absolute...more
There are so many wonderful meals associated, I feel as though I gained ten pounds just reading this. Still it is a quick read and absolute...more
Sometimes it takes a thief to catch a thief, and Sam Levitt’s the man for the job. Called in by an LA insurance company desperate to avoid paying the claim, Sam goes to France to discover who stole that multimillion dollar wine stash. Because he knows a lot of big time crooks from his former life, it doesn’t take long for Sam to home in on a likely suspect in an international playboy who resides in Marseille, of all places. Proving that he did it is another problem altogether.
The word “caper” in...more
The word “caper” in...more
The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle
Alfred A Knopf Publisher, Copyright 2009
Let me start off by saying I am a fan of Peter Mayle’s work so this is slightly, alright an unabashedly biased review. Now that the transparency has been established, The Vintage Caper is an excellent read. It was perfect for a Snow storm day this past weekend, where as the inches of snow accumulated on the ground, I was safely ensconced in the goings on of Sam Levitt and a his friends from Los Angles to the south of France,...more
Alfred A Knopf Publisher, Copyright 2009
Let me start off by saying I am a fan of Peter Mayle’s work so this is slightly, alright an unabashedly biased review. Now that the transparency has been established, The Vintage Caper is an excellent read. It was perfect for a Snow storm day this past weekend, where as the inches of snow accumulated on the ground, I was safely ensconced in the goings on of Sam Levitt and a his friends from Los Angles to the south of France,...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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In The Vintage Caper Peter Mayle brings back Sam Levitt, the charming and irascible crook turned PI from Anything Considered. Elena, Sam's beautiful but cantankerous ex, is in a bind. The insurance company she works for will have to pay out on a multimillion dollar claim unless the vintage wines stolen from their client can be found. Sam is a natural for the job, a wine connoisseur who also happens to be a private investigator.
The plot of The Vintage Caper is disappointingly predictable and blan...more
The plot of The Vintage Caper is disappointingly predictable and blan...more
This is a thin, silly little mystery by Peter Mayle, who has clearly spent so much time drinking wine in Provence that he's forgotten that mysteries normally contain some element of the mysterious. The Vintage Caper does not. What it does contain are cliches by the boatload (in case you didn't know, every woman in L.A. is gorgeous but stupid and every lawyer is an a-hole) and a story so flimsy it's ridiculous. The characters are empty and uninspired, and if you haven't figured out whodunit by li...more
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Not bad, but not exactly the whodunit I was expecting. Three million dollars worth of French wine is stolen from the cellars of a rich, obnoxious Hollywood lawyer (the story is full of stereotyped characters), and the insurance company hires an ex-con-turned-detective to go to France and find the thief. Half-way into the story, it became clear that there was only one suspect, really, and the evidence against him was mounting. I assumed there'd be some sort of twist at the end - maybe the thief w...more
Likeable little thing, but toothless. There was no sense of danger throughout the entire story. I know that he likes to write travelogues masquerading as a light crime story, but really, nothing happened. The insurance guy found the stolen wine and stole it back, just like that. My big complaint is that this the second book of his I have read and they both of the worst endings. They just stop. The final scenes feel like they are cut short, as if he was writing under the confines of a certain amo...more
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I am going back and forth about how many stars to give this. 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2 maybe? No matter. There are no 1/2 stars on goodreads anyway. So that will remain a personal battle. I need to say this right off the bat...I listened to this book on CD in the car. Why do I need to say this? Well, you see there was only one reader, who was a man. As such, when he read the female parts, which all had either a French or Spanish accent, he sounded like a bad drag queen from Lucky Cheng's. That did make me...more
If I could give 3.5 stars, I probably would. It's obvious what the author cares a great deal for - wine, food & France.
What I appreciated... all of the descriptions of locations and the wines. It made me long to go visit the area to see if I could experience a fraction of what they did. It also made me wish I was much more knowledgeable about wine.
What I didn't enjoy as much... sometimes the description were a little out of hand. I also found some of the romance/womanizing a little confusing...more
What I appreciated... all of the descriptions of locations and the wines. It made me long to go visit the area to see if I could experience a fraction of what they did. It also made me wish I was much more knowledgeable about wine.
What I didn't enjoy as much... sometimes the description were a little out of hand. I also found some of the romance/womanizing a little confusing...more
This story slowly, slowly builds from a robbery in L.A. to a surprise ending in France. Danny Roth has nearly three million dollars worth of wine stolen from his home and demands payment by the insurance company.Elena Morales is vice President of the insurance company and she hires Sam Levitt. Sam enjoys a good bottle of wine, has a distant past of some lightweight crime himself, and loves France. He enjoys the idea of having to eat and drink wine in France and so he agrees to try and find wher...more
This was the only Peter Mayle book I hadn't read, so I had pretty high expectations because I enjoyed everything else so much. But now I look back on when I read them (in high school, summers off during college) and wonder if my tastes have changed or what. It could very well just be this book...which is a mystery and it's basically a mystery where all the planning is executed successfully without obstacles and everyone lives happily ever after. This makes for a pleasant feeling normally, but I...more
The Vintage Caper was a brilliant novel and I loved Peter Mayle's awesome writing style. The humor in this cheerful, light but intelligent thriller was right on and there was always a constant element of tension. I've never read a thriller that mixed so many rich themes (wine, food, French culture, the flaws of American consumerism and importance of simple but contended living, among many others) so seamlessly and effortlessly with a thriller narrative (about the wine heist of the century). The...more
The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle is a fun, light wine mystery set mostly in the South of France that will get your taste buds all set for a good bottle of vino! Not really a true “mystery” (there is a caper element towards the end of the book) but rather more of a breezy whodunit where the end result is no where near as much fun as the finding-out-who part. Mayle (of A Year in Provence fame) knows how to write great characters with wonderful inter-play and chemistry…making this almost as much fu...more
Fluff!
This takes an explanation because I loved Mayle's Provance series. when a friend passed this book on to me, while vacationing in Southern California, I thought I would give it a try. But, I returned promptly before finishing it. Perhaps it was the LA, California setting where this non-caper takes place, that left me wondering about concepts of warped reality.
I thought his character development was stiff and silly, leaving no mystery or thought provoking challange.
Suggestion: Always stic...more
This takes an explanation because I loved Mayle's Provance series. when a friend passed this book on to me, while vacationing in Southern California, I thought I would give it a try. But, I returned promptly before finishing it. Perhaps it was the LA, California setting where this non-caper takes place, that left me wondering about concepts of warped reality.
I thought his character development was stiff and silly, leaving no mystery or thought provoking challange.
Suggestion: Always stic...more
Like all of Peter Mayle's books, The Vintage Caper is more fun and frolic then serious crime book - and thankfully so!
As in other Peter Mayle books, you will fall in love (again) with France and you'll want to vacation in Marseille - staring tomorrow!
There are some wonderful descriptions about the delicious food and wine, incluing some recipes and wine pairings. I would have bought the book just for those!
The caper involves the theft of wine - not just any wine but some of the best French wine...more
As in other Peter Mayle books, you will fall in love (again) with France and you'll want to vacation in Marseille - staring tomorrow!
There are some wonderful descriptions about the delicious food and wine, incluing some recipes and wine pairings. I would have bought the book just for those!
The caper involves the theft of wine - not just any wine but some of the best French wine...more
If you expect anything more of this than light caper and heavy gastronomy, you haven't done your homework. Mayle writes with no other purpose than to entertain and to wave the tri-color with unabashed enthusiasm. For a Francophile who loves reading about food and wine almost as much as she does consuming it, this was a pleasant lark. Plot? Bah. Character development? Snort. Believability? Oh, honestly! Who would waste time in the south of France looking for the real world? A world to which I now...more
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I really enjoyed the first few chapters, but then it got bogged down in the details of fabulous meals and show-offy wine one-upmanship — without irony or even awareness. After a while, I just couldn't stand to read another exquisitely detailed description of another exquisite meal (always with little barbs thrown in about what cultural barbarians the Americans are) with endless snobby, "Only three people in the world even have HEARD of this wine" comments. It made me feel like the author had way...more
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This was a fun and easy read for me. The way the author described the protagonist's travels through France and its cuisine was once again sublime. The mystery tale was simple and was by no means to be compared to top mystery writers like Sue Grafton or James Patterson. A good book to take to the beach and relax under an umbrella. The only problem I had with the book was the author's attempt to use American vernacular. For me, it was just too obvious that a non-American was trying to sound Americ...more
True to reputation, Mayle is not shy about dropping so many wine and food references on you that it is hard to keep track. But that is also the point: sensual descriptions of Provencal cafes, high end Bordeaux wine tastings, and other aspects of living the good life are meant to wash over and envelop the reader. Plot intricacies are more fodder for details to be discussed over the next wonderful meal as opposed to standing on its own. But it's a fun experience, and that's good enough for a summe...more
An important Hollywood figure's priceless wine collection is stolen which means his insurance company either solves the crime or pays the multimillion dollar settlement. The police are far too busy with more important matters leaving the insurance company no option but to hire Sam Levitt, a former lawyer and wine connoisseur who was the perfect choice for such a case. His search takes
him to some of the best wine cellars and restaurants in California and France. A light read that is both fun and...more
him to some of the best wine cellars and restaurants in California and France. A light read that is both fun and...more
The Vintage Caper – Peter Mayle
The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle is one of those books I picked up on a whim (I’ve been doing that a lot lately), but it hooked me right from the start. Mr. Mayle’s writing style is simplistic, but rich in detail. He manages to leave a lot to the imagination, though, which is good. I want to question what I’m reading and create my own images in my mind about what the author left out.
Taking place in Los Angeles and France the story centers around a wine collector,...more
The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle is one of those books I picked up on a whim (I’ve been doing that a lot lately), but it hooked me right from the start. Mr. Mayle’s writing style is simplistic, but rich in detail. He manages to leave a lot to the imagination, though, which is good. I want to question what I’m reading and create my own images in my mind about what the author left out.
Taking place in Los Angeles and France the story centers around a wine collector,...more
Jan 10, 2010
Martha
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
francophiles, foodies
Shelves:
rated-g,
good-for-an-airplane-trip
Tommy and Tuppence, er, Sam and Sophie go to Provence (surprise!) and find stolen vintage wine. The main characters are flat and uncomplicated, the minor characters are well drawn and aimiable. The scenery is very Mayle, and his compare / contrast of LA vs. Marseille is interesting.
The real star, fully explored and indulged in, is the food and wine. Swoon.
With the exception of drinking wine that some parents might frown on, the story is pretty chaste, and might be fun for a French-learning stude...more
The real star, fully explored and indulged in, is the food and wine. Swoon.
With the exception of drinking wine that some parents might frown on, the story is pretty chaste, and might be fun for a French-learning stude...more
This was a fun read in Peter Mayle style, pleasant enjoyment and intriguing glimpses of French life. It was a light mystery, tracking down a stolen cache of wine. I have never been a fan of the Mystery genre until I encountered the Cara Black novels set in Paris, but have found I enjoy the French background of those novels, as well as that of this one. But I find the same troubling issue in all of them--namely, is it OK to lie and even steal if the goal is "justice?" Or--the classic question--do...more
I think Peter Mayle is a wonderfully descriptive writer, which works well for his books about his time in Provence, but not so well for a mystery. He obviously knows a great deal about food and wine, and provides the reader with mouthwatering descriptions of the food eaten by the characters and provides loads of details about wine, both what the characters drank throughout the book and the rare stolen wines that provide the mystery that must be solved. That level of detail here, interferes with...more
I liked A Year in Provence, and Mayle has kept that breezy style and upper crust European expat setting in this short little mystery. The plot is a little like Oceans 11 -- liberate some bottles of wine from someone who liberated them from an LA businessman first -- but with a whole lot less suspense. The criminals are charming but the plot is a bit of a yawn.
Not sure what to make of this book. I've loved Peter's past books so I picked this up and jumped into right away with anticipation.
****SPOILERS*********
I came away from it disappointed. I felt that perhaps Peter was a bit lazy with this book. I realize that some of the characters were being re-introduce from previous books, but the character development was very weak. The so called mystery was solved way to easy and neat.
In some regards I felt that the only purpose of this novel was to talk ab...more
****SPOILERS*********
I came away from it disappointed. I felt that perhaps Peter was a bit lazy with this book. I realize that some of the characters were being re-introduce from previous books, but the character development was very weak. The so called mystery was solved way to easy and neat.
In some regards I felt that the only purpose of this novel was to talk ab...more
I've never read a book by Peter Mayle before, but I greatly enjoyed this one. I nearly put it down in the first chapter...I thought the hateful characters we are first introduced to might be who we stuck with through the whole book, and honestly,that might be a trend right now, but I have no interest in indulging it. Fortunately, I pressed on and the book improved. Quirky, fun. I didn't know it was a sequel. It definitely makes me want to seek out the previous books.
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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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Jun 10, 2012 02:16am