Death of a Wine Merchant

Lord Francis Powerscourt #9

by David Dickinson

The scion of the Colvilles, who are wealthy wine merchants, is about to marry the daughter of the even grander Nash family. Immediately after the nuptials, the bridegroom’s uncle Cosmo is found clutching a gun, having apparently killed his own brother. He refuses to give any explanation, even to his solicitor, who retains Lord Francis Powerscourt to investigate.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, British Literature, Detective

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

David Dickinson was born in Dublin. With an honours degree in Classics from Cambridge, David Dickinson joined the BBC, where he became editor of Newsnight and Panorama, as well as series editor for Monarchy, a three-part programme on the British royal family.

Reviews

[Patricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was one of the most loyal fans that Lord Powerscourt and David Dickinson had, until now and this book. This was a total disappointment. There wasn't one character in the book worth rooting for or caring about. They were all reprobates or stinkers. They deserved each other. The whole captive in the crazy assylum was contrived and pointless. Just there to fill pages. If you are reading the series, as I am, skip this one!!! Me? I am just going to wipe this one out of my memory and move right on. The next one cannot be any worse than this one.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read all the Powerscourt stories so far. I agree with the other reviewers that this one drags a bit. I found all the stuff about wine hard to follow - maybe because I am not an aficionado. I enjoy Lord and Lady Powerscourt and their family and friends, but these books are very dense. I find them very slow reads - there is a lot of detail, not always necessary to the story. They are interesting but slow.

[Emily Potter · Rating 2 out of 5]

i LOVE Dorothy Sayers but this book is not very good unfortunately. The murderer makes sense but it comes out of nowhere and the book drags out for SO long and so many plots are just completely irrelevant. Like the whole role of the alchemist and wine forging and the financial issues and the blackmail just had no bearing whatsoever on the ending. Could have honestly been half the length

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two thirds of the book was slow and then it picked up and I enjoyed the last third, but overall, I can only give it three stars. I did not enjoy it as much as the previous book in this series.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Court case this time. Great fun. No historical knowledge required and Powerscourt’s moment of danger was more lighthearted than normal.

[Debjo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love this series, but could not get into this outing. Lady Lucy and her dear Francis began to annoy me.

[Mar Dixon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Father is killed on his son’s wedding day, the brother is found with the gun in his hands. Should be an easy case for Lord Francis Powerscourt.

But this is 1907, pre-DNA, and this is no ordinary family.

This book is a classic, traditional whodunit with a twist. The plot is based upon a wine industry that deals primarily with an exclusive clientele. Two wine families were merging via the wedding which you’re never quite sure if that is a positive or a negative.

Lord Francis Powerscourt (and his wife Lady Lucy) have been asked to investigate. Straight away, he isn’t satisfied with the obvious choice that Cosmo Colville has killed fis brother and business partner Randolph Colville. But to make matters worse, Cosmo is refusing to speak, not even to defend himself.

There are a host of characters, all with their own reasons to want to have Randolph killed, in addition to him being involved in a industry that apparently doesn’t always do things above board.

For me personally, a huge part of the book, whilst fantastically scripted, is incredibly detailed explanations of the wine industry (including recipes, processes, and meticulous descriptions of vines) some/most of which wasn’t exactly needed for the book to work, but does lend itself to the style of the book.

Any wine connoisseur would truly appreciate the obvious knowledge the author has on the topic. David Dickinson used very creative writing to ensure there was a balance between having enough information to understand the logic, without being condescending to non-wine connoisseurs (for the most part).

Overall, 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Sue]

The father of the groom, Randolph Colville, is murdered just after his son’s wedding, apparently by his brother Cosmo who is found sitting by Randolph’s body holding a gun. As Cosmo refuses to say a word in his defense, his barrister, Charles Augustus Pugh, hires investigator Lord Francis Powerscourt to find reasons to cast doubt on Cosmo’s guilt so that a jury will acquit him. Is Cosmo protecting someone? Is he protecting the family company Colville and Sons? With a trial no more than six weeks away, Powerscourt, believing Cosmo is innocent, conducts a thorough investigation into the Colvilles’ personal lives and their wine business. While in France following a hunch, Powerscourt is abducted and must make his escape to bring evidence of Cosmo’s innocence back to England. After a more leisurely step-by-step investigation, the pace picks up as Powerscourt races to solve the crime before the trial ends. The early 1900s is nicely delineated, and details of wine and an interesting main character, along with a plot twist, add to the story.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lord Francis Powerscourt is hired to clear a murder suspect who won't speak to police, his family or his own lawyers. Cosmo Colville is found, a gun in his hand, the body of his brother Randolph at his feet, just after the marriage of Randolph's son. The Colvilles are wine merchants, and Powerscourt's investigation into shoddy doings in the wine trade earns him the enmity of a mysterious figure called the Alchemist. News of a possible witness sends Powerscourt and his wife, Lady Lucy, to France, but also puts him in danger from the Alchenist.

[Andrea InCoorparoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like a mystery which begins with an interesting murder. This novel, with a murder at a wedding reception in an English stately home, ticks that box. The novel slows a bit through interviews with the victim's unpleasant relatives and disgruntled employees. The characters become more interesting and the plot picks up pace towards the mystery's conclusion.

[patience · Rating 2 out of 5]

Underwhelming. I seem to be in a dry spell with the quality of the books I'm reading of late. This one dragged on, trying but failing to be an old fashioned type of detective story, somewhat like an Albert Campion book. Characters not compelling, story held no surprises, and the humor was trite.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the usual growing sense of urgency, a couple of red herrings, some personal danger involved and up to the last chapter twists and turns, this is another satisfying Lord Powerscourt mystery. Not enough Johnny Fitzgerald in this one. Interesting detail about "fake" wine.

[Alma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Not bad, but no Agatha Christie. Pretty quick read.

[Papalodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jumped from character to character. Amusing throughout. Finally got really good at the courtroom trail. Easy to figure out who done it.

[Mary G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice story. The characters are great and it is always fun spending a yearly visit with them.

[Pia · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked it enough to find more in the series - some other day

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favourite murder mystery. It was okay, but did drag on a bit. The wine facts were quite interesting for anyone who enjoys wine.

[Cece · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow. Much more detail about wine forgery than I needed to get the point.

[ShanDizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't see THAT ending coming! Wow! Very riveting romp.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story, this story is easy to read. We were treated to a little James Bond moment with Lord Powerscourt. I would recommend reading this series