This is a complex story of love, betrayal and courage told with exceptional skill. Written in heart wrenching prose “The Winemaker’s Wife” goes back and forth between time and the present: Champagne, 1940 and 2019.
1940
The story gives us a different perspective of Germany occupied France. As it opens Ines has just married Michel, then owner of the champagne house Maison Chauveau when the Germans invade. As the danger mounts Michel joins the resistance. When rumours about Jews being deported… fear sets in… Celine, Michel’s chef de cave’s wife, is half Jewish….. They are afraid of being exposed…
Ines and Celine are the main voices and tell their point of views in alternate chapters as the war moves on. Celine tends to follow her heart and Ines eventually makes a dangerous mistake with a Nazi collaborator….There side is told with warmth and emotions…
2019
In New York Grandmother Edith shows up at Liv Kent’s home insisting on a trip to France, she has something in mind and wants to share her tragic story with her granddaughter.
Edith and Liv are the driving voices when the story moves to the present.
More thoughts:
Actually we have two stories and at first I was wondering where the connection might be. The author keeps giving tidbits of information teasing till the denouement. The suspense is held throughout and very well-done. Although the plot moves very slowly and nothing melodramatic happens well into the novel I was nevertheless deeply engaged from the get-go. This tragic story inspired by real events tells how people make desperate choices in order to survive and is one that offers many twists which I did not see coming.
War stories are my favourite, even if they are fictional there is always some truth to them. “The Winemaker’s Wife” is set amid the champagne vineyards of northern France and we have a small view of how it may have operated during this hard time…right or wrong I do not care, the description is vivid and the drama lively….
Eventually the past and present merge and we are back to the caves of Maison Chauveau. Well-done.
I received this ARC from the publisher Simon& Schuster via NetGalleys for my thoughts
Book #12, in the Ava Lee series
Ava is in Shanghai with Pang Fai to visit her ailing friend Xu when a violent triad war breaks out between two feuding gangs vying for control of the Wanchai territory in Hong Kong. Ava steps in to broker a settlement.
This 12th novel does not disappoint. The turf war between the Wings clan who is trying to take back power from Xu, the head of triads, is mixed with cold brutality and provides a fascinating peek into a disturbing world we hear of but hopefully never see. Nothing is subtle with their methods…..
When Xu’s soldiers are kidnapped and the Wings threaten to execute them after sending a box containing six fingers and a twelve hour deadline, Ava is driven to the edge and devises a plan that only death will solve…but who will fall first.
I love Ava Lee she is a female sleuth extraordinaire. In this latest she steps away from recuperating stolen cash and other business ventures to concentrate on being the negotiator between two fearless gangs and help Xu regain full control. The plot is suspenseful and intriguing of course we find lots of violence to make us cringe. Ava is at her best, the challenges she faces are intriguing. The action never ends, move fast and is very captivating, quite a page turner. No worries if you pick up this series here, there is enough backstories to situate the new comers and not too many details to overwhelm the avid fans…..
Once again, Mr. Hamilton has penned a great thriller for our enjoyment and he surely hit the button with this one. . Well-done as usual I love this series.
Many thanks to the publisher House of Anansi Press and to Edelweiss for this ARC
Alex Trout Thriller # 7
Redemption Thriller # 19
I love this series, love Alex and love that she is teaming up with Ozzie in this mystery. (Ozzie is the main character in the Ozzie Novack series). Although part of a series, all of the books can technically be read alone without missing too much but I strongly suggest you read them in sequence.
This is a good mystery with edge of your seat action and suspense. The plot brings back memories of the Boston Marathon terror attack that occurred in 2013. “At Stake” sounds and visuals are right on. It opens with hysteria when in the crowd bombs went off and Alex’s partner is injured now in hospital clinging to life. Alex is Alex and she will not take orders to step down….
Of course she is all action but if you think you can figure out what is going to happen, well you would be back to square one in no time, so I am warning you Mr. Mefford throws lots of kinks in the mix to derail us. The plot is crafted to give us excitement and thrills to keep us turning the pages. I like Alex’s showdown with the most vicious villain, it gives us all the suspense imaginable. Mr. Mefford is a gifted storyteller, his imagination has no limits. This time, taking an actual event then spinning his web of intrigue and making an excellent story for us to be captivated with. He doesn’t fail…..of course to lure us even more the story ends in a cliff-hanger….Stay tuned…next “At Any Cost”
