Hollywood lawyer Danny Roth is the victim of a world-class wine heist - and he is devastated.

Enter Sam Levitt: former corporate lawyer, wine connoisseur, and expert on cultivated crime. He is called in by Roth's insurance company, now saddled with a multi-million-dollar claim. His leads take him first to Bordeaux's magnificent vineyards and then to glorious Provence.

Along the way, bien sûr, he's joined by a beautiful French colleague, Sophie. In their quest to discover the truth, Sam and Sophie must explore many a château and its contents.

The unravelling of this ingenious crime is threaded through with Mayle's seductive rendering of France's sensory delights. From the fine wines of Bordeaux to the bouillabaisse of Marseille, this is pure vintage Mayle.