Champagne: The Farewell: A Vengeance in the Vineyard Mystery

Hubbard’s agreeable debut, the first in a series devoted to different French wine regions, takes Max Maguire, a feisty though occasionally insecure New York City detective, to Champagne, France, for the wedding of Chloé Marceau, an old friend. When Chloé’s aunt and vineyard owner Léa de Saint-Pern is murdered on the night of the wedding, Max finds herself involved professionally and personally with the older Olivier Chaumont, a juge d’instruction, and, coincidentally, a friend of the Marceaus. Along with Olivier’s appealing protégé, Det. Abdel Zeroual, the two set off to negotiate the complexities of French bureaucracy and a second murder, that of Chloé’s likable but good-for-nothing uncle. Hans Keller, a German who’s rather aggressively trying to purchase the vineyard, and Ted Clay, an American friend of Max’s who was engaged to the lovely Léa, are likely suspects. A creative solution makes up for a not entirely graceful ending. Agent: Kimberly Cameron, Kimberly Cameron & Associates. (Aug.)