DEATH BY NOIR

‘Death by Noir’ is a deliciously entertaining whodunnit set in the vineyards of Sussex. This debut novel is written by the award winning wine expert, Olly Smith who pours his passion for wine with his gloriously inventive vocabulary and imagination to produce his Bottle Bank murder series. With fireworks, feuds and a vineyard victim, this debut novel makes a timely November read.

The story begins at Bottle Bank, a wine shop run by an eccentric wine merchant Barclay Flint. When a mystery bottle arrives at his shop, Barclay plays dead on tasting the 'knockout' flavours of the wine, to amuse his staff, showing off his mischievous joie de vie. Barclay delights in writing playful tasting notes for his wine stock and is happy to brainstorm and reinvent new names for his shop.

Barclay's shop is staffed by an equally quirky team - that includes a Gen Z eco-warrior Pearl Finch; Teddy Olsen, the wine delivery driver and Minty, Barclay’s neighbour, who together form eclectic working relationships. Whilst the staff enjoy Barclay's good humour and enthusiasm for wine, when a close friend and regenerative vineyard owner Victor Crawshaw is found dead, Barclay finds himself a prime suspect!

To clear his name Barclay has to use his wine detection skills and follow his nose to identify the clues, making notes and observations of the various resentments and rivalries that are playing out amongst Crawshaw’s family, friends and neighbours.

Described as "a 'cosy wine’ crime at its finest" this reminded Den readers of the charm of whodunnits such as the popular Thursday Murder Club series. The Bottle Bank team have stiff competition thanks to the success of Murder Club detectives who have all amused us, with their own unique identities that contribute to the collection's success. Whilst some of us felt Smith's characters were too light and lacked body, the writer clearly has some delectable wine references and plenty of untapped themes that make this a new author worth reading. Especially if you enjoy wine!