Blood of the Vine

Benjamin has due reserves when he accept to attend the funeral in Nantes of a wine grower who died from a shark attack 'because' he followed Lebel's advice to try his ambitions of originality in South Africa. Heiress daughter Gloria Guillemin surprises Benjamin by announcing unilaterally he's to head the 'posthumous' innovation project, outranking the present estate manager, Yann Coussou, who died from a gun shot the police stubbornly considers a plausible suicide. Lebel still is the prime suspect in case of murder, having arrived just then while ignoring Yann's intentions, so he resolves to clear the case himself, digging into family and estate backgrounds.

Benjamin and Mathilde arrive in Beaujolais to advise on the possible sale of vineyards between bickering parties. They rich main estate owner is murdered. Benjamin and the police must look into both his heirs and passed-over gay playmate with AIDS Eric Beaujeu as well as a bunch of less wealthy, scheming locals, one if which gets 'accidentally' killed in a nocturnal boar elimination campaign in non-hunting season. Benjamin unravels a web of infidelity and manipulation, while his semi-rival Edgard Loewen is brought in after he's ousted form the consultation job, only intriguing him further.

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