A diverting and witty crime novel by the renowned author of A Year in Provence.
Sam Levitt Series
This series follows Samuel Levitt, a former lawyer with a penchant for fine wine and detecting, as he unravels intricate cases of theft and fraud. Each installment is a journey filled with exquisite culinary delights, exceptional vintages, and colorful characters. Travel from the sun-drenched hills of Hollywood to the esteemed vineyards of Bordeaux and beyond. It's an ideal escape for lovers of wine, gourmet food, and captivating mysteries.
Recommended Reading Order
- 1
- 2
The Marseille Caper
- 224 pages
- 8 hours of reading
Lovable rogue and sleuth extraordinaire Sam Levitt is back in another beguiling, as-only-Peter-Mayle-can-write-it romp through the South of France. At the end of The Vintage Caper, Sam had just carried off a staggering feat of derring-do in the heart of Bordeaux, infiltrating the ranks of the French elite to rescue a stolen, priceless wine collection. With the questionable legality of the adventure—and the threat of some very powerful enemies!—Sam thought it’d be a while before he returned to France, especially with the charms of the beautiful Elena Morales to keep him in Los Angeles. But when the immensely wealthy Francis Reboul—the victim of Sam’s last heist but someone who knows talent when he sees it—asks our hero to take a job in Marseille, it’s impossible for Sam and Elena to resist the possibility of further excitement . . . to say nothing of the pleasures of the region. Soon the two are enjoying the coastal sunshine and the delectable food and wine for which Marseille is known. Yet as a competition over Marseille’s valuable waterfront grows more hotly disputed, Sam, representing Reboul, finds himself in the middle of an increasingly intrigue-ridden and dangerous real-estate grab, with thuggish gangsters on one side and sharklike developers on the other. Will Sam survive this caper unscathed? Will he live to enjoy another bowl of bouillabaisse? All will be revealed—with luck, savvy, and a lot of help from Sam’s friends—in the novel’s wonderfully satisfying climax.
- 3
The Corsican Caper
- 176 pages
- 7 hours of reading
When billionaire Francis Reboul finds himself on the wrong side of a Russian tycoon, he’s fortunate to have vacationing friends Sam Levitt and Elena Morales on hand to help him out. Now it’s up to Sam—who’s saved Reboul’s neck before—to negotiate with an underworld of mercenaries, hit men, and Mafioso, to prevent his friend from becoming a victim of “Russian diplomacy.” As usual, Sam and Elena still find time to enjoy the good life, but as Sam’s sleuthing draws him closer to the truth, he realizes Reboul might not be the only one in trouble. Rich with clever twists, sparkling scenery, and mouthwatering gustatory interludes as only Peter Mayle can write them, The Corsican Caper is an adventure par excellence .
- 4
When a Riviera socialite’s diamonds are stolen—the latest in a string of seemingly unconnected but increasingly audacious jewelry heists across France—Peter Mayle’s bon vivant and master sleuth, Sam Levitt, and his partner, Elena Morales, are soon on the case. In these “perfect crimes,” Sam sees the hand of a master criminal, but as he and Elena dig deeper, they begin to realize just how dangerous it may be to pursue the truth. In the midst of all the excitement, there’s a house to renovate, rosé to share, and feasts of the Provençal summer bounty to enjoy—giving The Diamond Caper all the hallmarks of another delightfully sun-splashed Peter Mayle adventure.