Book Review #54: The Tainted Vintage by Clare Blanchard

tainted vintage

Title: The Tainted Vintage

Author: Clare Blanchard

Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Crime Fiction

Format: Ebook

Date of Publication: July 10th 2018

Publisher: Fahrenheit Press

ASIN: B07FC1MM58

In the small Czech town of Vinice the mayor has been found dead in his wine cellar. Detectives Jana Dvorska and Ivan Dambersky are called to the scene and soon realise that despite appearances, Mayor Slansky’s death was most definitely not from natural causes.

Almost immediately, the close-knit community closes ranks to try and brush the unexplained death under the carpet with the minimum of fuss.

Dvorska & Dambersky are drawn deeper and deeper into secrets that many hoped would remain buried forever and they’re forced into pursuing an investigation where their own lives are put in danger.

The Tainted Vintage is the first book in a wonderful new series set in and around The Czech Republic, an area rich in history, literature and culture that still remains largely unexplored by contemporary crime fiction fans.

This book turned out to be better than I expected! I thought this will be a simple murder mystery that would need solving but, oh boy, did it just spiral down the rabbit hole and became way more complicated than it looked to be. The atmosphere in this book is so calming yet mysterious. The pace so appropriate, it felt like a breeze reading this book. If you enjoy the Agatha Christie feel of atmosphere and pace, then you’ll enjoy this book. This book is a short read, it’s to the point yet so full of detail and craft. The characters were fun to interact with. I loved investigating the mystery with Dvorska and Dembersky and would love to know them better. The plot was the best part of this book. With a good mix of present day and history, this book was an enriching read. As I said before, this book turned to be more than just a murder mystery and was full of twist and turns. There is this one twist which totally caught me off guard, but at the same time one could see it coming if one knew where to look and I absolutely loved it! I won’t go deep in the story because that’ll spoil the fun for you but the way the plot dips into history and brings out a painful past out makes this read totally worth the read.

This book is like wine, the more time you spend with it, the better it becomes. If you want to enjoy a weekend, snuggled up on your couch with a blanket and a glass of wine and want a read that’s entertaining and just makes you relax and chill, The Tainted Vintage is for you. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

Final Verdict:

The Tainted Vintage by Clare Blanchard gets 5 out of 5 stars from me.

About the author:

Originally from the North Yorkshire coast in England, Clare Blanchard spent half her lifetime in the Czech Republic, where her books are mainly set. Inspired by Nordic noir, where the settings are often like another character in the plot, she writes crime mysteries and other fiction, usually with a historical twist. She loves beautiful landscapes and architecture, cross-country skiing, the wine of South Moravia, and of course Czech beer. When she’s not being literary she knits funky socks.