JUPITER’S BLOOD

In Laine’s thriller, a wine expert helps an ex-girlfriend embroiled in corporate intrigue.

Napa Valley restauranter and Master Sommelier Dante Lombardi has the best wine palate on the West Coast. Even old flames trust his tongue, which is why he’s been invited to a tasting at the offices of Scarcity Incorporated, where his ex-girlfriend Dr. Claire Durant serves as chief scientist. Claire almost married Dante years ago—now a widow, she harbors secret feelings for him still. She wants Dante to grant his imprimatur to Replivino, a line of synthetic wines that mimic the finest varietals in the world. Though Dante is fooled during the test, he refuses to endorse the product on principle. Wine, he protests, isn’t “something you can recreate in a test tube.” After the tasting, Dante’s best friend and chef, Angelo (who also happens to be Claire’s brother) takes his own life, and the restaurant loses a Michelin star. Then Claire goes missing with Scarcity’s Vino Code—the formula behind Replivino—just two weeks before the company’s IPO. No one knows if she’s been kidnapped, blackmailed, or plans to sell the formula—or if her disappearance has anything to do with Angelo’s death. Scarcity hires Dante to track down Claire and the Code, a journey that takes him across Europe. Can “the Sherlock Holmes of wine” find his ex, or will the Master Sommelier find himself tricked once again? Laine knows his angle, and he cleverly layers wine culture into nearly every interaction in the book. Here Dante gets romantic with Scarcity lab technician Vivian Wong: “His mind swirled. Time had no meaning. ‘And how do I taste?’ Vivian asked. She pulled away, breathless, face flushed, eyes wide. ‘Strawberries…’ Dante said. She kissed him again. ‘Red cherries…’ ….and again. ‘Candied fruit and bubblegum, like a Beaujolais Nouveau.’” Both the characters and the plot are thinner than they should be, but wine lovers will likely enjoy this page-turning ode to their favorite beverage.

A robust if sometimes blunt thriller set in the world of wine.