This is a good read: the sleuth is appealingly lame with women, deft at crime-solving, and just slow enough apprehending danger to keep the reader engaged. He's also dealing with the intrinsically fascinating wine industry and a relatively unfamiliar region of France. The action is fast enough--slowed only by inviting descriptions of Gaillac*--and the ending is scary enough to accelerate the page turning. The action develops well from hints of foreboding to believable outcomes. Characters are well-drawn--some some as likable as sleuth Macleod--with the notable exception of the murderer, who stays hidden until the end.