Liner Notes for The Contract Of The Forged Inheritance
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I regret that this is not a fair play mystery, instead more of a family drama. In fact Lacey does not so much solve the crime as unravel the story of the family, and understands that none of them have the desire or need to forge the will. Therefore it must be someone who is not a family member, yet cares deeply about the farm and vineyard, someone who loves the wine.
English wine is going through a purple patch, you should try some. There’s some good stuff at very reasonable prices. If you aren’t sure what to get, find some wine you like, then look for similar reviews and descriptions. If you can find a prolific reviewer with tastes you enjoy then I suggest following them down each and every wine rabbit hole they go down.
I’m joking, don’t drink booze kids, it’s bad for you.
In my mind this is sort of an homage to Dick Francis novels. Dick Francis, a former champion jockey, wrote a thriller more-or-less related to horses and racing every year. And every year my parents would get the latest paperback to take on holiday. I’ve read a lot of Dick Francis is what I’m saying. One thing that’s clear is how he loved gadgets and took his research seriously, and put most of it on the page. Another is that he would often put families with conflicts in the centre. This is a short story so I didn’t put everything I know and learned about wine in it, but there’s some here. And the family has problems, but without the distrust and jealousy they can probably sort them out!
Maybe not, the daughters have very different characters and values.
My theft of a plot point – a plot of land – from A Good Year was too blatant to let stand without actually referencing it. English wine authorities are not so uptight as French so you can just make weird wine if you want. No need to go the outlaw route.
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