{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6087d3aca4a81031ba098a59/6a2aa58471d362181f7a2873?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"TV Wine Expert Olly Smith: Death by Noir & the Birth of Wine Crime Fiction","description":"<p>Philippa reviews four very different books — from Tintin to Elizabeth Strout — before sitting down with TV wine expert and debut crime novelist <strong>Olly Smith</strong> to talk about his joyful new book <em>Death by Noir</em>, and the sub-genre he's invented: wine crime.</p><p><strong>📚 Book Reviews</strong></p><p><strong>The Adventures of Tintin and the Picaros</strong> – Hergé A revolutionary adventure featuring Bianca Castafiore and a mysterious plot around carnival time. Fun, but Philippa wasn't left desperate for more Tintin.</p><p><strong>The Things We Never Say</strong> – Elizabeth Strout ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Philippa's first Strout — and now she wants them all. A quietly devastating 200-page novel about a man keeping a secret from the world, and from himself. Exquisite, beautiful writing that made Philippa sob unexpectedly. Unmissable.</p><p><strong>The Ballad of Small Hope and Penny Royal</strong> – Jodi Taylor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Time-travelling bounty hunters, sharp humour, and perfect audiobook narration. Brilliant as a standalone even if you've never read Jodi Taylor before — and book two is coming this summer.</p><p><strong>The Inheritance</strong> – Mark Dawson Book five in the Atticus Priest series. Enjoyable enough, but Philippa felt the magic of the earlier books wasn't quite there this time.</p><p><strong>🎙️ Author Interview: Olly Smith on <em>Death by Noir</em></strong></p><p>Set in the rolling hills of East Sussex around the town of Lewes, <em>Death by Noir</em> follows <strong>Barclay Flint</strong>, eccentric proprietor of the Bottle Bank wine shop, who must use his wine-detecting skills to solve a crime and clear his own name — all before the explosive Lewes Bonfire Night finale.</p><p>Olly and Philippa discuss:</p><ul><li>How four characters arrived fully-formed in Olly's mind while flying over the Himalayas</li><li>Why he wrote every word himself (no ghostwriter)</li><li>Inventing \"wine crime\" as a new sub-genre</li><li>The late Peter Hall of Breaky Bottom vineyard, who read his chapters just before he died</li><li>Writing through a gallbladder operation, missing deadlines (never), and the advice of a biodynamic economist</li><li>Why teetotallers love the book just as much as wine lovers</li><li>A rainbow moment that changed how he thinks about writing</li><li>What he's reading right now: <em>London Falling</em> by Patrick Radden Keefe, <em>The Traitor's Circle</em> by Jonathan Freedland, and more</li><li>The writing fuel that <em>isn't</em> a biscuit: crunchy peanut butter with a drop of soy sauce</li></ul><p><em>Death by Noir</em> is out <strong>18th June</strong>.</p><p>💬 <strong>Get in touch</strong> Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | <a href=\"mailto:quickbookreviews@outlook.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">quickbookreviews@outlook.com</a></p><p><em>Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.</em></p>","author_name":"Philippa Hall"}