The Diamond Caper

By: Peter Mayle

Narrated by: Erik Davies

Bon vivant and expert sleuth Sam Levitt and his partner in love and intrigue, Elena Morales, return in the latest installment of the delightfully sun-splashed Provençal Caper series.

When a Riviera socialite’s diamonds are stolen—the latest in a string of seemingly unconnected but ever-more-audacious jewelry heists across France—Elena flies in to investigate the insurance claim. It’s a trip she’s more than happy to make, as it gives her a chance to meet up with old friends in Marseille—and, particularly, with Sam.

Once reunited, Sam isn’t entirely distracted by domestic matters. In the pattern of these “perfect crimes” he's beginning to see a master at work, and he’s quickly determined to connect and solve the cases. But as he and Elena dig deeper, they begin to realize just how much is connected and how dangerous it may be to pursue the whole truth.

Meanwhile, there’s a house to renovate, rosé to share, and feasts of Provençal summer bounty to enjoy. Full of Peter Mayle’s inimitable wit and style, The Diamond Caper is sure to charm faithful fans and new readers alike.

Critic reviews

"As always, Mayle has a perfect command of his setting and his characters... Readers will want to take their time with this delightfully breezy and delicious new caper. A votre santé!" —The Examiner

"Soaked in sun and sumptuous feasts, The Diamond Caper is rich with Mayle's signature style, which celebrates all that is Provencal with humor and a deft hand for storytelling... Sam and Elena are interesting characters to visit with, realistically drawn and complex. The accompanying cast is equally intriguing and memorable... A Provence that fairly pops off the pages, with descriptions of food rich enough to make any reader’s stomach rumble, and images of a beautiful Southern France that will leave them daydreaming of fine weather, feeling sun-drenched and lazy." —Portland Book Review

"From the engaging first sentence... [The Diamond Caper] delights—more because of the French local color than any hardcore mystery solving... The book’s strength lies in the great descriptions of characters (“even [Sam’s] voice sounded suntanned”) and of all things French. As he does in his memoirs, Mayle excels at evoking French cuisine... Fans of his caper series will enjoy finding out how Sam and Elena’s romance develops." —Publishers Weekly

“Mayle’s brilliant presentation of food and scenery will delight his readers.” —Booklist

Entertaining

These books are entertaining but not high quality literature! I love Peter Mayle and have read all his books....and will continue to do so. These "caper" books all pretty much sound the same, but they are light reading and fun. The reader could be better...while not annoying, he doesn't bring much to the experience of listening. Maybe you could try a different reader?? Definitely worth a credit, in my opinion!

Great light read

As are all Mayle's works, this light cheerful story is a nice distraction from real life. Food, wine, the life of leisure in the south of France. Delightful.

Charming story with an excellent performance

The French Riviera is the background. We follow the story of Sam and Elena, an American couple with the money to have an architect and a squad of workmen transform an old house with a view.

As the house becomes more beautiful, they start discussing the diamond robberies from houses covered by the insurance company that employs Elena. Sam starts investigating the robberies.

Very well written!

Disappointed--Elena becomes a flighty headed chara

The plot is good, the food and wine descriptions are wonderful. But Elena has no part in the plot, pouts, shops and acts like some stereotypical conception of a no brain woman. So disappointed and Coco as a character doesn't make sense--what happened to her suspicions of Gregor??
No more of these please.

A good "caper," atrocious narration

Narrator's french pronunciation so wrong it's distracting. Where was the director on this? Erik Davies disappointing performance ruins an otherwise charming story - although the Caper series hasn't beat the excitement of the "Marseille Caper" earlier in the series. This story feels a great deal more discombobulated, as if Mayle were searching for a common thread and then it all comes together in the last chapter.