Pinot Noir by Lorraine Evanoff

Louise Moscow hops from one undercover assignment to another, aided by both a curiosity about how the world works and a determination to make it work for her. Equal parts scholar and sensualist, she will find out the answer but enjoy herself while doing so. One moment she’s deploying her brand of “forensic accounting” to uncover some obscure financial information that may blow up the case; the next she’s swooning over the complex “barnyard smells” of a particular Burgundy. Evanoff is clearly besotted with French history and effectively blends it with her heroine’s struggles against uncooperative witnesses, a mysterious vine disease, a gun-wielding monk, and a secret society. Moscow glides through it all with a James Bondian flair. Able to handle a high-powered speedboat, an ex-lover, or a ginger-haired villain with equal ease, this international spy is a protagonist you’ll want to follow.

Targeted Age Group:: 15 and up

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Before I even began writing PINOT NOIR, I had already decided to make Book Two a fictionalized version of the real-life ‘bankers grave’ scandal, the un-solved murder of billionaire Edmund J. Safra. My mother suggested the title during an event associated with my first novel, FOLIAGE. It stuck with me, and I began my research of Pinot Noir wine, which pointed to the Burgundy region of France. What shocked me was the real-life crimes of the region I discovered, which were linked to high level public officials leading all the way to the capital of the European Union, Brussels, Belgium.

How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
Pinot Noir being another financial thriller based on actual events, there were plenty of fascinating real-life characters. The development of intriguing supporting characters for ‘exposition’ purposes is a classic writing device. An example that comes to mind is Kuato in the film TOTAL RECALL. He lives protected in someone else’s body and pops out of the guy’s chest to help unlock the secrets of Quaid’s past. If a supporting character is there to explain or give clues, they had better be interesting!

Book Sample
Michael leaned back and pondered. “I can think of three suspicious deaths of prominent bankers right off the bat. The chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, Roberto Calvi, hung by the neck beneath Blackfriar’s Bridge in London in 1982. Then, there’s the owner of Franklin National Bank, Michele Sindona, who died after drinking coffee laced with arsenic in an Italian prison in 1986…”
“And now the owner of New York Republic Bank, Ekram M. Almasi, who burned to death trapped in his heavily guarded penthouse in Monaco,” Jean-Philippe said.
“Each of these dead bankers knew a lot of secrets. But, Calvi and Sindona were murdered after their banks collapsed.”
“Exactly!” Jean-Philippe said. “Of those three, Almasi’s death is the most curious. He died with his financial empire intact.” Jean-Philippe spoke passionately, rising to his feet, pacing and emphasizing with his hands. In the setting of the dimly lit 14th century monastery anyone else would have thought Jean-Philippe had lost it. But Michael knew what it was like to have loved and then lost Louise Moscow. The heartbreak turned to wretchedness, which
eventually evolved into tempered steel will.

Author Bio:
Lorraine Evanoff is a critically acclaimed author originally from Chicago. She studied and worked for seven years in Paris and is currently living in Los Angeles with her husband. A former finance executive in Silicon Valley and the entertainment industry, Lorraine's adventures include CFO positions at high tech companies during the dot-com era, and various production companies, notably as CFO of National Lampoon. She already has multiple film credits to her name and now has a screenplay in pre-production. She is a proud member of the Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America.

Lorraine's award-winning Louise Moscow mysteries, including FOLIAGE and the newly released PINOT NOIR, are high concept noir thrillers inspired by real-life banking scandals. Lorraine is able to spin complex tales of international finance while making it feel like classic mystery storytelling.

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