Noel Balen has 5 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 1 narrator. The most-rated is Tainted Tokay (Buveurs en Serie).
![Cover art for Cognac Conspiracies [Le dernier coup de Jarnac]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lFkj6ixdL._SL500_.jpg)
Cognac Conspiracies [Le dernier coup de Jarnac]
Summary
The heirs to one of the oldest Cognac estates in France face a hostile takeover by foreign investors. Renowned wine expert Benjamin Cooker is called in to audit the books. In what he thought was a sleepy provincial town, he is stonewalled, crosses paths with his first love, and stands up to high-level state officials keen on controlling the buyout. Meanwhile irresistible Virgile mingles with the local population until a drowning changes the stakes.
©2004 Librairie Artere Fayard; English Translation 2015 Sally Pane (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
![Cover art for Mayhem in Margaux [Sous la robe de Margaux]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61WvCeUtjXL._SL500_.jpg)
Mayhem in Margaux [Sous la robe de Margaux]
Summary
Fine wines, dirty secrets. It's summer in Bordeaux. There's a heat wave, the vineyards are suffering, vintners are on edge, and wine expert Benjamin Cooker's daughter is visiting. A tragic car accident draws the winemaker detective and his assistant, Virgile, into a case where the stakes are very personal. Together they uncover the dirty secrets hiding behind some of Bordeaux's finest grand cru classé wines from Margaux.
©2004 Librairie Arthème Fayard; English Translation 2015 by Sally Pane (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
![Cover art for Late Harvest Havoc [Vengeances tardives en Alsace]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ZBsW8JGsL._SL500_.jpg)
Late Harvest Havoc [Vengeances tardives en Alsace]
Summary
Disaster strikes the vineyards in Alsace. Vintners are tense and old grudges surface. The Winemaker Detective's reputation is on the line as he must find the cause before the late harvest starts. Winter is in the air in Alsace and local customs are sowing trouble, piquing the curiosity of the famous winemaker from Bordeaux, Benjamin Cooker. While the wine expert and his assistant Virgile settle into their hotel in the old city of Colmar, distinguished vineyards are attacked. Is it revenge? The plot thickens when estates with no apparent connection to one another suffer the same sabotage just days prior to the late harvest. All of Alsace is in turmoil, plunged in the grip of suspicion that traces its roots back to the darkest hours of the German occupation. As he crosses back and forth into Germany from the Alsace he thought he knew so well, Cooker discovers a land of superstition, rivalry, and jealousy. Between tastings of the celebrated wines, he is drawn into the lives and intrigues of the inhabitants.
©2005 Librairie Arthème Fayard; English adaptation copyright 2015 Sally Pane; First published in English in 2015By Le French Book, Inc., New York (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Backstabbing in Beaujolais (Le vin nouveau n'arrivera pas)
Summary
Vintage rivalries make a "perfect mystery to read with a glass of vino in hand". The Winemaker Detective goes to Beaujolais in a French-style cozy mystery for lovers of food and drink, amateur sleuth stories, or anything set in France. A business magnate calls on wine expert Benjamin Cooker to kick-start his new wine business in Beaujolais, sparking bitter rivalries. Can the Winemaker Detective and his assistant keep calculating real estate agents, taciturn winegrowers, dubious wine merchants, and suspicious deaths from delaying delivery of the world-famous Beaujolais Nouveau? Another adventure in this made-for-TV mystery series set in France. Both a wine novel and a mystery.
©2005 Librairie Arthème Fayard; English adaptation copyright 2015 Anne Trager (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
Tainted Tokay (Buveurs en Serie)
Summary
"A terrific series." - New York Times best-seller William Martin. The gold standard in mysteries that dovetail travel, cuisine, and wine. In between enjoying sumptuous food and wine, the "Winemaker Detective" grapples with deceit and deception in Old World Europe. France's top wine expert Benjamin Cooker sets off to enjoy the delights of Vienna, a romantic ride down the Danube, a gourmand's visit to Budapest, and a luxury train through the enchanting Hungarian countryside. All too soon, stolen wallets, disappearing passports, guides who are a bit too obliging, and murder mar the trip. Meanwhile, in Bordeaux, Cooker's handsome assistant Virgile faces an annoying rival and a mildew crisis in the vineyards just as Cooker's lab technician is the victim of a mugging. If you love cozy culinary mysteries, amateur detective stories, international mysteries with French flair, or anything wine-related, this made-for-TV series offers armchair travel at its best with gentle mysteries.
©2006 Librairie Arthème Fayard; First published in English in 2016 By Le French Book, Inc.; English adaptation copyright 2016 Sally Pane (P)2016 Audible, Inc.