‘Death by Noir’ by Olly Smith

Published by Baskerville,
18 June 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-39982984-7 (HB)

Victor Crawshaw's body has been found polluting a vat of his own wine. There's no mark of violence on him, and the police think it was an accident. Indeed, it has all the hallmarks of an accident. Even the inquest said it was an accident. To all appearances, he opened the vat, inhaled too much of the carbon dioxide fumes, tumbled in and drowned. But Barclay Flint, friend of the dead man, wine shop owner and connoisseur of all things wine-related, is uneasy. Why would an experienced wine-maker make such an elementary mistake? And why has Victor's son invited his menacing old army pal to stay? And why is the neighbour Victor feuded with for decades hanging around?  

This is the enigma that lies at the heart of wine expert Olly Smith's first novel. Intertwined with the mystery is a cast of eccentric characters, a guided tour of the town of Lewes and an awful lot about wine all well wrapped in a highly idiosyncratic style. There are also numerous digressions into how best to preserve the countryside and save the planet, and even a smidgen of romance. Oh, and music. And fireworks. And jigsaws. 

Barclay himself is what might be termed a bit of a character. A glass of wine sits permanently at his elbow, and he's also a fan of a decent pint of beer, preferably brewed in the local brewery. When he describes wine, he becomes the master of the tortured metaphor. His assistant Pearl is far more down to earth, and intent on raising the town's consciousness about climate change through a series of disruptive stunts including a mass yoga session in the middle of the street. Teddy, the wine shop's delivery driver is passionate about rare moths. He also adores Pearl, and is reduced to a clumsy, tongue-tied wreck in her presence. Minty, Barclay's Antiguan neighbour, wants to mother everyone and teach them to dance. 

The police are almost incidental. DI Nuria Alpert is focused and crisply efficient, but DC Oscar Keane takes more of an interest in his surroundings, especially the wine shop. They do manage to be in at the kill, so to speak, but more by accident than design. 

And that's just the good guys. The dead man's son Harold seems to have it in for everyone, especially his sister Tabitha and Barclay, and his ex-army oppo is positively menacing. The arch-baddie (or is he?) is the Crawshaws' neighbour Maurice le Brocq, who wants to turn the vineyard into an extension of his pheasant-shooting enterprise. 

By the end of the book I felt I knew Lewes as intimately as Olly Smith clearly does, especially the highly elaborate annual celebrations of Bonfire Night. I'd also learned far more than is strictly safe about wine. So, was Barclay right to be uneasy about his friend's death? You'll have to read the book to find that out!
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Reviewer: Lynne Patrick

Olly Smith is an award-winning wine expert, TV personality, author and podcast host. His exceptional blend of passion, enthusiasm and knowledge, as well as his unique turn of phrase, have made him one of the UKs best loved figures in the world of food and drink. He has written two books. Death by Noir published 2026 and The Blood Wine to be published in 2027.

Lynne Patrick has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen, and has enjoyed success with short stories, reviews and feature journalism, but never, alas, with a novel. She crossed to the dark side to become a publisher for a few years and is proud to have launched several careers which are now burgeoning. She lives in Oxfordshire in a house groaning with books, about half of them crime fiction.