A novel

New Zealand author. Hidden away in a witness protection programme on an idyllic island vineyard in New Zealand, Vinnie Whitney-Ross could be forgiven for thinking he has escaped the clutches of the childhood friend -- a ruthless London mobster -- he helped convict for a gruesome double murder. But old grudges die hard, cops are bent, and the finest wines and chocolates find new and unexpected uses when Vinnie's present runs headlong into his secret past. From the mean streets of the East End to the sparkling waters of Auckland, this tale of switched identities, vengeful obsession and lethal ingenuity is as addictive as chocolate, with more twists than a corkscrew

A blackly comic murder mystery involving very expensive wine and an overdose of chilli chocolate. Loyalty, betrayal, murder ...and merlot. Hidden away in a witness protection programme on an idyllic island vineyard in New Zealand, Vinnie Whitney-Ross could be forgiven for thinking he has escaped the clutches of the childhood friend - a ruthless London mobster - he helped convict for a gruesome double murder. But old grudges die hard, cops are bent, and the finest wines and chocolates find new and unexpected uses when Vinnie's present runs headlong into his secret past. From the mean streets of the East End to the sparkling waters of Auckland, this tale of switched identities, vengeful obsession and lethal ingenuity is as addictive as chocolate, with more twists than a corkscrew

"Two little boys start out as friends but their lives take two different paths. One becomes all he wants to be and is 'saved' by marrying a woman with the strength to keep him on the right side of the law and he has something to live for. The other is a boy who is given no choice about his life and the person he will become and the things he will do. When they meet again the contrast is stark. Blood, Wine and Chocolate is a blackly comic murder mystery involving very expensive wine and an overdose of chilli chocolate"--Publisher's information