BookDragon Books for the Diverse Reader

No oenophile am I, but I sure am addicted to this delicious new series. To catch up to this latest volume which hits shelves today, be sure to click here.

The elusive chase continues between faux-siblings, Shizuku Kanzaki and his just-recently-adopted brother Issei Tomine, to identify 13 wines: “The Twelve Apostles” plus the eponymous “Drops of God,” as stipulated in Shizuku’s father’s will. The winner will inherit internationally renowned wine critic and collector Yutaka Kanzaki’s vast estate, including his priceless wine collection.

As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Issei is already heir apparent with his unrivaled reputation. Shizuku, in spite of his lineage, is a virtual newbie to wines and yet he managed to identity the First Apostle. Now the Second Apostle, called the “Mona Lisa,” awaits discovery …

Issei’s search leads him to the remote Taklaman Desert in Uyghur, Central Asia to rediscover his “thirst for wine,” and just happens to meet a gorgeous hapa-Japanese local more than willing to be his guide. Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, Shizuku and his sidekick Miyabi Shinohara lift a former classmate of Miyabi’s from his own label-obsessed shallowness and rescue a mystery writer from criminal intent, which just might lead them toward enigmatic Apostle Two. With such meandering journeys, who will grab the winning bottle?

Mystery, adventure, travelogue, love story, wine primer and buying guide (yes, all the bottles are real), and even a lesson or two on how not to live your life, are all presented in such finely-detailed drawings (representations of Da Vinci and his Mona Lisa, for example, are downright spectacular) that they hardly seem containable on a flat page. Go ahead: smell that toothsome yakitori, look deep into smiling eyes, reach for that elusive bottle, taste that radiant vintage … indeed, this series is a full-sensory delight.

Readers: Adult

Published: 2012 (United States)