Root Cause

Steven Laine

Description

Email marketing to Turner Publishing subscribers, trade, and influencers.

Marketing on Turner Publishing website.

Social media marketing through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Press releases to media, trade, and influencers.

DRC offered on Edelweiss. ARC distribution to trade, influencers, and author contacts.

Pre-Publication excerpt distribution.

Feature in Turner Publishing #FreeBookFriday Giveaway.

Can you imagine a world without wine?

Corvina Guerra is a flying winemaker who dreams of one day settling down in her native Italy on her family’s vineyard. On a visit to a vineyard in Italy, Corvina makes a startling discovery: Phylloxera, a menacing plant louse that devastated vineyards in Europe more than a hundred years ago, has infested the vines.

The deeper Corvina and Brian search, the more they become convinced that Universal Wines holds the answer to everything, and the harder they pursue their investigation the more surprises pile up for both of them.

In spite of devastating consequences, Corvina and Brian vow to continue their investigation and do what they can to contain the spread of the infestation – but time is running short and they always seem to be a step behind. Unless they can find a way to stop the Philomena – vineyards around the world will be ruined for decades; potentially causing the collapse of the wine industry. Can Corvina and Brian get to the root cause and save the international wine industry from ruin?

Sujets

• Policier & Thriller
• Thriller
• International Mystery
• International Crime
• Dactylosphaera vitifoliae
• Phylloxera
• Detective
• Italy
• My Last Duchess
• Mystery
• Novel
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 19 février 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781684422616
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

ROOT CAUSE
ROOT CAUSE
A Novel
STEVEN LAINE
TURNER PUBLISHING COMPANY
Turner Publishing Company
Nashville, Tennessee
www.turnerpublishing.com
Root Cause
Copyright 2018 Steven Laine. All rights reserved.
This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Cover design: Maddie Cothren
Book design: Tim Holtz
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Laine, Steven, 1975- author.
Title: Root cause / by Steven Laine.
Description: Nashville, TN : Turner Publishing Company, 2019 | Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018022449 (print) | LCCN 2018030506 (ebook) | ISBN 9781684422616 (ebook) | ISBN 9781684422593 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781684422609 (hard cover)
Subjects: | GSAFD: Suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PR9199.4.L3385 (ebook) | LCC PR9199.4.L3385 R66 2019 (print) | DDC 813/.6--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018022449
9781684422593 Paperback
9781684422609 Hardcover
9781684422616 eBook
Printed in the United States of America
17 18 19 20 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Sparkling like Champagne and bold like Corvina; Big thanks to my sister Tor, you re A-Okay.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER 1
TUSCANY, ITALY
Worst winery in Italy: Visited here for the first time but will never go back. Only thing worse than the wine was the winemaker, who was rude and unhelpful. Would not recommend this place to anyone!
Bad winery, worse wine: We visited Donatelli Winery over the weekend. We almost drove right by but decided to stop in. I wish we hadn t. The grounds were unkempt, the buildings dilapidated, and the winery is poorly set up for visitors. Chairs anyone? Since we were already there, my husband and I decided to at least try the wines. No surprise that they tasted terrible. We ended up pouring them straight into the spittoon. The water was the only thing worth drinking. Give this one a miss.
Beautiful view, but not much else: Go here for the beautiful view of the Italian countryside, but don t linger. The grounds, wine, and winemaker are enough to put you off wine forever.
Not impressed!: The employee who took care of us looked like he hated his life and his job. The service was terrible, and the wines just as bad. We later found out the employee was actually the winemaker. If he doesn t care about this establishment, why should we? With so many great wines to taste in Italy and so many beautiful wineries to visit in this area, why would anyone go here?
Corvina Guerra set her espresso down and shook her head in disbelief. She read one terrible review of the winery and its wines after another. There were over four hundred online reviews, all of them unfavorable. And those were just the ones written in English. The Spanish and Italian reviews she read were just as damning and even more colorful. She cringed each time she read of another disappointed reviewer s experience. It wasn t hard for her to guess what was wrong with the winery and its wines, but the online reviews told her only one side of the story.
Taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi in the caf she had stopped at en route to Donatelli Winery, she finished reading the last of the reviews on her iPad and paid for her coffee.
A ten-minute drive in her rental car along narrow country lanes brought her to the winery of ill repute. Tall, conical trees cast late morning shadows along the route. She pulled in, unsure of what to expect. A quaint Italian villa and a kindly old man were not what she anticipated. The winery owner, Marco Donatelli, was waiting and opened the car door for her. She looked up into a weathered but warm face, etched with wrinkles and a smile that was welcoming and sad at the same time. Thick white hair trimmed short accentuated his receding hairline. He wore faded blue jeans and a beige collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing tanned forearms. She pegged his age as about the same as her father, who had recently turned sixty.
Prego, Signor Donatelli , she said after stepping out of the car. I m Corvina-we spoke on the phone. She shook his hand and felt the same rough skin she had felt on winemakers hands around the world. Years of farming and physical toil left a mark. She loosened her scarf-a bright, floral-print silk she had picked up on her last visit to Paris-and took in her surroundings.
Corvina, thank you for coming. Please, call me Marco. Your father and I have known each other since we were boys. I m sorry it has taken us this long to meet and under such circumstances, the winery owner said. He seemed to struggle with the last few words.
Her father had called her out of the blue and asked if she could drop by his friend s winery because he was having quality issues. Despite her hectic schedule as a flying winemaker and the fact that she normally didn t consult out of the purview of her employer, Universal Wines, she was between consultations, so she d reluctantly agreed.
She followed Marco toward a rustic two-story home. He offered her a seat on a dark-green wrought iron bench. Layers of paint were evident in areas where it was flaking off. The view from the bench was stunning; she looked out onto a sun-drenched vineyard stretching off into the horizon. The obvious lack of pruning among the vines detracted from the view and further signaled to her that all was not right at the winery.
I read some of the online reviews of your wines and winery. They are not kind, Corvina said.
That s an understatement, Marco said, and joined her on the bench. Damn social media. Unfortunately, the problems persist. Despite the best efforts from my winemaker, the reviews haven t improved and my sales continue to plummet.
Corvina held back from commenting that the winemaker seemed to be the cause of the problems; he was, therefore, unlikely to contribute a solution .
Well, I d like to start with touring your facilities. Afterward, we can taste the wines themselves. She glanced over at the winery, eager to begin.
S , s , of course, Marco said, and looked at his watch.
Is now still a good time? Corvina asked. It was just past ten in the morning.
I told Guido to meet us here so we could see the winery together.
Guido?
My star winemaker, Marco said. The emphasis on star led Corvina to believe Marco was not oblivious to the impact his winemaker was having on the winery.
Forgive me for saying so, but your star winemaker doesn t seem to be popular with your visitors.
He s been with us for only three years. He tells me it takes time to make great wines and soon my winery s fortunes will turn around-especially with your help. I think you two will make a good team.
Team? What on earth had her father told him? Before Corvina could react to Marco s statement, a car approached and parked behind Corvina s. A lanky man wearing faded jeans and a plaid collared shirt joined them on the porch. A lit cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth. His face was narrow with angular features, and his pointed chin was darkly tanned and unshaven.
Corvina and Marco both stood up.
Guido, this is Corvina. She is the flying winemaker I was telling you about, Marco said.
Ciao , Corvina said. She held out her hand to greet the winemaker.
Well, you re here. Let s get this over with, Guido said. He shook Corvina s extended hand lightly without looking her in the eye. He turned toward the main building of the winery, took another drag of his cigarette, and then dropped it in the gravel.
Corvina glared at Marco, who smiled weakly in return and then turned and followed his winemaker. Watching the men walk away, she had half a mind to return to her car and fly back to Barcelona.
Guido led her and Marco into the winery. Corvina was shocked by the state of the equipment.
Is this where you make your wine? she asked, incredulous. She took in everything the bare, flickering incandescent tube lights struggled to illuminate and marveled at the state of the facilities.
No, it s where my grandmother makes her preserves, Guido said. Haven t you seen a winery before? I thought you were a winemaker. Don t you recognize wine-making equipment when you see it?
This place is filthy. At a glance I can tell you have no hygiene controls in place, and the equipment is ancient. I wouldn t even let my nonna in here, never mind to make wine or preserves, Corvina said. She was used to dealing with defensive winemakers.
What do you know? Guido asked.
I know your oak barrels are overused. She pointed to a row of barrels. How many times do you use them before replacing them?
At least five. I do retoast them each time. I m not a complete idiot.
I don t doubt it. So why do you think you re getting such poor reviews on your wines? Corvina asked. She peered into an empty barrel.
Most of those reviews