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I cannot believe that I first reviewed one of Peter Stafford-Bow\u2019s books <\/a>eight years ago, and now, here we are on number five: Black Odesa<\/em>. The latest instalment of the Felix Hart series has all the elements I\u2019ve come to know very well. Felix is a trained wine snob and bon vivant. At the start of this adventure, we find him where we left him \u2013 working as a supermarket wine buyer, enjoying a life of luxury and serving as a member of the elite Minstrels of Wine organisation (which is definitely nothing like the Masters of Wine qualification I am sure.)<\/p>\n And, as usual, partly through his own greed (in all things) and partly through a voluminous dose of bad luck, Felix finds himself in a series of scrapes that see him, amongst other things, wend his way to Crimea, whilst wanted by the Metropolitan Police, in search of a legendary wine called Black Odesa. There is quite a bit more to it than that. But I literally cannot tell you anything more without entirely spoiling the fun.<\/p>\n And it is fun. Stafford-Bow\u2019s writing is hugely entertaining and his narratives are gripping. Once you get started it\u2019s very hard to put this book down. I\u2019ve noticed that as the Felix Hart series goes on the wine geek element is getting less dominant, but perhaps that makes it more appealing to a broader audience. Instead, Felix\u2019s odysseys have developed a fascinating hyper-contemporary resonance that is quite remarkable. This book has several themes which are entirely of today \u2013 including the role of social media wine influencers and Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. In previous volumes, there were hints of life in the newly post-lockdown world which were entirely on the nose for that moment in time, for example.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t help but think that this utter relevance to now will not stand in the way of Peter\u2019s work ageing beautifully. I\u2019ll let you put your own fine wine analogy in there. For those of us who live these global events with him, they will hold a sense of nostalgia in years to come. For younger readers coming through the ranks, they will give a fascinating glimpse into what these considerable upheavals were like to experience \u2013 but through the medium of the most bizarre and unlikely plot twists.<\/p>\n Much of Black Odesa, like the previous books, makes your toes curl. How can things continue to go so wrong for Felix Hart? And how can he possibly navigate his way through the latest episode without dying [of hunger\/of shame\/in a foreign jail]? It feels like you must cover your eyes with your hand so that you don\u2019t have to be sucked along on the tide of the next catastrophe, but you peep through your fingers\u2026 Just one more chapter\u2026 all the same.<\/p>\n Perhaps more surprisingly, you think: why do I care what happens to Felix? Perhaps it sounds a little like Felix is a lovable rogue, but I\u2019ll be honest, he\u2019s awful. He\u2019s narcissistic, greedy, spoiled, and almost utterly without empathy. Yet still you find yourself on his side, willing him through because at least 10% of the unspeakable things that happen to him probably aren\u2019t really his fault. When the odds are entirely against him, your respect is renewed as he finds another unimaginable way to creatively avoid oblivion.<\/p>\n Black Odesa is a masterclass in the art of the page-turner. There are no depths that Stafford-Bow<\/a> will not plumb to torture his raconteur protagonist, Felix Hart. And you will enjoy every moment of it.<\/p>\n A free copy of Black Odesa was sent to me for the purpose of review, but I can assure you that I\u2019ve managed to form an opinion of the book quite of my own volition regardless.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe charm of Black Odesa<\/h2>\n
The exquisite agony of Felix Hart<\/h2>\n