Rainbow Vintner

In this international political thriller, Morgan Kenworthy, a Berkeley student studying abroad, uncovers a coup against the government of France. She is a guest of plant the de Carduzacs, family friends who have a chateau near St. Émilion in France. Soon after she arrives in Bordeaux, a bombing at the Brassault Aviation plant kills several ministers. The investigation, led by General Tolbert, the head of French intelligence and friend of Joseph de Carduzac, points to jihadists. However, clues Morgan unearths about Joseph’s past suggest that he and Tolbert may have been the ones who blew up the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in 1985 and committed other nefarious acts while serving President Mitterand.

Morgan overhears discussions in Joseph’s study about the bombing and other plans. After another explosion, killing most of the cabinet, Tolbert announces that he is in charge. As Tolbert suspects she knows about his past, Alex, Joseph’s stepson and Morgan’s lover, helps her get away. The Justice Minister, Zaida Bensoussan, challenges Tolbert’s assumption of power, and Alex lets her know that Morgan may have relevant information. Morgan is brought back to Paris, and she tells Zaida all she knows. Bensoussan has asked France’s Constitutional Council to rule on the coup, and as she leaves her residence—where Morgan has sought shelter—to announce the ruling, Morgan sees Tolbert’s men kidnap her. Morgan makes her way to the US Embassy where she tells officials all.

Returning to Bordeaux, Alex and Morgan learn that the Council ruled Tolbert’s act illegal and that he is being sought for questioning. At the chateau, as Morgan tells the family that Tolbert is being sought, Joseph rushes off. Alex leaves soon after. The next day, Madame de Carduzac, worried because her husband did not come home, asks them to go look for him, while she calls the police. They find the General dead in his study and Joseph nowhere. Joseph is suspected of murdering his co-conspirator and this seems to be confirmed when his pistol is missing. But Alex tells Morgan that it was he who shot Tolbert, to revenge the murder of his real father and sister, and that he told his stepfather to leave France. Zaida is released and heads up a new government; a cabinet meeting is rocked by an explosion that destroys the Louvre. With rising violence, Zaida tries to enforce security, but is concerned about safeguarding freedoms. The Acting President asks her to resign, and appoints Valentin Fromont, her Defense Minister, to head up a government and impose martial law.

Alex and Morgan marry and honeymoon in New Zealand. They visit the Rainbow Warrior memorial, where Joseph appears; Alex has tracked his stepfather down to where he now takes tourists on dives to see the Greenpeace wreck. He claims he had nothing to do with the bombings―that it was Tolbert and Fromont who were behind them and the coup d’état, as well as the deaths of Claire and Alex’s real father. As penance for his role in the Rainbow Warrior bombing, Joseph has become a ‘Warrior of the Rainbow’ and is devoting his life to helping create a new world order of love and harmony.

This discussion guide was created and shared by the author, Geza Tatrallyay.

Book club questions for Rainbow Vintner by Geza Tatrallyay

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

In Europe, as elsewhere in the world, jihadists / Islamic terrorists can be the source of instability, but increasingly, so can a far-right extremist movement. Both these factions are a reality in France, and the author uses these to create the plot of this thriller. In your view, how likely is it that either one or the other, or indeed both, could be the agents of the bombings? The one at the Brassault works, the one at the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) and the one at the Louvre?

Alex at first appears surprised by, and in denial of the fact that his stepfather was involved with Tolbert in some of the nefarious activities that Morgan accuses him of, and it is he who tells Joseph to leave France. But later he tracks him down, and seeing that he has changed his ways, takes Morgan to see him. What do you think of Joseph’s progress through the novel, his seeming atonement for his activities and the reconciliation with his stepson?

While clearly there are no facts to support this, is it realistic within the context of the plot for the author to suggest that Tolbert and Joseph may have been the French agents who blew up the Rainbow Warrior and were involved in the death of Prime Minister Pierre Bérégovoy?

Do you think the coup attempt by General Tolbert is realistic? And what is your view of the ruling of the Constitutional Court? Could such a ruling really end a coup attempt?

How did you feel about the ending in Rainbow Vintner? Is it realistic? Is it satisfying?

Is there any one event, or maybe two, in the book that stands out?

Would this be a good movie or TV series? Who would you cast as the main characters (Morgan, Alex, Claire, Joseph, Tolbert)?

Rainbow Vintner Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Rainbow Vintner discussion questions

“Move over Frederick Forsythe! Morgan Kenworthy, an intrepid Berkeley exchange student studying abroad in France, visits with family friends who are wealthy vintners in Bordeaux. But alarm bells ring when she stumbles upon something strange in a shed on the family’s estate. Shortly thereafter, bodies begin to pile up, those of acquaintances she’s met through the family and perhaps more stunning, those of ministers in the French government. Tatrallyay’s novel is a political thriller that takes you to Bordeaux, Paris, Spain, and New Zealand, treating you to sumptuous meals complemented by the country’s celebrated wines. But you will also accompany Morgan to the private underground prison of the mastermind who dares to overthrow the French government. Dare to hold on as the author methodically develops a plot that will keep you rapt to the very end and leave you wondering at the factions that vie for control of our own world today.” -Anonymous, Amazon

“5.0 out of 5 stars Vigilante espionage and a surprising ending that I didn’t see coming.

In Geza Tatrallyay’s, Rainbow Vintner, political intrigue and terrorism aren’t the only plot driven aspects of the book … I was surprised by the depth of the characters in this international thriller and pleasantly intrigued by such details of upper class living. The descriptions of food, wine and ambiance was delectable. The author had an artful way of divulging information for the reader through dialogue, so you felt like you were a part of the conversation. With issues that parallel our own daily news, readers will find themselves dissecting the political subject and categorizing their own passions for moral resolution. Vigilante espionage and a surprising ending that I didn’t see coming.” -Zari Reede, Author of Sins of the Sister and Daisy Dukes ‘n Cowboy Boots

“Highly recommended. Morgan is a UC-Berkeley student spending her junior year in France where fine wine and scrumptious food are a daily experience. (As an aside, I really enjoyed the descriptions of French dining.) Life is certainly great and interesting and her love life begins to look up. Her only problem is her keen mind and suspicious nature. Little things occur which soon mushroom into a full blown conspiracy theory against some of France’s most prominent citizens. The terrorist bombings are not what they seem, not to Morgan anyway, but who to talk to, and how to convince them lest the republic fall prey to a right wing coup d'etat. Mr. Tatrallyay has woven here an interesting tail of intrigue, a mixture of mystery and thriller that revolves inexorably around the fineries of French dining and national landmarks. Morgan is a very likable protagonist – beautiful enough to turn French heads and smart enough to give them headaches." -Soul, Amazon

“… One thing you can always count on with author, Geza Tatrallyay is that his stories are well researched. In Rainbow Vintner his in-depth knowledge of various jihadist groups, France, its police and intelligence procedures, its former colonies, its politics as well as the historical incidents mentioned above all unite to make an otherwise quite incredible story seem realistic. In the first five chapters, Tatrallyay lures the reader into a false sense of security as he benignly explores each character in the dramatis personae. Then, just as you settle into a quiet, relaxing read there’s a change of pace so dramatic, it rattles the pages and spills your coffee onto the floor: a catastrophic explosion, the assassination of a prominent figure then it’s off to the races. From there on, the book is a page turner with sufficient intrigue to keep you guessing how it is all going to end. All of this in a package so well edited I didn’t notice one error. It would be a crime if Rainbow Vintner doesn’t become a bestseller.” -Daryll Greer