Schultz’s OVER A GLASS OF WINE: Wine, Food, Love, Sex, Murder is an unconventional novel that moves from an amusingly satirical read to a dark psychodrama that tackles weighty issues. This shift is driven primarily by events swirling around one of the Winers: artist, de facto main protagonist, and forty-eight-year-old mystery writer Harry. He begins the novel as a seemingly dissolute, immature, aging playboy—albeit a charismatic one, whose wife has just left him. As the story unfolds, he develops credibly into a fascinating study of contrasts. Harry is full of depth and originality, reflecting the narrative’s occasionally unexpected developments.

OVER A GLASS OF WINE opens with a tasting evening, during which light, humorous repartee flies among the Winers and gives the reader a sense of the group. It’s a little intense yet intriguing, with the banter and bonhomie failing to conceal undercurrents of sexual tension and moral flexibility. Schultz writes with sparkling sophistication and self-assurance, sustaining the whip-smart dialogue and a jaunty pace in such moments as when a character learns of a butcher shop called Tender Loins: "Sounds like the name of a strip-joint." Meanwhile, the prose is imbued with comic energy and a touch of unfiltered candor throughout the novel. Take this passage from the Saint-Tropez chapter: "The venture into stark nakedness for the Winers and their spouses might have been the day’s main anticipated event, but the lunch of ‘fruits de mer,’ shellfish, crustaceans, and crabs at ‘Poisson Pierre’ provided its own diversion when one of the six legged ‘fruits’ decided to climb out of Eleanor’s bowl and march in the direction of the sea. Chased by her fork, its life was saved when Mark plucked it up and dropped it over the patio wall into the surf. It was enough for the three borderline vegans of the group, Penelope, Claire, and Harry, to abandon their bowls for Salade Nicoise."

But Schultz keeps the playful tone on a tight rein, ensuring that the plot does not entirely dissolve into farce during the heavier, more unpleasant moments. Overall, the Winers are an engaging (though not particularly likable) bunch, which is part of their charm and appeal. Fairly unencumbered by financial constraints, their business interests remain relatively nebulous, and Schultz depicts them with an enticing mix of parody and flattery. Nonetheless, one of them is genuinely nasty and possibly deserves greater accountability during their tenure at the tasting club.

While the Winers Club’s peccadilloes and quirks are foregrounded at first, it’s Claire (an elusive, somewhat uncanny woman Harry meets in his “Encounter Group") who ultimately becomes central to the novel. One of the most crucial chapters in this regard is set in Saint-Tropez. It’s a sublime piece of writing that blends decadent scenes of bacchanalia with an incident that proves pivotal for several of the characters. Claire is intentionally perplexing, even a touch frustrating at times. Schultz layers her with intrigue, toying with readers’ expectations of her. That goes for Harry’s expectations as well—placing him in the middle of his own mystery-thriller (an irony not lost on Harry or the reader).

The final disclosure still leaves a couple of unanswered questions. It’s a bold, authorial move, but—in the uniquely hedonistic spirit of the Winers Club—a convincing one.

Schultz serves up a deliciously irreverent slice of epicurean excess in OVER A GLASS OF WINE: Wine, Food, Love, Sex, Murder. Propelled by a diverse cast of characters and their provocative situations, this story is a highly addictive, entertaining, and unorthodox read.

~ Rose Auburn for IndieReader