Book Review: Peter Stafford-Bow – Eastern Promise

Simon reviews the latest in Peter Stafford-Bow's series of satirical novels. Does Eastern Promise deliver the goods?

It's been three years since I rhetorically posited "whether Felix Hart can sustain a fourth book is a moot point". I was writing about Peter Stafford-Bow's series of satirical wine-themed novels, having just devoured part three (Firing Blancs). When the newest instalment landed on my doormat a few weeks back (with a prominent endorsement on the cover from yours truly, no less) I realised the author had called me out.

Like its predecessors, Eastern Promise is a fast-paced, racy affair that will have you turning pages faster than the current UK government changes its policy narrative. This time, our hero is dispatched to Hong Kong to infiltrate a suspected wine fraud operation, cleverly providing Stafford-Bow with new cultural and thematic backdrops to send up. Much of the novel also plays out in London, with plenty of action set at Minstrel's Hall - surely one of the author's most brilliant creations.

Minstrel's Hall was one of several favourite elements that barely featured in the previ…