Wine critic Jason Roberts wakes with a horrendous hangover -- and the mutilated body of a young woman lying next to him. So begins The Pellegrino Deception, a rapid-fire suspense novel that will appeal to readers who enjoy intricate plots and intense action. When Jason flees, he finds himself in possession of a computer disk implicating a prominent liquor distributor in tax fraud. Squeezed between a corrupt federal agent determined to frame him for murder and Charles Pellegrino, head of a powerful wine distribution empire, Jason must avoid the police and prove the case against Pellegrino before he is killed. Sarah Nichols, the dead girl's best friend, is swept up in the chase and the body count climbs as they race from the moneyed estates of Beverly Hills through the slums of south Los Angeles to the dazzling glitter of Las Vegas. Together they battle the dark world of money and power behind liquor distribution while fighting the growing emotional bond between them.