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Firing Blancs
"Fast Moving and funny" - Tim Lott
Felix Hart, Head of Wine at Gatesave Supermarkets, is in a highly problematic spot. Choking his CEO to death during a boardroom presentation, through virtually no fault of his own, was embarrassing enough. But evidence that Gatesave’s biggest South African wine supplier is brutalising its workers threatens a far greater scandal. Felix is ordered to Cape Town to suppress the bad publicity, only to find himself stranded, penniless, at a morally suspect township guesthouse.
Persecuted by his bosses, blackmailed by his suppliers, and terrorised by politicians, policemen and other criminals, Felix is forced to go deep undercover and fling himself on the mercy of his township hosts. But the forces ranged against Felix and his new allies are as powerful as they are ruthless, and Felix soon realises that he is very much expendable.
“In a world of half-baked identity politics, blinkered western privilege and corporate woke-washing, Felix Hart is the white saviour we most need, and Firing Blancs the novel we most deserve.”
Dr. Jemima Pickelkopf, The New Intersectional Review
“Problematic, quite possibly. Counter-cultural, almost certainly. Hilarious, indisputably.”
Santiago Tormentas, The East Acton Herald
“Uncork a bottle, self-isolate and prepare to be amused.”
Brett Applesaft, The Cellar Badger
Felix Hart, Head of Wine at Gatesave Supermarkets, is in a highly problematic spot. Choking his CEO to death during a boardroom presentation, through virtually no fault of his own, was embarrassing enough. But evidence that Gatesave’s biggest South African wine supplier is brutalising its workers threatens a far greater scandal. Felix is ordered to Cape Town to suppress the bad publicity, only to find himself stranded, penniless, at a morally suspect township guesthouse.
Persecuted by his bosses, blackmailed by his suppliers, and terrorised by politicians, policemen and other criminals, Felix is forced to go deep undercover and fling himself on the mercy of his township hosts. But the forces ranged against Felix and his new allies are as powerful as they are ruthless, and Felix soon realises that he is very much expendable.
“In a world of half-baked identity politics, blinkered western privilege and corporate woke-washing, Felix Hart is the white saviour we most need, and Firing Blancs the novel we most deserve.”
Dr. Jemima Pickelkopf, The New Intersectional Review
“Problematic, quite possibly. Counter-cultural, almost certainly. Hilarious, indisputably.”
Santiago Tormentas, The East Acton Herald
“Uncork a bottle, self-isolate and prepare to be amused.”
Brett Applesaft, The Cellar Badger
350 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2020
4 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Peter Stafford-Bow
4 books20 followersPeter Stafford-Bow is a novelist and wine consultant, based in London. He is best known for his series of award-winning satires set in the world of wine and big business, featuring Felix Hart, a cheerfully amoral drinks executive. Stafford-Bow is a noted public speaker, wine educator and a regular on the literary festival circuit.
A self-taught imbiber, Stafford-Bow dropped out of university to pursue a career in alcohol. After several years working for a chain of wine merchants, he became a supermarket buyer, a role which sent him to every major wine-producing country in the world. After periods working in Asia and Africa, Stafford-Bow returned to the UK to pursue a literary career.
Stafford-Bow's debut novel, Corkscrew: the highly improbable, but occasionally true, tale of a professional wine buyer, is a picaresque, satirical tale drawing on the author's early years working as an international wine buyer for some of the world’s largest retailers. Corkscrew is a People's Book Prize finalist.
The sequel, Brut Force, released in 2018, is a thriller that finds Felix Hart caught between a blackmailing luxury goods corporation and a gang of organic wine fanatics. The third novel, Firing Blancs, was released in 2020, while his latest, Eastern Promise, was published in 2023.
Stafford-Bow's favourite authors include John le Carré, Hilary Mantel and George MacDonald Fraser. He lives in London with a wealthy heiress, a large wine collection and his pet ferrets, Brett and Corky.
A self-taught imbiber, Stafford-Bow dropped out of university to pursue a career in alcohol. After several years working for a chain of wine merchants, he became a supermarket buyer, a role which sent him to every major wine-producing country in the world. After periods working in Asia and Africa, Stafford-Bow returned to the UK to pursue a literary career.
Stafford-Bow's debut novel, Corkscrew: the highly improbable, but occasionally true, tale of a professional wine buyer, is a picaresque, satirical tale drawing on the author's early years working as an international wine buyer for some of the world’s largest retailers. Corkscrew is a People's Book Prize finalist.
The sequel, Brut Force, released in 2018, is a thriller that finds Felix Hart caught between a blackmailing luxury goods corporation and a gang of organic wine fanatics. The third novel, Firing Blancs, was released in 2020, while his latest, Eastern Promise, was published in 2023.
Stafford-Bow's favourite authors include John le Carré, Hilary Mantel and George MacDonald Fraser. He lives in London with a wealthy heiress, a large wine collection and his pet ferrets, Brett and Corky.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 14, 2021
Manoeuver
The exploits of wine aficionado Felix Hart continue in his latest satirical novel of the wine industry. Firing Blancs, is a colourful adventure where uncompromising situations seem to follow Felix and humour drips off every page. Felix Hart is the head wine buyer for Gatesave Supermarkets and sources wines from around the world, a job that has brought him a lot of success, perks and pleasure.
Under new management, Gatesave’s new tyrannical CEO has Felix focused on reducing the price of a South African wine and ensuring the vineyard operates under ethical and fair employee conditions. The reality could not be more remote, and the owner of Blanchkopf Wine Growers is a harsh, intractable and unethical man that basically runs a modern slavery business. Leaked reports suggest Blanchkopf has serious employee treatment issues and an NGO has its sights set on undertaking an audit and exposing the illegal practices. This would be devastating for Gatesave’s reputation and will surely cost Felix his job.
In an exaggerated plot, Felix travels to South Africa and must use his shrewd manipulative style to find a solution. The story brings Felix into the townships and interactions with strange hotel owners, activists, criminals, police, political players, vineyard owners, community leaders, business leaders, NGOs, charities and government officials. With a large amount of philanthropic funding from Gatesave, everyone has their sights set on it and trying to track it down when it goes missing is a fascinating part of the story. The manoeuvring Felix has to undertake is exciting and dangerous, and wonderfully brought to life by Peter Stafford-Bow.
The reason I feel this book is better than the others is that the balance of humour and plot is more delicately placed. There are moments when humour is set aside to provide a deeper consideration of people and their relationships. The main plot of the book is solid, with intrigue in how events and obstacles can be navigated. The location is vividly portrayed and provides an authentic feel to the backdrop.
Great outrageous storytelling and simply a joy to read. I would like to thank Peter Stafford-Bow for providing me with a free copy of his book in return for an honest review.
The exploits of wine aficionado Felix Hart continue in his latest satirical novel of the wine industry. Firing Blancs, is a colourful adventure where uncompromising situations seem to follow Felix and humour drips off every page. Felix Hart is the head wine buyer for Gatesave Supermarkets and sources wines from around the world, a job that has brought him a lot of success, perks and pleasure.
Under new management, Gatesave’s new tyrannical CEO has Felix focused on reducing the price of a South African wine and ensuring the vineyard operates under ethical and fair employee conditions. The reality could not be more remote, and the owner of Blanchkopf Wine Growers is a harsh, intractable and unethical man that basically runs a modern slavery business. Leaked reports suggest Blanchkopf has serious employee treatment issues and an NGO has its sights set on undertaking an audit and exposing the illegal practices. This would be devastating for Gatesave’s reputation and will surely cost Felix his job.
In an exaggerated plot, Felix travels to South Africa and must use his shrewd manipulative style to find a solution. The story brings Felix into the townships and interactions with strange hotel owners, activists, criminals, police, political players, vineyard owners, community leaders, business leaders, NGOs, charities and government officials. With a large amount of philanthropic funding from Gatesave, everyone has their sights set on it and trying to track it down when it goes missing is a fascinating part of the story. The manoeuvring Felix has to undertake is exciting and dangerous, and wonderfully brought to life by Peter Stafford-Bow.
The reason I feel this book is better than the others is that the balance of humour and plot is more delicately placed. There are moments when humour is set aside to provide a deeper consideration of people and their relationships. The main plot of the book is solid, with intrigue in how events and obstacles can be navigated. The location is vividly portrayed and provides an authentic feel to the backdrop.
Great outrageous storytelling and simply a joy to read. I would like to thank Peter Stafford-Bow for providing me with a free copy of his book in return for an honest review.
July 15, 2020
I have just read Firing Blancs, Peter Stafford-Bow’s third book in the Felix Hart series. This time set in South Africa, it’s a pacey, riotous satire on the wine business, a literary equivalent of Gerald Scarfe’s cartoons.
Stafford-Bow is a pseudonym, the real-life author a man of considerable experience and knowledge of his prey. You don’t need to know or care about wine, or the business of making, supplying, marketing or retailing it, to laugh out loud at the absurd awfulness of the characters and their actions, but if you happen to be an insider you will wince knowingly at the exaggerated truths.
Like all good satire, it ridicules to the point of embarrassment.
Felix, a supermarket wine buyer is a lovable cad, his main Afrikaner wine producer an Apartheid era relic, the black South African wine brand owner a sham, the lampooned Fair Trade people pathetically gullible, and the senior management of his employer Gatesave quite simply heinous. The owner and staff of the township “hotel” are lovable rogues.
Like its predecessors in the series, this should be required reading for anyone contemplating a career in the wine trade. For those of a saner disposition, it’s a right laugh.
Stafford-Bow is a pseudonym, the real-life author a man of considerable experience and knowledge of his prey. You don’t need to know or care about wine, or the business of making, supplying, marketing or retailing it, to laugh out loud at the absurd awfulness of the characters and their actions, but if you happen to be an insider you will wince knowingly at the exaggerated truths.
Like all good satire, it ridicules to the point of embarrassment.
Felix, a supermarket wine buyer is a lovable cad, his main Afrikaner wine producer an Apartheid era relic, the black South African wine brand owner a sham, the lampooned Fair Trade people pathetically gullible, and the senior management of his employer Gatesave quite simply heinous. The owner and staff of the township “hotel” are lovable rogues.
Like its predecessors in the series, this should be required reading for anyone contemplating a career in the wine trade. For those of a saner disposition, it’s a right laugh.
August 22, 2020
Felix’s forceful and wrong way of administering the Heimlich maneuver didn’t kill his boss, but it surely didn’t help him either. When their company came under new management, the outlook was looking bleak. Somehow they had found themselves tied up in an ethical situation. For the survival of the company, management needed to do some damage control fast. All eyes were on Felix, for he was the root cause of the unethical position they now find themselves in. Felix knew some of his dealings with their South African wine clientele, wasn’t aboveboard, hence him being the one chosen to go and rectify the situation. What he met on his arrival was not what he expected at all. He found himself hoodwinked, outwitted even digestive tortured was administered. With a trail of deception, blackmail, betrayal, and a whole lot of shady and underhand dealings, Felix now finds himself way over his head. I enjoyed reading this book, it was hilarious, exhilarating, and very entertaining.
August 10, 2021
The third book in the Felix Hart series and definitely my favourite. This book is set in South Africa and is very accurate when it comes to South African wine. I am pretty sure that Hemelhuis is based on Delaire Graaf in Stellenbosch
As usual lots of very funny storylines. And if you want to know what a Smiley is, read the book. Having been to South Africa many times, I knew what it was but thankfully I’ve never eaten it
If you are a lover of wine and like a fun fiction book, then I think you would enjoy this
As usual lots of very funny storylines. And if you want to know what a Smiley is, read the book. Having been to South Africa many times, I knew what it was but thankfully I’ve never eaten it
If you are a lover of wine and like a fun fiction book, then I think you would enjoy this
June 5, 2020
The third instalment, and another ripping yarn about our hero Felix. This time out he's in South Africa for his escapades, and naturally nothing goes smoothly. Hilarious events take place, and each time the roses come up smiling for our boy. If you haven't caught these books, I thoroughly recommend you seek them out, the books all follow on, and if you don't smile on each page, you are missing something.
August 13, 2020
The continuing adventures of Felix Hart, the intrepid wine buyer and wine minstrel of the Felix Hart novels. In this third installment of the series he returns to the winelands and townships of South Africa. Chocked full of humorous episodes highlighted by Peter Stafford-Bow’s witty prose, this installment is a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the series. Recommend as a quick, humorous read. Particularly if you’re seriously into wine and need to laugh a little.
August 8, 2020
A super fun adventure read
Fast packed, easy to read. Fun, saucy, down to earth and adventurous!
All the books in this series are worth reading and a fun departure from the normal routine of life.
Fast packed, easy to read. Fun, saucy, down to earth and adventurous!
All the books in this series are worth reading and a fun departure from the normal routine of life.
January 6, 2023
A fun, but caustic journey into the chaos of the wine industry. Mr. Stafford is a humorous writer and keeps you engaged. At times you are routing for the main character and other times thinking, "Shame on you!" A fun, fast read.
June 2, 2020
A great book, the best in the series so far.
May 31, 2020
The best of the three books so far.
July 4, 2023
Another good romp through the trial of Felix - fast paced and witty.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews