Can you imagine a world without wine?

Corvina Guerra is a flying winemaker who dreams of one day settling down in her native Italy on her family’s vineyard. On a visit to a vineyard in Italy, Corvina makes a startling discovery: Phylloxera, a menacing plant louse that devastated vineyards in Europe more than a hundred years ago, has infested the vines.

The deeper Corvina and Brian search, the more they become convinced that Universal Wines holds the answer to everything, and the harder they pursue their investigation the more surprises pile up for both of them.

In spite of devastating consequences, Corvina and Brian vow to continue their investigation and do what they can to contain the spread of the infestation – but time is running short and they always seem to be a step behind. Unless they can find a way to stop the Philomena – vineyards around the world will be ruined for decades; potentially causing the collapse of the wine industry. Can Corvina and Brian get to the root cause and save the international wine industry from ruin?

Steven Laine was raised in Ontario, Canada and has dual Canadian and British citizenship. He has travelled the world working in luxury hotels for international brands including The Ritz, Hilton, Starwood, Marriott, and Jumeirah. When he was Beverage Manager of a five star hotel in London, he learned all about wine and has since visited over one hundred vineyards and wineries in Napa, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Lebanon, and South Africa. As the only North American ever invited to be a Member of the Champagne Academy, he had the privilege to tour the major Champagne Houses in France. His circle of friends is made up of winemakers, Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, restaurant managers, and wine distributors from all over the globe. He is now working on his next novel.

Steven Laine's profile page

An entertaining, wine-soaked mystery." - Kirkus Reviews

"Root Cause is a pithy, pitch-perfect story... Having traveled toover one hundred vineyards and wineries, and after many years of working in the wine industry, it's safe to say that Laine knows his grapes. Root Cause is the perfect application of Laine's extensive knowledge of vineyards, and is, to boot, a thoroughly researched story that will both educate and entertain readers." -?????, Red City Review

"This cleverly titled novel is a very compelling mystery through and through with a twist that you'll never see coming. The plot is one complex enough to keep you on your toes yet easy enough not to oversaturate the reader, creating an exciting and page-turning story..." - The US Review

“(a) glamorous thriller” – Foreword Reviews

"Author Steven Laine takes several of wine’s villainous boogeymen... and spins an international conspiracy that threatens the viability of wine itself…If Michael Pollan and Dan Brown sat down over a bottle of Barolo and brainstormed a novel based on all the neuroses of the natural wine movement, they might have come up with something like Root Cause." – The Washington Post