SOURCE: A review of Expensive Habits, in The Times Literary Supplement, No. 4627, December 6, 1991, p. 28.

An English novelist and journalist who worked for English and Scottish newspapers for nearly thirty years, Turner is noted for his humorous studies of British social history. Below, he provides a negative review of Expensive Habits.

The second Duke of Westminster ("Bendor") once summoned his yacht from Scandinavian waters to the Mediterranean to ferry his guests from Cannes to a tennis tournament at Monte Carlo, then instructed the skipper to sail for Sutherland and await orders. The tale comes to mind on reading Peter Mayle's account [in Expensive Habits] of his restaurant "crawl" by a rich guest's helicopter in the Midi; enjoyable, but "a hell of a way to go to lunch". Described as "essential reading for the vicarious millionaire", this book is a salivate-with-me guide to the world of caviar, foie gras, truffles...