The first installment in the delightful, internationally acclaimed series featuring Chief of Police Bruno.Meet Benoît Courrèges, aka Bruno, a policeman in a small village in the South of France. He’s a former soldier who has embraced the pleasures and slow rhythms of country life. He has a gun but never wears it; he has the power to arrest but never uses it. But then the murder of an elderly … elderly North African who fought in the French army changes all that. Now Bruno must balance his beloved routines—living in his restored shepherd’s cottage, shopping at the local market, drinking wine, strolling the countryside—with a politically delicate investigation. He’s paired with a young policewoman from Paris and the two suspect anti-immigrant militants. As they learn more about the dead man’s past, Bruno’s suspicions turn toward a more complex motive.
“Enjoyable…. Martin Walker plots with the same finesse with which Bruno can whip up a truffle omelette, and both have a clear appreciation for a life tied to the land.” —The Christian Science Monitor
“A nice literary pairing with the slow-food movement…. [It is] lovely…to linger at the table.” —Entertainment Weekly
“A wonderfully crafted novel as satisfying as a French pastry but with none of the guilt or calories.” —Tuscon Citizen’s Journal
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Good character development, intelligent dialog
I loved this easy read which entertained me, kept me interested with intrigue, the characters and the location. This inspired me to travel to France and read more WWII novels. Characters with courage, integrity and a sense of loyalty.
This is a great series
Someone in my library group recommended the Bruno series to me, and so, I began with the first installment. It took me a while to get into it, all the characters confused me a bit, and the crime was complex. There was also a great deal devoted to cuisine, which I now understand is a big part of Bruno’s character.
I did enjoy the budding romance, …
Well balanced French social, historical, gastronomical, geographical mystery.
A friend, whose opinion I trust particularly on books, insisted I read Bruno and the rest of his series. I must admit I didn’t get the book right away but I shouldn’t have waited. This book is smart, charming, evokes the sense of the environment beautifully, and it’s a good mystery. I’ve just read the first one in the series, but I intend to go …
What’s not to love about a mystery set in a charming French village surrounded by a gorgeous French countryside? What’s not to love about a character who now has his own French wine named after him?! Martin Kelly – marketing genius! I did enjoy this story, filled with Gallic atmosphere – pate, baguettes and rivers of “vin”! The Chief Bruno is a …
Where better to be a village Chief of Police than in the Dordogne region of southern France. Chief Bruno is usually up to his competent skills in the politics of small town France, cooking and eating the wonderful foods and wines of the region and courting a local lady while bringing justice for the problem of the day. .
This was a good foray into rural policing on an international level. Very entertaining! Bruno is an endearing, dedicated, and shrewd policeman of the French countryside. Good read!
A lot of atmosphere in this ‘South of France’ murder mystery. Bruno has a good life – keeping the peace in this basically peaceful town, teaching soccer to the school kids, warning the weekly market vendors when the E.U. bureaucrats are on the way to fine illegal foods.
Then there’s a murder.
I had to keep looking on Google to understand all …
I looked this book and can’t wait to read more. I always enjoy reading books that take place in other countries, learning how they handle situations and of course learning the history and background of a new place. This one was especially delightful because the characters were so beautifully described. I also I loved that the author gave you …
Thrilling mystery blend with true events in the history of France. A wonderful landscape of village life in Provence with the backdrop of scars left in so many families of the horrors experienced during the Nazi occupation and also the Algerian conflict. Great reading for any one with a taste for detective stories sprinkled with real historical …
Nice start to Walker’s series about a small-town chief of police. It’s both apt and a disservice to say it makes me think of Sheriff Andy Taylor transposed to a rural France that is simultaneously modern and stuck in the past, with plenty of interesting characters, but without the Barney Fife. Politics, history, scenery, wine, murder. What more …
This first book in a mystery series set in a bucolic village in modern France is as much about the people and the atmosphere and as it is about the mystery. Martin weaves in historical events in every book, including this one. Way above average, but not on par with Colin Cotterill’s Dr Siri books.
Loved this! Looking forward to reading more of the series.
I really enjoyed the characters in the book and found myself wanting to finish it just to see how it all ended.
I enjoyed all the characters, the setting and the story. Bruno is the guy we all want to meet! Loved the history, all the wonderful food they grew snd prepared, the wines they chose, the relatiomships and how they developed. Great story
I enjoyed most of this book, although it felt a little uneven in places. I might consider reading another in this series.
Such a marvelously descriptive book in terms of the land and the culture. Having lived near there for several years , I felt as if I had just returned there. The characters were like old friends. The mystery was a good one and the character development was excellent.