Bruno, Chief of Police (2008)

Another charming book in the seven book Bruno series, by Martin Walker, the local cop of St. Denis, a quaint village in the south of France. Actually this is the first in the series (2008); earlier I had read #4, "Crowded Grave". In this book, Bruno meets two of his many loves, the Brit Pamela, and the French career cop, Isabelle - and we learn of Bruno's first moments with his greatest love of all, Gigi, his faithful dog. Like the other book I had read, Bruno is kept busy putting out small, seemingly inconsequential fires, for which the townspeople are eternally grateful. Everyone loves Bruno, he deploys great common sense in dispensing justice and resolving minor fracases. Life is good. Then someone is murdered, the first homicide in years. Soon Bruno is "assisted" by at least two other police forces, as well as help from the prosecutor's officer. In parallel with the murder, a drug case evolves as does Bruno's relationship with the lovely Isabelle. But there is always enough time for good food and chat, and more than a dash of neighborhood chat and rumor. And oh yes, there's that murder to solve. Eventually, the killers are identified, and things settle down once again in St. Denis. A pleasant little diversion, no tension, a bit of romance, an idyllic little town we would all like to inhabit, but too much too often could lead to boredom. It will be nice to grab a Bruno maybe once a year, but not more often. ( )

Benoît (Bruno) Courrèges has left behind his respectable military life for a more quiet life as a policeman in the small village of St. Denis, in an area known for its fois gras, truffles, home made cheese, and other wonderful culinary treasures. Happy with no more action than running interference between the local farmers and the EU food inspectors, his world is turned upside down by the brutal murder of an old Algerian man. What appears to be a hate crime turns out to be even more insidious as Bruno's research turns up historical evidence linking the Arab man to a little known group of men who retaliated against Resistance families.

Full of wonderful images of a bucolic French village, this book is the beginning of a fun series. ( )

A wonderful new find. The first of four books set in the Dordogne in southwest France. The food, the wine.
Great mystery, interesting characters and the food, the wine... ( )

I like to introduce Bruno Courrèges - chief of police, gourmet and most eligible bachelor in the Périgord, a region in the South of France. His every-day-life usually includes planting his own vegetables, making his own wine and defending the people of his town against unhappy E.U. inspectors who are trying to transpose hygiene directives.

This idyllic life is interrupted by a cruel murder: an Algerian immigrant was brutally stabbed and a swastika was carved into his chest. In-between Foie Gras and Eau de Vie Bruno starts conducting his investigations…

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If you like crime novels in which the crime itself is not too central, if you like the description of food and other delights, if you like the landscape of the Provence, the Bruno-Courrèges-series by Martin Walker is perfect for you. I enjoyed it because I know the region and its people very well. But I simply prefer not gorier but darker crime novels in general. ( )

It's a very charming cosy mystery set out in French Périgord. It's the first book with this Chief of Police and therefore the description of the surrounding and the local characters is well done. Bruno isn't an ordinary policeman, he is more a kind of best friend, fellow, sportsman and coach for the youth. For him it's more important that justice is done in a way that nobody has to lose face and that everybody can go on with his day-to-day routine. He campaigns for the weak ones and is truely devoted to those, who helped him growing up without biological parents. While he is familiar with his surrounding he is approaching the case in an unorthodox manner which helps him to solve the cases. ( )