Bruno, Chief of Police: Summary and book reviews of Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker, plus links to an excerpt from Bruno, Chief of Police and a biography of Martin Walker.
Bruno, Chief of Police
by Martin Walker
Hardcover: Mar 2009,
288 pages.
Paperback: Apr 2010,
288 pages.
The first installment in a wonderful new series that follows the exploits of Benoît Courrèges, a policeman in a small French village where the rituals of the café still rule. Brunoas he is affectionately nicknamedmay be the towns only municipal policeman, but in the hearts and minds of its denizens, he is chief of police.
Bruno is a former soldier who has embraced the pleasures and slow rhythms of country lifeliving in his restored shepherds cottage; patronizing the weekly market; sparring with, and basically ignoring, the European Union bureaucrats from Brussels. 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 North African who fought in the French army changes everything and galvanizes Brunos attention: the man was found with a swastika carved into his chest.
Because of the cases potential political ramifications, a young policewoman is sent from Paris to aid Bruno with his investigation. The two immediately suspect militants from the anti-immigrant National Front, but when a visiting scholar helps to untangle the dead mans past, Brunos suspicions turn toward a more complex motive. His investigation draws him into one of the darkest chapters of French historyWorld War II, a time of terror and betrayal that set brother against brother. Bruno soon discovers that even his seemingly perfect corner of la belle France is not exempt from that periods sinister legacy.
Bruno, Chief of Police is deftly dark, mesmerizing, and totally engaging.
BOOK REVIEWS
BookBrowse
I’m glad to know that Walker promises more Bruno books. As for the flagship novel of the series, it was such a pleasure to read that I can’t help but suspect Walker had equal fun writing it. (Reviewed by Donna Chavez). Full Review (1055 words).
Media Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Walker sets a charming table . . . the civilized approach to detection will likely appeal to fans of Roderic Jeffries’s Inspector Alvarez.
Publishers Weekly
Without sacrificing a soupçon of the novel's smalltown charm or its characters' endearing quirkiness, Walker deftly drives his plot toward a dark place where old sins breed fresh heartbreak.
Entertainment Weekly - Julia Holmes
Martin Walker's book is a nice literary pairing with the slow-food movement. But lovely as it is to linger at the table, the sleuthing can drag. B+
Eurocrime.co.uk Bruno, Chief of Police may be a gentle book but it does not pull its punches. It is well-written, introducing a charming, likable main character: a satisfying detective story; and conveying a strong love and understanding of the Dordogne region of France … the author is not afraid to address difficult issues head-on, personal and political … told with authority and style, as one might expect from an author who has written distinguished histories ...
Sunday Telegraph - Susanna Yager
The pleasures of life in the Dordogne, some distinctive well-rounded characters and an intriguing mystery are a winning combination in Martin Walker's Bruno, Chief of Police … Walker's relaxed style and good humour help to bring to life his engaging hero and his delightful home and make one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time.
Literary Review - Jessica Mann
But the selling point of this delightful book is its setting in the legendary France profonde, where market stalls offer goat's cheese and foie gras, home-made jam and oils flavoured with walnuts and truffles, where steaks are timed to perfection by singing the Marseillaise, and menus composed as skilfully as Martin Walker's prose. Walker brings to life both a complete community and the chief of police who is its protector, teacher and friend. This book's ingredients are combined as carefully as Bruno’s good meals. Second helpings, please!
The Scotsman - Allan Massie
It is written with a deep love of rural France, for the countryside, the people, the way of life and the cuisine. All this is charming and many pages of the book will have readers purring with delight … so enjoyable … so pervasive and agreeable is the charm of this novel that it might even allow you to pass the time pleasantly as you wait in an airport departure lounge for your long-delayed holiday flight to France.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Gail I want more What a great read! well plotted and believable characters. I can't say enough good things. I hope there are more in the works. I am going to go back a not some of the recipes for the food he cooked. Maybe without the trufflesl
Rated of 5
by Lupoman Bruno, chief of police This book is a BookBrowse Editor Choice, so I read it hoping it lived up to my expectations; and not only is this a terrific murder mystery, I did not want the story to end. The chief of police, named Bruno, is a wonderful protagonist, and kept me... Read More
An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master's Son follows a young man's journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world's most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea.
War, natural disaster, reckless gods and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that AS Byatt weaves into this most timely of books. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, this is a landmark.
A beguiling, imaginative, inspiring story about the bigness of being alive as an individual, as a member of a tribe, and as a participant in history, exploring how we use storytelling to survive and shape our own truths.
Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high.
Vivid, daring, and unforgettable, The Printmaker's Daughter shines fresh light on art, loyalty, and the tender and indelible bond between a father and daughter.
I read The Healing in two sittings it is a fascinating story of plantation life at the beginning of the Civil War. Granada, a slave newborn child...
read more
The Uncommon Reader is a novella by novelist and playwright, Alan Bennett. The story starts with the Queen coming across the mobile library van...
read more
Amazon to open bricks and mortar store in Seattle(Feb 07 2012) Last week, the word in the blogosphere was that Amazon was considering opening a bricks-and-mortar store. Over the weekend goodereader.com added substance to...
Full Story
Arizona bills Amazon for $53 million in uncollected sales tax(Feb 06 2012) The ongoing sales tax battle between many US states and large online retailers, most notably Amazon, continues with a thrust from Arizona which, last week,...
Full Story