Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Martin Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2009

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. Bruno—as he is affectionately nicknamed—may be the town’s 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 life—living in his restored shepherd’s 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 Bruno’s attention: the man was found with a swastika carved into his chest.

Because of the case’s 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 man’s past, Bruno’s suspicions turn toward a more complex motive. His investigation draws him into one of the darkest chapters of French history—World 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 period’s sinister legacy.

Bruno, Chief of Police is deftly dark, mesmerizing, and totally engaging.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Policing in Chief Bruno Courrèges's sun-dappled patch of Périgord involves protecting local fromages from E.U. hygiene inspectors, orchestrating village parades and enjoying the obligatory leisurely lunch—that is, until the brutal murder of an elderly Algerian immigrant instantly jolts Walker's second novel (after The Caves of Périgord) from provincial cozy to timely whodunit. As a high-powered team of investigators, including a criminally attractive female inspector, invade sleepy St. Denis to forestall any anti-Arab violence, the amiable Bruno must begin regarding his neighbors—or should we say potential suspects—in a rather different light. 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. Walker, a foreign affairs journalist, is also the author of such nonfiction titles as The Iraq War and America Reborn. (Mar.)
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Review

"Martin Walker has not only written an engrossing roman policier, but he has written a book that goes to the very heart of what France–rural, small-town France–is like. It's a thriller, and full of surprises, but it will also appeal to anybody who loves France. Bruno, Chief of Police, is a wonderful creation.
-Michael Korda, author of Charmed Lives

“Hugely enjoyable and absolutely gripping. Martin Walker has got off to a flying start in what promises to be a great series. Bruno will be the Maigret of the Dordogne.”
-Antony Beevor, author of Paris After the Liberation 1944-1949

“A splendid combination of a complex crime with tangled wartime origins that takes place in a lovingly described French village, and a totally original and sympathetic hero. Absolutely first rate. There must be more to come about Bruno!”
-William Pfaff, author of Barbarian Sentiments: America in the New Century

“Martin Walker has found in Bruno a man rooted in the terroir of Perigord, who brings that quirky, lovable part of France alive. This novel is as tasty as a slice of Bruno’s local foie gras, topped with a glass of his homemade vin de noix.”
-David Ignatius, author of Body of Lies

“Martin Walker’s gentle, entrancing new French crime novel has been an enormous hit across Europe and it is easy to see why. But beneath its obvious professionalism and pleasures, as with its subtly original hero, there are far more hidden strengths and valuable messages than at first meet the eye . . . In an era when most Americans are ignorant of France in its true richness, generosity of spirit, and quality of life, Mr. Walker and his Bruno offer an enchanting introduction into this very real world. The American reading public should flock to join them.”
-Martin Sieff, The Washington Times

“This wonderfully crafted novel is as satisfying as a French pastry but with none of the guilt or calories.”
-Tucson Citizen’s Journal

“[A] timely whodunit . . . 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.”
-Publishers Weekly

“A nice literary pairing with the slow-food movement . . . [It is] lovely . . . to linger at the table.”
-Entertainment Weekly

“Highly 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 roman policier . . . that the celebrated Simenon, creator of Inspector Jules Maigret, would have been proud to claim . . . Readers [will] effortlessly enter French consciousness through [this] perspicacious book.”
-Ben Martin, Baton Rouge Advocate

“A paean to the Dordogne, an exploration of fractious French history, and the debut of the most self-possessed, accomplished, even-tempered, life-savoring Holmesian character ever, Walker’s first Bruno novel proves once and for all that heavyweight journalists can write mystery novels . . . Walker’s love of the place shines through. Readers will look forward to visiting it again with him and the incomparable Bruno.”
-Lynn Harnett, Seacoast Sunday [New Hampshire]

“[Martin] Walker sets a charming table . . . the civilized approach to detection will likely appeal to fans of Roderic Jeffries’s Inspector Alvarez.”
-Kirkus

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; First Edition edition (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307270173
• ISBN-13: 978-0307270177
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #407,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Dordogne Debut, July 31, 2009

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside (Hardcover)

The only reason I picked this book off the shelf in the library is because I was wondering if it was the same Martin Walker I'd been listening to for years as a commentator on my local NPR station. When I saw that it was, I took a closer look and, being a fan of crime fiction, thought I'd give it a go. Little did I suspect that I'd be so thoroughly engrossed by the routine of a small-town French policeman that I'd set aside all other reading for three days to tear through it.

The book is set in a quintessentially quaint and charming small town (pop. 2,900) in the super-picturesque Dordogneregion. The opening chapters are all about establishing the sights, smells, and rhythms of the town and the titular character's role within it as a kind of avuncular, sensible enforcer of the law. Well, not quite all laws (especially not the strict food processing laws of the EU), but the more important ones (unless you think drunk driving is important). However, soon enough, the quiet little town is devastated by the murder of a quiet old Algerian -- the father of the town's math teacher, and the grandfather of the town's rugby star.

This stirs up all kinds of tension, and as the National Front, provincial detectives, and prosecutors and politicians from Paris all flood in to get involved, Bruno has to do his best to protect the people of his idyllic town from all these outsiders. He's a bit of a superhero character: amazing chef (food and alcohol are everpresent in the book), wonderful with the town kids (he's a volunteer tennis and rugby coach), jack of all trades handyman, mysterious past (orphaned and then 12 years of army service, including some horrors in Bosnia), and most importantly, single.

Naturally, a love interest emerges (as well as one or two for the future) as the plot eventually winds its way back through time to the Resistance during WWII. Most readers will recognize the red herrings for what they are, and those with a particular knowledge of the German occupation may be able to see where it's all going. Nonetheless, Walker has taken an interesting morsel of largely unknown history and woven it into an entertaining tale. While some might find Bruno to be a touch too flawless, and the setting a touch too precious, I found the book to be an charming and entertaining read. Hopefully this is the first in a series of Bruno books.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Summer Vacation, July 7, 2009

By 

Woodrow Benson (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside (Hardcover)

If you can't afford that vacation in the south of France this year, Bruno may be the next best thing. Walker does a wonderful job of evoking life in a small town in the Dordogne--its cuisine and odd characters, its humdrum rhythms--through the life of its shrewd, affable chief of police, the distinctively French rural bon vivant, Bruno. For good measure, Walker throws in interesting angles on everything from French bureaucracy to tensions between Muslim immigrants and the native population. A bit slow to start because of the luxuriant scene setting, the book quickly picks up and the pages fly by.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A debut to savor, May 29, 2009

By 

Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside (Hardcover)

A paean to the Dordogne, an exploration of fractious French history, and the debut of the most self-possessed, accomplished, even-tempered, life-savoring Holmesian character ever, Walker's first Bruno novel proves once and for all that heavyweight journalists can write mystery novels.

Former Russia and U.S. bureau chief for The Guardian, current Editor Emeritus of UPI, author of such books as "The Cold War," and "The President They Deserve," this British journalist, historian, scholar, and global policy advisor has created a hero dedicated to the quiet, regular, sensual life of rural France.

Bruno, an orphan abandoned by his mother, joined the military at an early age and spent 12 years with the Combat Engineers, which seems roughly equivalent to Special Forces. Receiving a Croix de Guerre for his service in the Balkans, Bruno retired to St. Denis and became the town's police chief and only policeman.

Although new to the town, he has become part of its fabric, savoring the rhythm of life - his own and that of the townspeople, from the two old WWII partisans that don't speak, and the town's token communist, to its bakers and cheese makers and vintners, its quarrels, rivalries and long-simmering feuds, even its newcomers - the English tourists who have lately been pushing up the housing prices.

He plays tennis with the Baron (atheist and retired industrialist), coaches kids at rugby, hunts birds, cooks, works on his house, organizes parades, safeguards the local market from the health inspectors of the European Union, and with the help of his friend the politically well-connected mayor, generally keeps the peace.

This idyllic life is threatened when someone stabs a reclusive Algerian grandfather - a hero of the French Resistance and winner of the Croix de Guerre - carving a swastika into his chest. Some druggy kids, local members of the Front National, the extreme right, are arrested, but despite motive and opportunity, Bruno is not convinced.

The politicians swoop in and take over, determined to bring this sensational hate crime to a swift and triumphant conclusion. But Bruno keeps turning up evidence that delays their gratification.

Meanwhile there is budding romance with an attractive inspector assigned to St. Denis for the investigation, and flirtation with the English ladies who run a small resort near the murdered man's home. There are truffles to be shaved, meals to be cooked and enjoyed with good wine, ruffled feathers to be smoothed, scenery to be admired, facts to be gleaned and interpreted.

There is an edgy feel to the book, a tension caused by the ugly feelings towards immigrants, especially Muslims, seen as disrupting tradition. In return the Muslims dig in their heels and don chadors. And longstanding tensions arise from the tangled roots of WWII occupation and collaboration. Not everyone was really a member of the Resistance. Hard feelings run deep.

But the strongest undercurrent is a sense of French joie de vivre, an attention to small rituals, an appreciation of conversation, attractive women, good clothes, good food, and all the trappings of civilized life.

Bruno is a master of calm thinking, diplomacy and planning - a marvel really. But his careful and commanding organization seems part of the fabric of his being, well nurtured after his chaotic youth. Readers will appreciate - even believe - his apparent perfection.

Walker's love of the place shines through. Readers will look forward to visiting it again with him and the incomparable Bruno.