Bruno, Chief of Police [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

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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

Walker does a wonderful job of bringing la France profonde to life - Mail on Sunday. This is a crime novel that is also a lovely, lyrical and frequently comic evocation of rural France - Allan Massie in The Scotsman. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; First Edition. states edition (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307270173
• ISBN-13: 978-0307270177
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #395,526 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 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

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.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars super investigative cozy , March 28, 2009

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In rustic Perigord, France, Police Officer Benoit "Bruno" Courreges is very popular amidst the villagers mostly for his lifestyle; he lives like they do in a shepherd's cottage and shopping at the local market. As a cop he has arresting authority, but never uses it as his presence leads to guilt and everyone behaving. He assumes his most significant job is to protect the local merchants and farms from the European Union pests.

However, a homicide of an elderly French WWII veteran from Algeria upsets the former soldier turned village cop. The murder is bad enough, but the swastika carved on the victim's chest angers Bruno. As he investigates a horde of homicide detectives and crime experts from Paris try to take over the case from him, but he refuses to allow them to lead. Initially members of the violent anti-immigrant National Front are the prime suspects, but soon with a help of a scholar, Bruno begins to look back to WWII for the culprit.

The second Porigord thriller (see THE CAVES OF PORIGORD) is a super investigative cozy that brings to life a small rustic village. The villagers including Bruno are priceless as their eccentricity and their outlook towards the EU as unwelcome intruders forcing the local heroes to be "smugglers" enhance the clever whodunit. Martin Walker cleverly links five decade old transgressions to a modern day homicide as fans will say oui oui to BRUNO CHIEF OF POLICE.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 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 (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.