Customer Reviews

Bruno, Chief of Police

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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.

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.

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.

In the village of St. Denis, life is very good. And the man with the best of lives is Brunoit (known as Bruno), the young and attractive Chief of Police, who leads the citizens of his village with empathy and sensitivity and is generally beloved. And that, largely, is what the book is about. There is no grit in this mystery and very little mystery: there are no bad guys but only the eddies that arise from the past. Even the death of a nearly invisible member of the community has only momentary impact with a barely jarring note. This is a love song to the small town life of rural France, where friends and neighbors are kind and helpful and generous, where the routine of daily life is soothing and reassuring and where, if you are an expatriate American (as the writer seems to be), everything is good in retreating from the bustle and where the demands of the modern world are muted. It is lovingly written, and while attractive, has little beyond the appeal of an airbrushed postcard. Readers of the Donna Leon series set n Venice with the more believable police chief, Brunetti, may like Bruno and the travel to this lovely village. Those who want a tangible mystery or a bit of depth in characters will feel as though they ate a profiterole...tasty but unmemorable.

It's a bit odd admittedly to describe a murder mystery as "loving" but half this book is a love letter to the Dordogne, its small towns and in particular its cuisine. It's akin to Inspector Montalbano mystery series in Sicily, but instead of exotic criminals invading a paradise,it's an indigenous mystery. Perhaps its waxes a bit too elegaic to the region, but I much enjoyed the tale.

I picked this book because it was different from what I usually find. And it was! I enjoyed it greatly and went on to buy the others of this genre. Bruno is laid back, an ordinary guy, devoted to his town, and determined to be fair. These are qualities we can all admire. The descriptions of life in his small town make one want to move to that part of France and immerse oneself in that life. He relishes his food and is known for his truffle omelets. He likes his wine. He savors the companionship of women who are less an over endowed sexpot such as is found in some other novels, but real women. With their own goals and dreams and wishes that sometimes conflict with Bruno's. He is a loyal friend, a good cop, and a stubborn investigator who isn't willing to take the easy answer and close the case....he has to do battle with some like that. Dogged, determined, and with the welfare of his village and friends at heart, he works his way through the mystery fortified by good food, wine, and a great community.

Our Connecticut library mystery book discussion group chose this book for our June 2011 discussion. The 13 participants were unanimous in their praise for this book. They primarily enjoyed the winsome detective, the local color of the French village, the interweaving of past history with contemporary events, the humor, the rich writing and the originality of the plot.

Of all the mysteries this group has read BRUNO CHIEF OF POLICE is one of two that everyone enjoyed--the other was the first Julia Spencer-Fleming book featuring the woman Episcopalian priest.

The mystery is quite satisfying and surprising; although the book has light elements, there are deep undercurrents which make the book multi-dimensional and hard to classify in a mystery genre. Maybe it's creating its own niche. The group indicated they will be reading more of Martin Walker's mysteries. If your book group is looking for a fun jaunt through a French village with some history to learn and a mystery to solve, this book should be considered as a tasty alternative to the usual book club fare.

I was planning to review "BRUNO, Chief of Police" as soon as I finished it, but our copy of "The Dark Vineyard" arrived from Amazon that day, and I couldn't wait to start reading it. Taken together, the two novels represent the most charming and intelligent kind of escapist entertainment. They're set in the heart of rural France and peopled with an array of local types forming a very believable community facing murders and mysteries amidst beautiful, authentic surroundings and lubricated generously by local wines. Martin Walker
knows his stuff and how best to write about it.

It only takes a chapter or so of "Bruno, Chief of Police" to understand that author Martin Walker has written as much a loving chronicle of life in a small French town as a murder mystery. The story's protagonist, Benoit Courreges aka Bruno, is, as written, a kind of renaissance man who has found the perfect life in St. Denis, a picturesque town in the beautiful Dordogne/Perigord region of France. Bruno is a manly guy, who stars on the rugby field, but also makes the best omelet in the neighborhood. He charms old ladies and titillates young ones. He's also a good cop, who knows his beat and thinks logically when the criminal investigations get rolling.

In this introductory novel, a brutal murder takes place near St. Denis. The body of an elderly Algerian/Frenchman with well-respected family living nearby is found by his grandson with a swastika carved into his chest. Suspicion immediately falls on the right wing Front National members living in the region. But the case quickly becomes more complicated as the investigation broadens. The story line is greatly strengthened by some impressive historic research that the author has brought in as background, and it moves to a convincing denouement using that background.

This is a very good mystery--author Walker is a very experienced writer, and it shows in the language, characters and flow of "Bruno..." But the best thing about the book is the beautifully rendered context for the tale. Walker clearly knows a great deal about France, French politics, social and cultural institutions, and cuisine. Beyond that, he is transparently in love with French rural living and that feeling is nicely conveyed in the book. Also amonth the many noteworthy vignettes, gems of information and commentary embedded in the story, is a plausible theory of why English cooking is generally so bad. But even while the author provides a historic rationale for the shortcoming, he can't help but have protagonist Bruno shoot some holes in the theory as a proper French food chauvinist.

A thoroughly agreeable read. And try, "The Dark Vineyard", the second Bruno novel. Slightly more focus on the crime and procedurals, but still lots of evocative commentary about the social and cultural side of French village living.

This is the sort of novel which is dominated by setting. Word pictures take us to the region of "The real France.'We are in the country of bridges built by Napoleon to replace the Roman structures, family liquor recipes, local wine and sausage, chese and bread. Natural springs and ancient vinyards are the scene for events. French politics and French history, as well as individual ambitions and a bit of revenge and a touch of racism as the result of the migration of former colonials all entangle into the plot. The chief of police "Bruno" goes his way, smoothing feathers, balancing the complex tensions of different power centers and enjoying his omlettes with truffles, a glass of good wine, and clever and pretty women. Ah, La Belle France!