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chief of police martin walker french countryside bruno chief small town well written food and wine rural france louise penny looking forward french history donna leon character development world war french village forward to reading small village story line region of france good read
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A Texan
5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I was looking for...I hope the same is true for you...
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2017
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This is a delightful read. It was exactly the book (and now, as I continue, series) for which I was looking. Will it be the same for you? Some things to guide your choice:

1. Walker is not Jack Higgins; Bruno is not Sean Dillon. If you're looking for a non-stop shoot 'em up, this is not it.
2. Walker is not Tom Clancy. For some of us, this freedom from eight hundred pages of in-depth analyses of geopolitics and military technology is a wonderful thing.
3. Walker is not Agatha Christie. The mystery anchors the story for Walker. But fulsome character development, not the mystery itself, keeps you coming back. You'll want to know more about the mayor, the Baron, and the Englishwomen. You'll care about them too.
4. Walker is not Orhan Pamuk or Elfriede Jelinek; he will not win the Nobel Prize for literature. Think Larry McMurtry, not Cormac McCarthy. Still excellent writing. If, after a week of hard work or on your first vacation in two years, you want something more like Lonesome Dove than The Piano Teacher or No Country for Old Men, then this is your bailiwick.

The reviews of the Bruno series liken the title character to Andy Griffith. I love that show, and I can see how the two small-town law enforcement officers might invite comparison. Certainly both of them are ideal, beneficent public servants. But Walker gives Bruno a depth not possible in a 1960s television show. A veteran of the Balkans, Bruno is a man who knows the value of the ancient and (mostly) tranquil Perigord and St. Denis. Take a look at Walker's Cold War-era non-fiction resume and you might suspect the same is true of the author.

I savor these books. I don't like to read them at the doctor's office or in line at the DMV. I like to sit down on the weekend and immerse myself for a while. I try to approach them like a Michelin three-star meal or a good bottle of wine. The pace of the books is happily not unlike the pace of the setting. As I've read more books in the series, I've avoided reading the synopses before starting. I enjoy knowing that I'm headed to St. Denis, but having no idea what I'll find there. If a slow-paced and well-written journey is up your alley, I heartily recommend this book and, indeed, the whole series.
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Judith Abraham
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars You will love Bruno!
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2019
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I'm already on my second read-through of the series, and eagerly awaiting the next volume! Bruno is fabulous! A less than perfect man, totally human, and marvelously humane. He loves his village, its citizens, his way of life, good food, great wine, and looking at the sunset at the end of the day from the terrace of his hillside cottage. In spite of an education that was cut short, he has been influenced by many friends and has discovered an interest in history, archaeology, biography, science. And he solves crimes, slowly, methodically, with occasional flashes of insight. And what might be unremarkable in the hands of another author, is brought glowingly to life by Martin Walker. You will read Bruno, and you'll be ready to pack your bags and move to the Dordogne! At the very least, you're likely to start eating croissants more often, and looking at Basset hounds with great affection.
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Wade
3.0 out of 5 stars Day in the Life of a French Country policeman, with a murder mystery on the side
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2020
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Kind of a weird book. I can see why people like it. It is a well written and smooth read. It does have a pretty good pace, and the character of Bruno is interesting. But on the other hand, the mystery itself is so-so and almost not the point of the book. Certainly the bare plot is about that, but there are plenty of asides and side-track plots and diversions to really fluff this thing up.

It's more in the vein of the story about a French policeman's daily life, worrying about parades, cooking dinner, playing tennis, and trying to outsmart EU tax assessors. But there's a bit of a murder to deal with. The mystery pops up every once and while, but it seems to be an interstitial plot thread connecting the more thorough discussions about his basset hound (even though I like him), a bizarrely long discussion about how he remodeled his house, a very in-depth look at the small town politics involved in the constant parades the town seems to hold, and a detailed discussion of the ingredients, the cooking and the consumption of seemingly every dinner Bruno seems to have over the course of the story.

There's not much meat to the mystery. It's an interesting murder and it has an interesting conclusion... but there is not really much to it. There is no real suspense or character development or even conflict aside from some jerk type senior policemen who are barely in the novel. I wouldn't even venture to call this a "cozy" mystery, such as it is.

Maybe that's the point? This is more about the country life of an interesting policeman, an army vet who loves his dog, his house, and his garden. A guy who looks after his town. Okay I guess.
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Aroha
3.0 out of 5 stars All right but a bit repetitive.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2017
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A bit too much about Bruno who seems to be too good to be true and the author obviously likes him a lot a he repeats his accolades throughout the book. The story could be summed up quite quickly and the protagonists identified early on. A bit of sex and mystery seemed unnecessary and a bit sexist to me. Women galloping on horses with their clothes flattering their form etc. This was the first - I won't read the rest as I suspect that technique will be repeated in all the others. Better books on crime in France were written by George Belois whose description of the French countryside and riviera breathtaking.
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Julie Ryan
5.0 out of 5 stars Really captures all that is France
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2017
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Martin Walker's book captures the very best of the Dordogne, so much so that you can almost feel the summer heat rising from its pages, smell the fresh market produce and soak in the atmosphere of a typical French market town. There is village rivalry as you might expect and our hero, Bruno, Chief of Police, also has his own problems when his superior is called in when an elderly North African villager is found murdered. Teeming with history this book deals with the French occupation of Algeria and the Algerian soldiers who fought with the French army during WW2 (Algeria being a part of France at the time). I learnt a lot about the period and thought the way in which it related to the problems of immigration today was well done and told through the eyes of different villagers. I also loved the French attitude of cocking a snook at the ridiculous nature of European regulations.

So, whether you fancy a trip through the sleepy Dordogne or a fascinating crime story with a twist then this book is for you. I shall certainly be reading more by this author.
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Enfrance
4.0 out of 5 stars Life in the Dordogne but not as we know it.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2019
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We've lived in the Dordogne in the Vesere valley for over fifteen years and whilst we do see some of the idealic life here these books do go well over the top in romanticising the culture and everyday life. Now that's not a bad thing if you take some of it with a pinch of salt.

However, we do acknowledge that the author knows his subject and the insights into the way French systems work is really interesting. The way the Police, Gendarmes and security organisations operate for instance was a revelation and answered a couple of questions raised by our experience of dealing with them. There are also references to many of the places and restaurants we have been to so much of the information we find quite fascinating. The journalistic content within the stories helps to make then not only entertaining but it is easy to imagine the places and hence the ambiance he often describes.

We have read them all and are waiting for the new ones to come on Kindle.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Death in the Dordogne
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 8, 2021
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I found this book extremely well written and enjoyable. I spent many holidays in this area in the 1980s renting places to stay or camping. The pace of life, good food and wine, and the friendliness of the people were totally relaxing, so much so, that I purchased a second home a bit further south in 1990. When walking around the villages and cycling through the countryside, I came across WW2 commemoration stones frequently and always wondered how so much fighting occurred in Vichy France. Changes in personal circumstances meant selling my home in France after 6 years, which meant I never learnt the local history of the region as I had hoped. This detective book has answered that just in the storyline.
Very interesting characters, well written and a joy to read.
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Stephen Clynes
4.0 out of 5 stars Good start to a series.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 3, 2021
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Encouraged by the Amazon Kindle Daily Deal, I thought I would try a new author in the crime/mystery/thriller genre. Death in the Dordogne was originally titled Bruno, Chief of Police, the first book in the series.

Follow Bruno, a country policeman from the fictional small town of St. Denis in the Dordogne. An elderly Arab is found murdered in his home and Bruno helps solve the mysteries surrounding the death.

I enjoyed reading Death in the Dordogne which has a full story mix. You experience the full life of St. Denis and it is not just a police procedural. The reader is thrown head first into the rural culture of the Dordogne, with its funny little ways of life. There are tonnes of characters with their little quirks to enjoy. I loved the descriptions of everyday life and the little schemes involved, for example…

Everybody knew the old woman was poor as a church mouse since her husband drank the farm away. She bought the cheapest eggs at the local supermarket, scraped off the date stamps, rolled them in straw and chicken-shit and sold them to tourists as farm-laid for a euro a piece.

...There were other incidents including a potato and visiting EU inspectors. I liked how this novel made me feel like a tourist enjoying a holiday. All life in rural France was fully explained with great detail about the food and wine. I loved the atmosphere created within this story.

Bruno is a very likeable lead character who fully appreciates his job and life in St. Denis. I enjoyed reading about his day job and his very happy private life - he is a very active member of the community outside of work. Bruno has a Basset Hound called Gigi to complete the rural picture but sadly no current partner to share his free time. However, romance does creep slowly into this novel but nothing to offend your grandmother!

I liked the plot and how the mystery was solved with a surprise ending. No spoilers from me but the murder victim had a very unusual and colourful past! I even enjoyed reading about the 20th century history of France, Martin made the military and political struggles so interesting which is very hard for any author to do!

The format of this book made for very comfortable reading, there were no boring bits and it made me feel as though I was on a holiday with new experiences. The writing style is clear and entertaining. The feel of this book is identical to the Kate Shugak mysteries by Dana Stabenow which are set in Alaska.

I think Death in the Dordogne is a GOOD 4 star read and I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
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