Bruno, Chief of Police

Publisher's Summary

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. Bruno soon discovers that even his seemingly perfect corner of la belle France is not exempt from that period's sinister legacy.

©2008 Walker and Watson Ltd. (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

High hopes for this series!

Looking forward to the rest of the series. Good solid start with interesting characters, contemporary issues (water shortage, GMO, etc.) and something to say about the human condition.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Amazing!

Historical fiction with a unique protagonist and at realistic fictitious plot that includes criminal activity and great detective collaboration!!
This is what I live for in listening to a book.
Bruno was a switch for me, as well. I look forward to following him through parts of French history that have occurred during my lifetime and that I was totally uninformed about.After reading a lot of British, Irish, Russian and other novels of this genre, the French is new to me. There are nuances of the culture and the language, even in translation, that I look forward to getting used to.
I never get great marks for my reviews, but I love expressing my thoughts anyway!!! Yay, Bruno!!

18 of 19 people found this review helpful

Good but hardly cozy and gentle!

This mystery/crime novel is very evocative of France, french history and country life. But, it is not a cozy, gentle story. Drugs, sex, violent crime, war crimes and vengeance makes for quite the mix. This balanced out with artful descriptions of local food, markets, picnics, dinner parties, gardening and keeping chickens! Bruno is a busy, complex, and smart multi talented chief of police. But, I agree with a previous reviewer--the narrator ought to have given him a French voice--the British accent was a bit confusing. Worth a listen--but don't go into it looking for a warm and cozy mystery. In reality, it is a look into a dark aspect of France in WWII.

44 of 49 people found this review helpful

An Engaging "French Cozy "

Bruno, "Chief of Police, " is the only police officer in his small village, located in a sleepy valley of France. A former soldier who was wounded in Kosovo, he loves the quiet little village which has adopted him as one of its own. He teaches the young children to play tennis and Rugby, and sometimes coaches the village Rugby team. He knows almost everyone of the locals, and they know and trust him. Rather like the village constable in a classic British mystery.

But an elderly Algerian Frenchman resident is murdered and various clues indicate that his death is somehow connected to WW II, Vichy France, Nazism, and the Franco - Algerian troops from that time period. Officers from the National Police arrive in the village to investigate the crime, and Bruno is put in the position of assisting the investigation while trying not to release the secrets of the villagers about activities which are not, strictly speaking, legal.

Other reviewers have compared this book to some of the stories of Alexander McCall Smith. There is a calmness and gentleness to the telling of Bruno's story that is reminiscent of Smith's tales. However, I find Walker's writing, characters and plotting the more interesting and engaging of the two. The plot is interesting enough to keep you engaged, the characters are well fleshed out and likeable, and the writing style takes you along gently. Narrator Robert Ian MacKenzie brings story and characters beautifully to life.

All in all, a most pleasant experience. I expect to read more from this series.

19 of 24 people found this review helpful

Unexpectedly good!

Would you consider the audio edition of Bruno, Chief of Police to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, but I imagine so. The narration was excellent.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed reading a mystery that was longer on human interest, interactions and history than on violence. It has its' shocking places, but I like reading about a character that uses patience, humor, and his sense of truth rather than one who is out committing more violence him(her)self in the name of finding criminals. This book had good human appeal and the story was filled with interesting information about the area of Perigord, in France.

Which scene was your favorite?

Actually, several of the scenes that were side issues to the mystery, but dealt with the charm and interest of the people and the area. I'd enjoy re-reading those parts.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction, but it held my interest, and moved back and forth between character exchanges and fact-finding scenes.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend it to people who don't like a lot of violent action, but enjoy a good mystery that is not "fluff."

16 of 21 people found this review helpful

A new series to devour!

Martin Walker mentions, in the course of this novel, that there are little memorials to the 20th-century war dead all over France, evoking memories of a plaque my husband spotted on the outer wall of an elementary school in a quiet side street in Paris when we were visiting this past May. It listed three or four teachers and about fifteen students of the school, all Jewish, who perished, presumably in concentration camps, around 1942. It was deeply disturbing and saddening to imagine that in one of the world's major centers of civilized thought and culture the school was unable, or even unwilling, to keep its pupils safe.

The crimes of the Vichy government loom large in this mystery, as does the Franco-Algerian War and its veterans. I love mysteries that not only take me to distant places but give me an unexpected window into a specific time in history that I would be unlikely to otherwise encounter, and this one does that splendidly, thanks, in part, to its narrator. I also tend to note how appropriate the accents of various characters are, but hearing the title character voiced with an Oxonian inflection didn't really bother me that much, as he himself is a highly literate man. The food, wine, and landscape of the novel are enchanting, and I look forward to meeting many of the characters again in future installments of the series.

13 of 18 people found this review helpful

Incredibly Appropriate Today

Any additional comments?

Besides how entertaining and evocative of life in southern France, I found Martin Walker's book to be incredibly timely, given the recent turmoil in France (Charlie Hebdo). The historical accounts of French Resistance fighters, and Vichy and gestapo police, were enlightening and handled with a well-balanced objectivity...the author's journalism background does him proud. Furthermore, Bruno is an entertaining protagonist, albeit a little too good to be true, and some scenes make me groan for their obvious "guy's point of view", but, hey-that can be instructive, too. All in all, a terrific listen.
As others have noted, the British narrator is distracting, but I think we are always supposed to bear in mind that this is written from a British
point of view. I will try to get used to him (I see he has read all the books in the series.) because I like Bruno, and I especially like Walker's historical approach so much!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Viva la France! A gentle serious mystery.

What a pleasure! A well written & enjoyable mystery without explicit sex or crime scene descriptions. A little romance is welcome though along with French history, contemporary social lessons, & justice. The love of French food & culture is evident & sure threads woven into the story. I learned about an aspect of French WWII history unknown to me. Every country has dark times & knowing of them may keep everyone humble.

9 of 13 people found this review helpful

Slow, slow, slow

I thought the idea of this book was great. I learned a lot about Algerians who came to France just before and during WWII and their various roles during the war. However, I thought that there was too much extraneous, superficial detail that lent nothing to the mystery. I did not need to know each volley of a tennis match among unnecessary characters. The food of the region was interesting, but I didn't need to listen to each detail of its preparation. By the time the murder was solved, I felt too LITTLE was said about the solution and I was not satisfied with the resolution. I wouldn't read (or listen) to another book in this series.

19 of 32 people found this review helpful

Fine Characters, Satisfying Story

Where does Bruno, Chief of Police rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'd put it in among the top 25% of the books I've listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

Without seeming frenetic, a lot goes on in this story, and even the minor characters are well defined. And Bruno is a rarity among men; he's content with his life, even as he is open to new experiences.

What does Robert Ian MacKenzie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His pacing, as always, is very measured, which makes it easy to visualize each scene.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wouldn't say my reaction was extreme. But I was very happy to find an affable character to follow through a series of books, and to discover another author whose narrative style fits like a comfortable glove.

Any additional comments?

If I didn't know who the author was, I'd have sworn this must have been written by Alexander McCall Smith. It's uncanny how similar Walker and McCall Smith are in style, tone, pacing, character development and philosophy.

Within this book some serious subjects are confronted: racism, xenophobia, murder, rape, wartime atrocities, drugs, love, friendship, loyalty, and morality, yet they are considered and discussed without being preachy.

7 of 12 people found this review helpful