Review: Bruno, Chief of Police

Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker
How often can you say that a crime novel should come with a ‘shop first’ warning? Well this one should, in the best possible way, but more of that later…

I love this book! Bruno Courreges, our eponymous hero and local policeman, proudly draws you in with a charming Gallic arm around your shoulder, and shows you the small town he has chosen to make his home. Before you know it, you’re sitting down, glass of wine in hand, in cosy camaraderie with the inhabitants of St Denis, as their life gently unfolds around you.

To begin with a simple police report and then launch into a description of a policeman and the peculiar, tangled, personal contents of his small white van is a strange start, but it is so universally appealing that you have to read on. Within a couple of pages you are wishing yourself in France and cheering on the locals as they battle with EU Hygiene Inspectors. However, this rural idyll is shattered by a brutal murder that, by appearing to be racially motivated, unleashes an invasion of Police Nationale detectives, bureaucrats from Paris, TV news crews, and a mob of National Front thugs who cause a riot in the town.

Around this Bruno uses his vital local knowledge and connections to skirt the main investigation and reveal the wartime roots of the killing. Martin Walker has written a fine mystery - funny, sad, and eccentric with a smattering of love-interest and a great reflection of life in rural France. It is also a pacy and utterly compelling story in the best traditions of British crime writing.

A word of warning - this story is awash with food so be prepared - shop for wine, baguettes, pate and such like…as this is also a gastronomic delight! (Where does Bruno hide his recipe book?)