interagency, international-crime-and-mystery, international-crimes, international-espionage, interpersonal-problems, crime-thriller, unputdownable, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, audiobook, small-town, rural, France, friction, friendship, friends, frustration, espionage, relationship-issues, relationships, secrets, investigations, journalist, foodie, procedural, Iraqi-war, Irish Republican Army, due-diligence, mistakes, false-identities, false-information, witty, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, suspense, contemporary, rugby, action*****

Bruno is decidedly overbooked. It starts with a promotion that he isn't comfortable with, proceeds to mistakes and "the Brass" getting angry, and gets even crazier from there. Bruno discovers two people murdered and it is certain that they are not at all who they seemed to be, so everyone from multiple French authorities to MI-6 to the FBI are all clamoring and pointing fingers at each other. In addition, Bruno's best rugby player is having serious problems in her life that just might interfere with her earning a place on the national team. Riveting! Great police work stringing out the clues and suspects. As addictive as the others I am binge-reading in this series!
Voice actor Robert Ian MacKenzie is excellent with interpretation and character definition, and superior in the rolling tones of French pronunciations. ( )

I have often wondered how long a novelist can maintain a series featuring the same character. All too many times in the past I have found myself woefully disappointed by the latest instalment in a series I had thitherto loved, only to find that the literary pitcher had gone too often to the well. The clearest example of that to my mind was Patricia Cornwell’s book featuring Dr Kay Scarpetta. I thought that the first few books were excellent, combining brilliantly constructed storylines with empathetic and highly plausible characters, with a hefty (yet always accessible) dose of forensic science thrown in. Suddenly, however, it was as if the author had lost her way, and the plots degenerated almost into self-parody, and the characters seemed to implode.

Well, this is the eleventh instalment in the series featuring Benoit ‘Bruno’ Courrèges, and as far as I can see, Martin Walker is going from strength to strength. This is another highly engaging and entertaining novel, and a worthy addition to the canon. There are several familiar aspects. It is, for example, as liberally strewn with Dordogne gastroporn as all of its predecessors, and Bruno rustles up a succession of sumptuous meals. There is plenty of glorious scenery, too, and all the well-established characters are there, including Balzac, Bruno’s basset hound puppy, who seems to be beloved of all the population of St Denis.

As the novel opens, Bruno is about to be promoted to Chief of Police for the whole area, rather than just for St Denis. This being the Dordogne, such an elevation requires a parade, and the whole of the town turns out to watch. Meanwhile, a tourist who had booked to stay in local holiday accommodation has gone missing, and a search uncovers her body, and that of a Briton who had moved to live in the area a few years earlier, in a crime that has wider ramifications for Bruno and the whole region.

As usual, the plot develops and Bruno is assisted by colleagues from the various law enforcement agencies who between them cover the region. ( )

3.5*

While I continue to enjoy St. Denis & Bruno, I found myself sighing while reading this 11th book in the series because once again Bruno has become embroiled in a case involving national & international agencies. It would be nice for him to have a purely local case once in a while! ( )

Bruno is promoted but does not let that change his style. Two murders of people with a very complicated history lead him down many interesting historic paths. Good history, if fictional, excellent characters, and a vibrant storyline make this book an excellent addition to this fine series. We also learn how to make foie gras. ( )

At the request of his friend Pamela, St. Denis municipal policeman Bruno Courrèges looks into one of Pamela’s cooking school guests whose failure to arrive at the appointed time worries her. Bruno, the newly appointed head of the Vézère Valley police, calls on his new colleagues for assistance. It’s not long before they find the missing woman and her Irish lover dead. On first appearance it seems to be a murder-suicide, but things don’t quite add up. Since the case appears to have ties to international terrorism, Bruno once again partners with his old lover, Isabelle, to solve the case. Meanwhile, Bruno is excitedly optimistic that the captain of St. Denis’s girl’s rugby team will be named to the French national team. However, news of Paulette’s unplanned pregnancy throws this into doubt.

Long-time series readers have by now come to expect Bruno’s major case to involve terrorists and for Bruno to be seconded to the Brigadier. Bruno’s new appointment adds a twist to the series formula as Bruno tries to figure out his chain of command. I didn’t care for the unplanned pregnancy plot line. It seems to be a plot device to force Bruno to reevaluate his attitude toward abortion and the rights of fathers, paving the way for a reunion with Isabelle. Their relationship had ended when Bruno learned that Isabelle had aborted their child without telling him she was pregnant. Bruno recognizes that he and Isabelle want different things, so I wish he would move on and find someone who wants the same things he does out of life. Maybe someone like Florence? ( )