Black Diamond
… [T]hat the novel manages to avoid lapsing into a familiar description of sleepy provincial French life can be attributed to the broader, timely issues that the author has chosen to address: immigration, fraud and political corruption.
Times Literary Supplement
Rebecca Armstrong, Independent on Sunday
During the early pages of Black Diamond, readers unfamiliar with Martin Walker’s French policeman, Bruno Courreges, would be forgiven for thinking that they had stumbled into a Tricolore textbook peopled with individuals imagined by Peter Mayle. Regarde: here is the genial police inspector from Perigord who loves to cook hearty dishes laced with the truffles he’s found in the woods. Maintenant, here is the mad English woman whom he is dating. Zut alors! A newcomer in town has opened an eco-restaurant. See how he has shut down the local sawmill.
But while Walker’s characters seem at first to be familiar types, and his evocation of rural France comforting, with its markets, hunting and meaty meals, things get complicated quickly. For beneath the Gallic charm that Walker conjures so effortlessly are modern mores and characters more convincing – and cruel – than you might at first assume.
As the only policeman in St Denis, Courreges is responsible for everything from crowd control to charity collections. So investigating rumours about a truffle scam in the local market while trying to find out who has attacked a Vietnamese family’s stall is more or less business as usual. Dedicated as he is to his job, Courreges is also preoccupied with the local mayoral elections, training the town’s rugby team and hunting with his friends.
This mix of petty crime and community life is beguiling, so it’s all the more shocking when one of Courreges’s buddies is found brutally – and I don’t use that word lightly – murdered, having been tortured and strung up seemingly as a warning to others. In discovering why his friend has been killed in such a cruel way, Courreges has to piece together unsavoury facts from France’s colonial past, and call on his contacts in the Secret Service. As he realises that there was more to his friend than he ever thought possible, so it dawns on the reader that, while Courreges is devoted to the town he polices and the rural life he enjoys, he is no bumbling plod but a keen investigator.
This sleight of hand continues throughout Black Diamond. There is more to everyone and everything than at first seems, which is true for the book itself. This isn’t a bucolic police yarn, despite appearances, but a well-crafted crime novel that cautions against blind belief in people and their motives. Unsurprisingly, given his journalistic career as European editor of The Guardian as well as an author of non-fiction history, Walker writes informatively on France’s historical involvement in Vietnam and on the tense contemporary situation between the Chinese and Vietnamese communities from Paris to Perigord.
Perhaps more surprising is the truly winning character he has created in Courreges, who lacks the irritating quirks of some detective heroes and manages to be brave, bright and very human, without the drink problem or delinquent daughter that seem to be de rigueur for his peers on the page. So likeable is Courreges, and so convincing his milieu, that I was desperate for more Bruno as soon as Black Diamond’s brisk and brutal conclusion came. Forget a rustic ride through rural France with a few swarthy stereotypes thrown in; as they say in the pages of Tricolore: c’est formidable.
During the early pages of Black Diamond, readers unfamiliar with Martin Walker’s French policeman, Bruno Courreges, would be forgiven for thinking that they had stumbled into a Tricolore textbook peopled with individuals imagined by Peter Mayle. Regarde: here is the genial police inspector from Perigord who loves to cook hearty dishes laced with the truffles he’s found in the woods. Maintenant, here is the mad English woman whom he is dating. Zut alors! A newcomer in town has opened an eco-restaurant. See how he has shut down the local sawmill.
But while Walker’s characters seem at first to be familiar types, and his evocation of rural France comforting, with its markets, hunting and meaty meals, things get complicated quickly. For beneath the Gallic charm that Walker conjures so effortlessly are modern mores and characters more convincing – and cruel – than you might at first assume.
As the only policeman in St Denis, Courreges is responsible for everything from crowd control to charity collections. So investigating rumours about a truffle scam in the local market while trying to find out who has attacked a Vietnamese family’s stall is more or less business as usual. Dedicated as he is to his job, Courreges is also preoccupied with the local mayoral elections, training the town’s rugby team and hunting with his friends.
This mix of petty crime and community life is beguiling, so it’s all the more shocking when one of Courreges’s buddies is found brutally – and I don’t use that word lightly – murdered, having been tortured and strung up seemingly as a warning to others. In discovering why his friend has been killed in such a cruel way, Courreges has to piece together unsavoury facts from France’s colonial past, and call on his contacts in the Secret Service. As he realises that there was more to his friend than he ever thought possible, so it dawns on the reader that, while Courreges is devoted to the town he polices and the rural life he enjoys, he is no bumbling plod but a keen investigator.
This sleight of hand continues throughout Black Diamond. There is more to everyone and everything than at first seems, which is true for the book itself. This isn’t a bucolic police yarn, despite appearances, but a well-crafted crime novel that cautions against blind belief in people and their motives. Unsurprisingly, given his journalistic career as European editor of The Guardian as well as an author of non-fiction history, Walker writes informatively on France’s historical involvement in Vietnam and on the tense contemporary situation between the Chinese and Vietnamese communities from Paris to Perigord.
Perhaps more surprising is the truly winning character he has created in Courreges, who lacks the irritating quirks of some detective heroes and manages to be brave, bright and very human, without the drink problem or delinquent daughter that seem to be de rigueur for his peers on the page. So likeable is Courreges, and so convincing his milieu, that I was desperate for more Bruno as soon as Black Diamond’s brisk and brutal conclusion came. Forget a rustic ride through rural France with a few swarthy stereotypes thrown in; as they say in the pages of Tricolore: c’est formidable.
Luscious rural French caper, featuring the intrepid, endearing gourmand Inspector Bruno Courreges on the trail of a gang of black truffle smugglers running rife in formerly blissful Périgord.
Henry Sutton, Daily Mirror
Waterstones.com
Life in south-west rural France is not the sleepy idyll you might suppose. Local duck and goose farms are being attacked by animal rights protesters attempting to halt the production of foie gras. A senior policeman has been shot by terrorists believed to be the Basque Separatists of ETA. And if that weren’t enough, a group of students have just unearthed a ‘modern’ skeleton during a dig at one of the ancient sites of this famous region and home to pre-historic man – a dig that has brought an influx of foreigners to the Dordogne. It is up to Chief of Police Bruno Courreges to get to the bottom of these seemingly unrelated events. Martin Walker spins a surprising and compelling mystery, laced with charm and a deep knowledge and love of France, past and present. It is a combination that will win him many fans.
Life in south-west rural France is not the sleepy idyll you might suppose. Local duck and goose farms are being attacked by animal rights protesters attempting to halt the production of foie gras. A senior policeman has been shot by terrorists believed to be the Basque Separatists of ETA. And if that weren’t enough, a group of students have just unearthed a ‘modern’ skeleton during a dig at one of the ancient sites of this famous region and home to pre-historic man – a dig that has brought an influx of foreigners to the Dordogne. It is up to Chief of Police Bruno Courreges to get to the bottom of these seemingly unrelated events. Martin Walker spins a surprising and compelling mystery, laced with charm and a deep knowledge and love of France, past and present. It is a combination that will win him many fans.
Martin Walker’s delightful Bruno series makes you want to buy a ticket and immerse yourself in la France Profonde.
Irish Independent
BarnesandNoble.com
In this riveting sequel to Martin Walker’s internationally acclaimed novel Bruno, Chief of Police, some of France’s great pleasures—wine, passion and intrigue—converge in a dark chain of events that threaten the peaceful village of Saint-Denis.
Benoît (Bruno) Courrèges—devoted friend, cuisinier extraordinaire and the town’s onlymunicipal policeman—rushes to the scene when a research station for genetically modified crops is burned down outside Saint-Denis. Bruno immediately suspects a group of fervent environmentalists who live nearby, but the fire is only the first in a string of mysteries centering on the region’s fertile soil.
Then a bevy of winemakers descends on Saint-Denis, competing for its land and spurring resentment among the villagers. Romances blossom. Hearts are broken. Some of the sensual pleasures of the town—a dinner of a truffle omelette and grilled bécasses,a community grape-crushing—provide an opportunity for both warm friendship and bitter hostilities to form. The town’s rivals—Max, an environmentalist who hopes to make organic wine; Jacqueline, a flirtatious, newly arrived Québécoise; and Fernando, the heir to an American wine fortune—act increasingly erratically. Events grow ever darker, culminating in two suspicious deaths, and Bruno finds that the problems of the present are never far from those of the past.
A splendid mystery—and a delectable serving of the pleasures of France.
In this riveting sequel to Martin Walker’s internationally acclaimed novel Bruno, Chief of Police, some of France’s great pleasures—wine, passion and intrigue—converge in a dark chain of events that threaten the peaceful village of Saint-Denis.
Benoît (Bruno) Courrèges—devoted friend, cuisinier extraordinaire and the town’s onlymunicipal policeman—rushes to the scene when a research station for genetically modified crops is burned down outside Saint-Denis. Bruno immediately suspects a group of fervent environmentalists who live nearby, but the fire is only the first in a string of mysteries centering on the region’s fertile soil.
Then a bevy of winemakers descends on Saint-Denis, competing for its land and spurring resentment among the villagers. Romances blossom. Hearts are broken. Some of the sensual pleasures of the town—a dinner of a truffle omelette and grilled bécasses,a community grape-crushing—provide an opportunity for both warm friendship and bitter hostilities to form. The town’s rivals—Max, an environmentalist who hopes to make organic wine; Jacqueline, a flirtatious, newly arrived Québécoise; and Fernando, the heir to an American wine fortune—act increasingly erratically. Events grow ever darker, culminating in two suspicious deaths, and Bruno finds that the problems of the present are never far from those of the past.
A splendid mystery—and a delectable serving of the pleasures of France.
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Gallic charm suffuses Walker’s third mystery of the French countryside (after 2010′s The Dark Vineyard). Bruno Courrèges, the engaging do-gooder police chief of St. Denis in the Périgord region, likes to hunt for truffles with his basset hound, Gigi, and his mentor, Hercule, a retired intelligence agent with ties to Southeast Asia. Hercule’s savage murder thrusts Bruno into a boiling conflict between France’s Vietnamese refugees and the Chinese mob now rapidly surpassing them in France’s underworld. Walker deftly seasons this complicated criminal mélange with the multimillion-dollar truffle trade and the rowdy Green threat to St. Denis’s traditional way of life, adding savory soupçons of Bruno’s romances past (Isabelle of the Police Nationale), present (exotically English Pamela), and possibly future (needy single mother and research chemist Florence). Like the aroma of amateur chef Bruno’s venison stew, which virtually leaps off the pages, Walker’s unmistakable affection for the “enchanting Périgord” makes every morsel of this cozy–cum–crime novel a savory delight.
Gallic charm suffuses Walker’s third mystery of the French countryside (after 2010′s The Dark Vineyard). Bruno Courrèges, the engaging do-gooder police chief of St. Denis in the Périgord region, likes to hunt for truffles with his basset hound, Gigi, and his mentor, Hercule, a retired intelligence agent with ties to Southeast Asia. Hercule’s savage murder thrusts Bruno into a boiling conflict between France’s Vietnamese refugees and the Chinese mob now rapidly surpassing them in France’s underworld. Walker deftly seasons this complicated criminal mélange with the multimillion-dollar truffle trade and the rowdy Green threat to St. Denis’s traditional way of life, adding savory soupçons of Bruno’s romances past (Isabelle of the Police Nationale), present (exotically English Pamela), and possibly future (needy single mother and research chemist Florence). Like the aroma of amateur chef Bruno’s venison stew, which virtually leaps off the pages, Walker’s unmistakable affection for the “enchanting Périgord” makes every morsel of this cozy–cum–crime novel a savory delight.
All in all a good read is promised as Walker has lined up a tight line of characters. … The Bruno Courreges books tell you much about the heart of France and the web of life in little towns – it’s engrossing.
The Connexion
goodreads.com
Truffles are big business in France. When it is suspected that someone is replacing high-quality truffles with cheaper Chinese truffles, Bruno is asked to do an informal investigation. With a heinous murder and attacks on Vietnamese merchants, things become serious, and dangerous, very quickly.
Any impression of this being light, cozy series is completely dispelled by this book. It is, in fact, a strong, complex, compelling police procedural with a protagonist who has become one of my favorites.
Although Bruno is the focal character, it is his relationships with friends and associates that add layers and texture. Bruno is his town’s only policeman. This makes him an integral part of the community while helping maintain its structure. He is intelligent, analytical and a by-the book policeman without being rigid. He has a history, doesn’t shy from violence, dresses as Pare Noel and teaches rugby and tennis to the kids. In other words, he is well rounded, interesting and realistic.
Walker, with a deft hand, starts with bucolic descriptions which set the scene and provide sense of place. Throughout there are mouth-watering descriptions of food and its part in a tradition which touches the heart. The use of French expressions lends veracity while their translation prevents readers from feeling excluded.
The plot builds and weaves in a way that kept me going. It started off seemingly simple, yet escalated quickly as does the motive behind the crimes. Again, anything but a cozy; yet an interesting look into the politics and issues of France; one of the reasons I am attracted to books set outside the US.
As always, I recommend starting the series at the beginning and not being put off by either the title or cover of the first book, “Bruno, Chief of Police.” Walker is a very good writer; Bruno a very good policeman in a series that improves with each entry.
Truffles are big business in France. When it is suspected that someone is replacing high-quality truffles with cheaper Chinese truffles, Bruno is asked to do an informal investigation. With a heinous murder and attacks on Vietnamese merchants, things become serious, and dangerous, very quickly.
Any impression of this being light, cozy series is completely dispelled by this book. It is, in fact, a strong, complex, compelling police procedural with a protagonist who has become one of my favorites.
Although Bruno is the focal character, it is his relationships with friends and associates that add layers and texture. Bruno is his town’s only policeman. This makes him an integral part of the community while helping maintain its structure. He is intelligent, analytical and a by-the book policeman without being rigid. He has a history, doesn’t shy from violence, dresses as Pare Noel and teaches rugby and tennis to the kids. In other words, he is well rounded, interesting and realistic.
Walker, with a deft hand, starts with bucolic descriptions which set the scene and provide sense of place. Throughout there are mouth-watering descriptions of food and its part in a tradition which touches the heart. The use of French expressions lends veracity while their translation prevents readers from feeling excluded.
The plot builds and weaves in a way that kept me going. It started off seemingly simple, yet escalated quickly as does the motive behind the crimes. Again, anything but a cozy; yet an interesting look into the politics and issues of France; one of the reasons I am attracted to books set outside the US.
As always, I recommend starting the series at the beginning and not being put off by either the title or cover of the first book, “Bruno, Chief of Police.” Walker is a very good writer; Bruno a very good policeman in a series that improves with each entry.
Bruno Courreges, the mild-mannered policeman of this charming crime thriller is a very engaging protagonist and his descriptions of the French locations make you wish you were there, soaking up the atmosphere and supping on the fine food and wine. Another cracking entry in the series, with a well-paced and gripping story.
Buzz
crimetime.co.uk
Martin Walker’s series featuring his quirky copper Bruno Courreges has been one of the real pleasures of the crime fiction field in recent years, and much of the appeal is to do with the author’s keen evocation of the Perigord region, Courreges’ stamping ground (which the author knows intimately). Lovers of French cuisine esteem very highly the black truffle of the Perigord region, but it is discovered that the truffles are being contaminated with inexpensive versions from China. Chinese criminals are behind this enterprise, wreaking havoc in the region… a major headache for Bruno Courreges.
Martin Walker’s series featuring his quirky copper Bruno Courreges has been one of the real pleasures of the crime fiction field in recent years, and much of the appeal is to do with the author’s keen evocation of the Perigord region, Courreges’ stamping ground (which the author knows intimately). Lovers of French cuisine esteem very highly the black truffle of the Perigord region, but it is discovered that the truffles are being contaminated with inexpensive versions from China. Chinese criminals are behind this enterprise, wreaking havoc in the region… a major headache for Bruno Courreges.
Read and Relax
Like many ardent thriller and suspense readers I have found it very difficult to become involved with any crime/thriller fiction since reading Steig Larsson’s Millennium series. However Martin Walker’s Black Diamond did hold my interest. I enjoyed the European setting and the quirky focus on truffles! The dialogue in this novel is good without the need to use bad language and Inspector Bruno Courreges adds to the flavour of investigating an interesting plot.
France’s Perigord region is the home of the exquisite black truffle, and at five thousand euros a kilo, it’s a treasured local asset. When reports come in that this unique delicacy is being adulterated with a cheaper Chinese version, Bruno is asked to investigate the scam. In St Denis market, a Vietnamese family runs a popular staff selling their country’s dishes, until one day their stall is overturned and wrecked by attackers who look Chinese. Bruno wonders if these are the opening shots of a Viet-Chinese triad war. When brutal murder is added to the mix, Bruno has his work cut out to find the connection between present and long buried crimes that are linked to France’s colonial past. Martin Walker spins an intriguing mystery leavened with charm and humour, informed by a deep love of French rural life and a broad knowledge of France, past and present. It is a combination that will win him many devoted readers.
Well worth reading if you like a crime novel that is well written with a European flavour.
Like many ardent thriller and suspense readers I have found it very difficult to become involved with any crime/thriller fiction since reading Steig Larsson’s Millennium series. However Martin Walker’s Black Diamond did hold my interest. I enjoyed the European setting and the quirky focus on truffles! The dialogue in this novel is good without the need to use bad language and Inspector Bruno Courreges adds to the flavour of investigating an interesting plot.
France’s Perigord region is the home of the exquisite black truffle, and at five thousand euros a kilo, it’s a treasured local asset. When reports come in that this unique delicacy is being adulterated with a cheaper Chinese version, Bruno is asked to investigate the scam. In St Denis market, a Vietnamese family runs a popular staff selling their country’s dishes, until one day their stall is overturned and wrecked by attackers who look Chinese. Bruno wonders if these are the opening shots of a Viet-Chinese triad war. When brutal murder is added to the mix, Bruno has his work cut out to find the connection between present and long buried crimes that are linked to France’s colonial past. Martin Walker spins an intriguing mystery leavened with charm and humour, informed by a deep love of French rural life and a broad knowledge of France, past and present. It is a combination that will win him many devoted readers.
Well worth reading if you like a crime novel that is well written with a European flavour.
BellasBookshelves.com
This lovely little gem of a novel is the perfect size for your handbag to take with you wherever you go, which is exactly what I’m doing now. I’m nearly halfway through Bruno(follow the link for a browse), and quite enjoying the delightful, humorous read, even though it’s sort of formulaic, but it works for the setting. Part of HarperCollins’s attractiveHarperWeekend imprint, the 273-page trimsize novel is the story of a shocking murder that takes place in a sleepy town called St. Denis, in the rural Dordogne region of France. The book reminds me so far of one of my favourite mystery series, the Inspector Montalbano books by Andrea Camilleri (though I think Camilleri’s books better).
Good food, rich atmosphere, and a cast of colourful characters make Bruno a trip down memory lane for me (I lived in France for a year a long time ago.) While there is a Saint-Denis in Paris (which incidentally has an incredibly high crime rate), this Saint Denis is fictional. Read about the little town here, and check out the rest of the site while you’re at it! I’ll buying the sequel, I’m sure, called The Dark Vineyard.
This lovely little gem of a novel is the perfect size for your handbag to take with you wherever you go, which is exactly what I’m doing now. I’m nearly halfway through Bruno(follow the link for a browse), and quite enjoying the delightful, humorous read, even though it’s sort of formulaic, but it works for the setting. Part of HarperCollins’s attractiveHarperWeekend imprint, the 273-page trimsize novel is the story of a shocking murder that takes place in a sleepy town called St. Denis, in the rural Dordogne region of France. The book reminds me so far of one of my favourite mystery series, the Inspector Montalbano books by Andrea Camilleri (though I think Camilleri’s books better).
Good food, rich atmosphere, and a cast of colourful characters make Bruno a trip down memory lane for me (I lived in France for a year a long time ago.) While there is a Saint-Denis in Paris (which incidentally has an incredibly high crime rate), this Saint Denis is fictional. Read about the little town here, and check out the rest of the site while you’re at it! I’ll buying the sequel, I’m sure, called The Dark Vineyard.
revcherylreads.typepad.com
I was delighted that following a recommendation on another blog I tried the first in a relatively new series of novels set in the Perigord region of SW France. I’ve not had the opportunity to travel that much, so I enjoy a holiday by proxy when a writer gives me a real sense of place. Of course this means I have no way of judging how accurate it is, but it works for me. Recently I heard of a budget holiday idea where we stay at home and enjoy a guide which describes in detail our trip around an area, what we will see, smell, taste and otherwise experience while watching films which feature the area, reading books and cooking ourselves some of the local cuisine. It does have a certain attraction when funds are limited and I don’ then have to worry about the animals at home and who is looking after them.
So if you fancy a trip to Perigord by proxy I can recommend Bruno.
Martin Walker creates a town and its inhabitants, their relationships to each other, their daily preoccupations and passions and the food and drink they love. Bruno is introduced to us and as the novel unfolds we get more and more of a sense of who he is, what has shaped him and what matters to him.
The central crime concerns the murder of an old Algerian immigrant, whose entire family have settled here and become assimilated. But he himself has only lived in the area a couple of years and by and large has kept himself to himself , except for spending time with his family. There is a suggestion that the murder has racial motivation and the police begin their investigation trying to understand what has motivated this brutal and apparently senseless crime. Along the way they uncover a few other things and Bruno has to work with his new gendarme colleague and the representatives of the Police Nationale as well as continue with his routine of helping the local market traders avoid the bureaucratic rulings of the EU inspectors. He shows himself a fine investigator, a wily politician and a good human being. The crime and its motive is unfolded in a realistic and even-handed manner and the way that justice and the law can appear to be different things is highlighted.
All in all I enjoyed my visit to Perigord and look forward to spending more time with Bruno. I’m sure wherever you are holidaying this year he would be a worthwhile companion in your luggage and I’m just about to get stuck in to the second in the series- Dark Vineyard. it’s even making me wish I liked alcohol so I could enjoy the local wines and spirits that feature in the story.
I was delighted that following a recommendation on another blog I tried the first in a relatively new series of novels set in the Perigord region of SW France. I’ve not had the opportunity to travel that much, so I enjoy a holiday by proxy when a writer gives me a real sense of place. Of course this means I have no way of judging how accurate it is, but it works for me. Recently I heard of a budget holiday idea where we stay at home and enjoy a guide which describes in detail our trip around an area, what we will see, smell, taste and otherwise experience while watching films which feature the area, reading books and cooking ourselves some of the local cuisine. It does have a certain attraction when funds are limited and I don’ then have to worry about the animals at home and who is looking after them.
So if you fancy a trip to Perigord by proxy I can recommend Bruno.
Martin Walker creates a town and its inhabitants, their relationships to each other, their daily preoccupations and passions and the food and drink they love. Bruno is introduced to us and as the novel unfolds we get more and more of a sense of who he is, what has shaped him and what matters to him.
The central crime concerns the murder of an old Algerian immigrant, whose entire family have settled here and become assimilated. But he himself has only lived in the area a couple of years and by and large has kept himself to himself , except for spending time with his family. There is a suggestion that the murder has racial motivation and the police begin their investigation trying to understand what has motivated this brutal and apparently senseless crime. Along the way they uncover a few other things and Bruno has to work with his new gendarme colleague and the representatives of the Police Nationale as well as continue with his routine of helping the local market traders avoid the bureaucratic rulings of the EU inspectors. He shows himself a fine investigator, a wily politician and a good human being. The crime and its motive is unfolded in a realistic and even-handed manner and the way that justice and the law can appear to be different things is highlighted.
All in all I enjoyed my visit to Perigord and look forward to spending more time with Bruno. I’m sure wherever you are holidaying this year he would be a worthwhile companion in your luggage and I’m just about to get stuck in to the second in the series- Dark Vineyard. it’s even making me wish I liked alcohol so I could enjoy the local wines and spirits that feature in the story.
The Bookbag
Perigord is rightly famed for its food and at the heart of the region’s success lies the black truffle. They’re exported all over the world because nothing else quite lives up to the subtlety and nuances of flavour and aroma. There are the first rumblings of trouble though – a few complaints that packs of truffles have been adulterated by cheaper ones from China – and there are ominous signs that Chinese organised crime might be behind the fraud. Intriguingly there’s another, possibly related problem for Bruno Courreges, the local chief of police. In St Denis market a Vietnamese family’s stall is wrecked – and the attackers looked to be Chinese.
Don’t read this book if you’re on a diet. With meals featuring venison casserole, desserts made with litres of cream, glorious cheeses and wonderful wines it will be too much temptation to bear. The wonderful descriptions of the French countryside – the woods and valleys, the beautiful villages will be a further pull – and the crimes, well they’re just a story, aren’t they? But what a story it is, with a fraud which could ruin the Perigord truffle industry, a Viet-Chinese triad war and some children who are rather illusive – and that’s on top of all the usual politics and bureaucracy which goes with life in rural France.
As for Bruno himself, he’s superman. Children are rescued from slurry pits and fires and even when he’s dressed as Father Christmas he still manages to put up a good fight for law and order. He’s a single man who would love a family and it’s difficult to understand why some good woman doesn’t just snap him up. He’s a man’s man too, with his hunting and shooting and the odd contact sport just to liven a dull day.
It’s a good story and I certainly didn’t expect it to end the way that it did, despite the fact that all the clues were there. There’s a certain charm to the story which put me in mind of A Year in Provence and despite some particularly gruesome situations there’s a degree of humour which I wasn’t expecting, but which was very welcome. All the loose ends were tied up – perhaps a little too neatly for my taste as life is rarely that tidy – but I’ll certainly look forward to reading the next Bruno Courreges story.
Perigord is rightly famed for its food and at the heart of the region’s success lies the black truffle. They’re exported all over the world because nothing else quite lives up to the subtlety and nuances of flavour and aroma. There are the first rumblings of trouble though – a few complaints that packs of truffles have been adulterated by cheaper ones from China – and there are ominous signs that Chinese organised crime might be behind the fraud. Intriguingly there’s another, possibly related problem for Bruno Courreges, the local chief of police. In St Denis market a Vietnamese family’s stall is wrecked – and the attackers looked to be Chinese.
Don’t read this book if you’re on a diet. With meals featuring venison casserole, desserts made with litres of cream, glorious cheeses and wonderful wines it will be too much temptation to bear. The wonderful descriptions of the French countryside – the woods and valleys, the beautiful villages will be a further pull – and the crimes, well they’re just a story, aren’t they? But what a story it is, with a fraud which could ruin the Perigord truffle industry, a Viet-Chinese triad war and some children who are rather illusive – and that’s on top of all the usual politics and bureaucracy which goes with life in rural France.
As for Bruno himself, he’s superman. Children are rescued from slurry pits and fires and even when he’s dressed as Father Christmas he still manages to put up a good fight for law and order. He’s a single man who would love a family and it’s difficult to understand why some good woman doesn’t just snap him up. He’s a man’s man too, with his hunting and shooting and the odd contact sport just to liven a dull day.
It’s a good story and I certainly didn’t expect it to end the way that it did, despite the fact that all the clues were there. There’s a certain charm to the story which put me in mind of A Year in Provence and despite some particularly gruesome situations there’s a degree of humour which I wasn’t expecting, but which was very welcome. All the loose ends were tied up – perhaps a little too neatly for my taste as life is rarely that tidy – but I’ll certainly look forward to reading the next Bruno Courreges story.
www.reviewingtheevidence.com
Martin Walker’s Bruno Courreges series presents a deceptively laidback portrait of rural France, where our friendly neighbourhood policeman can rely on his close-knit village pals to help him out whilst ensuring he never misses out on his lunch . . .
Food is at the centre of BLACK DIAMOND, the third book in this polished series. The Perigord region is the home of the black truffle, a snip at five thousand Euros a kilo. Bruno steps in to investigate when a cheaper Chinese version threatens to adulterate the local delicacy. And there’s a far Eastern link elsewhere when a Vietnamese family, who run a stall in St Denis market, are attacked by some men who look Chinese.
The investigation – and a subsequent murder – attracts the attention of those far above a humble village cop. But it becomes personal for Bruno as he investigates and uncovers links to France’s colonial past.
One of the many strengths of this series is the way Walker balances present day France with secrets from the country’s past. It’s done with elegance, intelligence and a touch of steel to ensure that the books never turn into a twee portrayal of rural life. In fact, the seemingly civilised and idyllic village of St Denis provides a microcosm of the country’s issues, including immigration and violent crime.
Bruno, too, is far more than an average village plod. He’s been marked and influenced by his military background, and he’s also caught the eye of those in positions of influence. So while he has to put his personal emotions to one side to investigate the murder, he also remains aware of his responsibilities to his friends in the village.
BLACK DIAMOND quietly and effectively moves Bruno’s story on whilst turning a steely eye on France’s tangled history. It’s an intelligent series that’s well worth searching out.
Martin Walker’s Bruno Courreges series presents a deceptively laidback portrait of rural France, where our friendly neighbourhood policeman can rely on his close-knit village pals to help him out whilst ensuring he never misses out on his lunch . . .
Food is at the centre of BLACK DIAMOND, the third book in this polished series. The Perigord region is the home of the black truffle, a snip at five thousand Euros a kilo. Bruno steps in to investigate when a cheaper Chinese version threatens to adulterate the local delicacy. And there’s a far Eastern link elsewhere when a Vietnamese family, who run a stall in St Denis market, are attacked by some men who look Chinese.
The investigation – and a subsequent murder – attracts the attention of those far above a humble village cop. But it becomes personal for Bruno as he investigates and uncovers links to France’s colonial past.
One of the many strengths of this series is the way Walker balances present day France with secrets from the country’s past. It’s done with elegance, intelligence and a touch of steel to ensure that the books never turn into a twee portrayal of rural life. In fact, the seemingly civilised and idyllic village of St Denis provides a microcosm of the country’s issues, including immigration and violent crime.
Bruno, too, is far more than an average village plod. He’s been marked and influenced by his military background, and he’s also caught the eye of those in positions of influence. So while he has to put his personal emotions to one side to investigate the murder, he also remains aware of his responsibilities to his friends in the village.
BLACK DIAMOND quietly and effectively moves Bruno’s story on whilst turning a steely eye on France’s tangled history. It’s an intelligent series that’s well worth searching out.
