Children of War / The Children Return
Publishers' Weekly
Recent events make the themes of Walker’s thoughtful seventh novel set in France’s Périgord (after 2014’s The Resistance Man)—terrorism and prejudice—seem eerily prescient. Bruno Courrèges, the St. Denis a police chief, is sickened by the burnt, tortured corpse he discovers and later identifies as Rafiq, an undercover operative investigating extremist infiltration at a nearby mosque. Soon afterward, Bruno learns that local youth Sami Belloumi, an autistic savant, is being transported home from Afghanistan, where he has been forced by jihadists (whom he met through the mosque’s school) to engineer lethal terrorist bombs. Sami’s return puts St. Denis in the middle of a media firestorm; experts converge to determine his legal treatment even as Rafiq’s killers try to silence Sami and Bruno. More thriller than mystery, this installment lacks the warmth of the series’ more-local story lines—but Bruno still has time to savor food, wine, and his attraction to a FBI liaison.
Recent events make the themes of Walker’s thoughtful seventh novel set in France’s Périgord (after 2014’s The Resistance Man)—terrorism and prejudice—seem eerily prescient. Bruno Courrèges, the St. Denis a police chief, is sickened by the burnt, tortured corpse he discovers and later identifies as Rafiq, an undercover operative investigating extremist infiltration at a nearby mosque. Soon afterward, Bruno learns that local youth Sami Belloumi, an autistic savant, is being transported home from Afghanistan, where he has been forced by jihadists (whom he met through the mosque’s school) to engineer lethal terrorist bombs. Sami’s return puts St. Denis in the middle of a media firestorm; experts converge to determine his legal treatment even as Rafiq’s killers try to silence Sami and Bruno. More thriller than mystery, this installment lacks the warmth of the series’ more-local story lines—but Bruno still has time to savor food, wine, and his attraction to a FBI liaison.
Booklist
There is a tension in Walker's Chief Bruno series between the idyllic village of St Denis in the Dordogne region of France, where Bruno Courreges serves as chief of police, and the incursions of either homegrown evil or the problems of the outside world. The tension is often lightened by discourses on the local wine, loving accounts of cooking, and to-die-for descriptions of Bruno's rides on horseback through the countryside. The seventh instalment is much lighter on the frivolity. A man's body is discovered in the woods where Bruno loves to ride; Bruno recognises the cruel efficiency of the method as the mark of a special forces assassin. Bruno also investigates some history here, the Jewish children reportedly sheltered by villagers during WWII. This last bit is interesting but seems tacked on. This is a solid mystery, with the ever-fascinating character of Bruno at the helm, but it's lacking that sense of everyday living in France that makes the series so captivating.
There is a tension in Walker's Chief Bruno series between the idyllic village of St Denis in the Dordogne region of France, where Bruno Courreges serves as chief of police, and the incursions of either homegrown evil or the problems of the outside world. The tension is often lightened by discourses on the local wine, loving accounts of cooking, and to-die-for descriptions of Bruno's rides on horseback through the countryside. The seventh instalment is much lighter on the frivolity. A man's body is discovered in the woods where Bruno loves to ride; Bruno recognises the cruel efficiency of the method as the mark of a special forces assassin. Bruno also investigates some history here, the Jewish children reportedly sheltered by villagers during WWII. This last bit is interesting but seems tacked on. This is a solid mystery, with the ever-fascinating character of Bruno at the helm, but it's lacking that sense of everyday living in France that makes the series so captivating.
Open Letters Monthly
The Children Return is a potent mix of intrigue and charm. It’s powerful and prescient, without one false note.
The Children Return is a potent mix of intrigue and charm. It’s powerful and prescient, without one false note.
