The Crowded Grave
Laura Wilson, The Guardian
This is the fourth novel in Walker’s series featuring Bruno Corrèges, chief of police in the fictional town of St Denis in an idealised Dordogne that symbolises rural independence in the face of urban and EU bureaucracy. One of the charms of the series is the detailed procession of French country cuisine that no investigation is ever allowed to impede; another is the character of Bruno himself– humane, sensible, honest and a very good cook. Here, the investigation involves a recently skeletonised body found at an archaeological dig, Basque separatists who are threatening the security of a Franco-Spanish summit being held in a local chateau, and animal rights campaigners targeting producers of foie gras. A satisfyingly intriguing, wish-you-were-there read with lashings of gastroporn.
This is the fourth novel in Walker’s series featuring Bruno Corrèges, chief of police in the fictional town of St Denis in an idealised Dordogne that symbolises rural independence in the face of urban and EU bureaucracy. One of the charms of the series is the detailed procession of French country cuisine that no investigation is ever allowed to impede; another is the character of Bruno himself– humane, sensible, honest and a very good cook. Here, the investigation involves a recently skeletonised body found at an archaeological dig, Basque separatists who are threatening the security of a Franco-Spanish summit being held in a local chateau, and animal rights campaigners targeting producers of foie gras. A satisfyingly intriguing, wish-you-were-there read with lashings of gastroporn.
Walker is brilliant at capturing the murderous charms of rural France, with the aid of his charming St Denis chief of police Bruno.
Henry Sutton, Daily Mirror
The New York Times
The small towns where Martin Walker sets his enchanting country mysteries embody the sublime physical beauty and intractable political problems of the Dordogne region of France. Bruno Courrèges, the peaceable chief of police in the fictional village of St. Denis, would ideally spend his days tending his vineyard, coaching the local rugby team and cooking up fabulous feasts for his friends. But in THE CROWDED GRAVE (Knopf, $24.95), he has to contend with PETA militants tearing down the goose pens of local farmers and Basque terrorists provoked by a summit between France and Spain, not to mention the remains of a modern-day murder victim that turn up at an archaeological dig. But Bruno’s biggest headache is the repressive new magistrate, a staunch foe of the hunt, a vegetarian and (quelle horreur!) a teetotaler who doesn’t appreciate the hedonistic joys of his lovely valley. She’ll learn.
The small towns where Martin Walker sets his enchanting country mysteries embody the sublime physical beauty and intractable political problems of the Dordogne region of France. Bruno Courrèges, the peaceable chief of police in the fictional village of St. Denis, would ideally spend his days tending his vineyard, coaching the local rugby team and cooking up fabulous feasts for his friends. But in THE CROWDED GRAVE (Knopf, $24.95), he has to contend with PETA militants tearing down the goose pens of local farmers and Basque terrorists provoked by a summit between France and Spain, not to mention the remains of a modern-day murder victim that turn up at an archaeological dig. But Bruno’s biggest headache is the repressive new magistrate, a staunch foe of the hunt, a vegetarian and (quelle horreur!) a teetotaler who doesn’t appreciate the hedonistic joys of his lovely valley. She’ll learn.
The latest magnifique Mystery of the French Countryside (see Bruno, Chief of Police; The Dark Vineyard; and Black Diamond) is a delightful potpourri of murder, various types of terrorism, gourmet dining, and intelligent women competing for Bruno. With a sad but realistic exciting climax, fans will appreciate Martin Walker’s superbe gendarme procedural.
Mystery Gazette (USA)
Publishers’ Weekly
The discovery at an archaeological dig of a corpse dating back only to the 1980s, with a gunshot wound to the head, is but the first of several problems facing St. Denis police chief Bruno Courreges Walker’s appealing fourth mystery set in France’s Perigord region (after 2011′s Black Diamond). Bruno also has to worry about a potential terrorist threat to a high-profile meeting between French and Spanish officials in St. Denis. To make matters worse, the town’s newly-installed investigating magistrate is a stickler who takes health code violations seriously in a community where people often slaughter their own livestock, with or without a license. Finally, at a time when PETA activists are stirring up trouble, the magistrate launches a campaign against the sacred foie gras. Walker hits the sweet spot of balancing humor and drama, and his food descriptions will leave readers fantasizing about dining in the Perigord.
The discovery at an archaeological dig of a corpse dating back only to the 1980s, with a gunshot wound to the head, is but the first of several problems facing St. Denis police chief Bruno Courreges Walker’s appealing fourth mystery set in France’s Perigord region (after 2011′s Black Diamond). Bruno also has to worry about a potential terrorist threat to a high-profile meeting between French and Spanish officials in St. Denis. To make matters worse, the town’s newly-installed investigating magistrate is a stickler who takes health code violations seriously in a community where people often slaughter their own livestock, with or without a license. Finally, at a time when PETA activists are stirring up trouble, the magistrate launches a campaign against the sacred foie gras. Walker hits the sweet spot of balancing humor and drama, and his food descriptions will leave readers fantasizing about dining in the Perigord.
Intriguing well written crime novel that keeps the reader guessing though to the final pages; a good read and one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time.
Joclyn Manners, First Active Media
Michele Leber, Booklist
Police chief Bruno Courreges of the small French town of St. Denis has a lot on his plate here besides his lovely foie gras. There are PETA demonstrations against local farmers who raise geese; a recent body has turned up at an archaelogical dig just before an important discovery is announced; the professor in charge of the dig then disappears; and a planned summit, fraught with security concerns, is about to take place between French and Spanish officials on an agreement about Basque terrorism. At the same time, Courrege’s new magistrate, a feminist vegetarian who finds foie gras not just cruel but barbaric, joins forces with another local lawman in a vendetta against Bruno, who occasionally cuts corners to achieve humanitarian ends. The fourth installment in this series (after Black Diamond, 2011) is largelt a lighthearted celebration of the Perigord region of France, up to its action-packed climax, but the damage and loss sustained there fail to dim the prevailing atmosphere of dappled sunlight and good food and wine and friends. A pleasure for Francophiles, oenophiles, and the palate.
Police chief Bruno Courreges of the small French town of St. Denis has a lot on his plate here besides his lovely foie gras. There are PETA demonstrations against local farmers who raise geese; a recent body has turned up at an archaelogical dig just before an important discovery is announced; the professor in charge of the dig then disappears; and a planned summit, fraught with security concerns, is about to take place between French and Spanish officials on an agreement about Basque terrorism. At the same time, Courrege’s new magistrate, a feminist vegetarian who finds foie gras not just cruel but barbaric, joins forces with another local lawman in a vendetta against Bruno, who occasionally cuts corners to achieve humanitarian ends. The fourth installment in this series (after Black Diamond, 2011) is largelt a lighthearted celebration of the Perigord region of France, up to its action-packed climax, but the damage and loss sustained there fail to dim the prevailing atmosphere of dappled sunlight and good food and wine and friends. A pleasure for Francophiles, oenophiles, and the palate.
Seattle Times
In Martin Walker’s delightful series about Bruno, chief of police in a small Dordogne village, the charm of rural France is regularly disrupted — but not too much. The Crowded Grave (Knopf, 336 pp., $24.95) finds affable Bruno juggling a complex love life while investigating three mysteries. Basque terrorists pose a threat to an upcoming conference. An archaeological dig reveals a recently deceased body. And animal-rights terrorists target farmers who force-feed ducks and geese to make the region’s famed paté de foie gras. Bruno is a casual, unfussy gourmand, the kind of guy who hums the Marseillaise to time how long to sauté foie gras. But the cop is a gourmand nonetheless, so it’s hard to say which has a higher priority: solving murders or protecting his beloved paté from attack.
In Martin Walker’s delightful series about Bruno, chief of police in a small Dordogne village, the charm of rural France is regularly disrupted — but not too much. The Crowded Grave (Knopf, 336 pp., $24.95) finds affable Bruno juggling a complex love life while investigating three mysteries. Basque terrorists pose a threat to an upcoming conference. An archaeological dig reveals a recently deceased body. And animal-rights terrorists target farmers who force-feed ducks and geese to make the region’s famed paté de foie gras. Bruno is a casual, unfussy gourmand, the kind of guy who hums the Marseillaise to time how long to sauté foie gras. But the cop is a gourmand nonetheless, so it’s hard to say which has a higher priority: solving murders or protecting his beloved paté from attack.
Kirkus Reviews – 1o Not To Miss Crime Novels
It’s difficult not to be charmed by journalist Walker’s series about Benoît “Bruno” Courrèges, the affable and shrewd chief of police in the village of Saint-Denis. These tales (including 2011’s Black Diamond) combine elements of mystery and political intrigue with a conspicuous appreciation of rural France’s gustatory and scenic attributes. Here, archaeologists searching for Cro-Magnon remains instead unearth a corpse with a bullet in its noggin. Soon after, the professor responsible for that dig vanishes. While contending with an intrusive new magistrate, escalating protests by animal-rights activists against local foie gras makers and the attentions of not one, but two female admirers, Bruno—wine in hand and dinner on his mind—plumbs Europe’s history of terrorism for a solution to modern acts of malfeasance.
It’s difficult not to be charmed by journalist Walker’s series about Benoît “Bruno” Courrèges, the affable and shrewd chief of police in the village of Saint-Denis. These tales (including 2011’s Black Diamond) combine elements of mystery and political intrigue with a conspicuous appreciation of rural France’s gustatory and scenic attributes. Here, archaeologists searching for Cro-Magnon remains instead unearth a corpse with a bullet in its noggin. Soon after, the professor responsible for that dig vanishes. While contending with an intrusive new magistrate, escalating protests by animal-rights activists against local foie gras makers and the attentions of not one, but two female admirers, Bruno—wine in hand and dinner on his mind—plumbs Europe’s history of terrorism for a solution to modern acts of malfeasance.
Booklist
Police chief Bruno Courreges of the small French town of St. Denis has a lot on his plate here besides his lovely foie gras. There are PETA demonstrations against local farmers who raise geese; a recent body has turned up at an archaeological dig just before an important discovery is announced; the professor in charge of the dig then disappears; and a planned summit, fraught with security concerns, is about to take place between French and Spanish officials on an agreement about Basque terrorism. At the same, time, Courreges’ new magistrate, a feminist vegetarian who finds foie gras not just cruel but barbaric, joins forces with another local lawman in a vendetta against Bruno, who occasionally cuts corners to achieve humanitarian ends. The fourth installment in this series (after Black Diamond, 2011) is largely a lighthearted celebration of the Perigord region of France, up to its action-packed climax, but the damage and loss sustained there fail to dim the prevailing atmosphere of dappled sunlight and good food and wine and friends. A pleasure for Francophiles, oenophiles, and the palate.
Police chief Bruno Courreges of the small French town of St. Denis has a lot on his plate here besides his lovely foie gras. There are PETA demonstrations against local farmers who raise geese; a recent body has turned up at an archaeological dig just before an important discovery is announced; the professor in charge of the dig then disappears; and a planned summit, fraught with security concerns, is about to take place between French and Spanish officials on an agreement about Basque terrorism. At the same, time, Courreges’ new magistrate, a feminist vegetarian who finds foie gras not just cruel but barbaric, joins forces with another local lawman in a vendetta against Bruno, who occasionally cuts corners to achieve humanitarian ends. The fourth installment in this series (after Black Diamond, 2011) is largely a lighthearted celebration of the Perigord region of France, up to its action-packed climax, but the damage and loss sustained there fail to dim the prevailing atmosphere of dappled sunlight and good food and wine and friends. A pleasure for Francophiles, oenophiles, and the palate.
Amy Myers, www.shotsmag.co.uk
Martin Walker is well known in many fields, including political commentary. In the crime writing world he’s known for his series featuring Bruno, chief of the local police in a small French town in the Périgord region, known for its gourmet food and cooking – as is Bruno himself. The Crowded Grave is the fourth in the series, which has won many fans.
Rural France is a familiar setting for today’s crime novels both for French authors and for British. Bruno Corrèges’s strength as an investigator, however, is that he is firmly based in the local police and though wider issues face him he is able to tackle them through his local knowledge of how the small town of St Denis works, both politically and on an everyday basis.
Like Jack Frost he has more than one case on his desk at a time. In The Crowded Gravehe is held up on the quiet road to work by a flock of geese set free by animal rights’ activists and shortly thereafter summoned to inspect an unidentified skeleton far more modern than the archaeological site in which it is discovered. Investigation of these leads him not only into small town political conflict with the Gendarmerie but with the French intelligence service concerned with Basque terrorism.
The Crowded Grave is no fast-paced gory thriller, but a readable slice of provincial French police life. Not just police life either. Bruno is not only a good cook but has time for other pleasures in life – such as his former lover Isabelle and his current flame Pamela.
Martin Walker is well known in many fields, including political commentary. In the crime writing world he’s known for his series featuring Bruno, chief of the local police in a small French town in the Périgord region, known for its gourmet food and cooking – as is Bruno himself. The Crowded Grave is the fourth in the series, which has won many fans.
Rural France is a familiar setting for today’s crime novels both for French authors and for British. Bruno Corrèges’s strength as an investigator, however, is that he is firmly based in the local police and though wider issues face him he is able to tackle them through his local knowledge of how the small town of St Denis works, both politically and on an everyday basis.
Like Jack Frost he has more than one case on his desk at a time. In The Crowded Gravehe is held up on the quiet road to work by a flock of geese set free by animal rights’ activists and shortly thereafter summoned to inspect an unidentified skeleton far more modern than the archaeological site in which it is discovered. Investigation of these leads him not only into small town political conflict with the Gendarmerie but with the French intelligence service concerned with Basque terrorism.
The Crowded Grave is no fast-paced gory thriller, but a readable slice of provincial French police life. Not just police life either. Bruno is not only a good cook but has time for other pleasures in life – such as his former lover Isabelle and his current flame Pamela.
Joclyn Manners, First Active Media
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 protestors 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 Courrèges 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.
What we think: Intriguing well written crime novel that keeps the reader guessing though to the final pages a good read and one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time .
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 protestors 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 Courrèges 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.
What we think: Intriguing well written crime novel that keeps the reader guessing though to the final pages a good read and one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time .
