Book Review- Bruno, Chief of Police-Martin walker

I am a fan of police procedurals set in Europe. I love Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks series, Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus, and Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano series. All with the main protagonist being somewhat ornery, and the narrative dotted with references to music, culture, and with local cuisines and wines. I was well caught up with the other three series and none of the others that I’s investigated appealed to me. Then a review of Mr. Walker’s latest book caught my interest. As is usual with my previous readings, I started in chronological order starting with the first book in the series.

The book started in the customary way, introducing the characters and setting the scene. I suspect that the other books will slowly build the cultural background information that is so central to the story telling. But it still felt slow in building and it did not seem promising initially.

One thing that I enjoyed was the relaxed atmosphere that the author was able to convey, afterall he set the story in a sleepy town in Dordogne and the ethos and the rhythm of the culture carries through beautifully in his narrative. Another good sign is that the author is not afraid of setting foot into the present, in this case, the issue of racial hatred present in Europe regarding the interaction between the Muslim immigrants and the French natives. The interaction is somewhat cursory but central to the story.

As I settled into the story however, I slowly got into the rhythm of the tale and started to put myself into the culture as being described. In addition, the characters in town are all also growing with the slowly evolving story. Eventually I settled into the pace and I was fully sold on the series as an addition to my regular rotation of mystery books.