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.
