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Bruno, Chief of Police #2
Dark Vineyard
In the second mystery of this mouthwatering and bestselling series, Bruno, Chief of Police of a small rural French town, must balance local tradition and modern progress while bringing a killer to justice.
Just before dawn one summer morning Bruno is summoned by the wail of the siren in the little town of St Denis in the Périgord. A fire is raging in a local barn and spreading to the surrounding fields. When Bruno arrives at the scene, the smell of petrol leaves no it was arson. The barn belongs to an agricultural research company experimenting with genetically modified crops - an unpopular move in deeply traditional St Denis.
Meanwhile, a Californian producer wants to set up a wine-making business in the valley. Despite the money and jobs this would bring, many fear it would destroy their town. When a violent death follows the crop burning, it looks as though someone is prepared to do anything to stop the scheme. Bruno will have to draw on all his local knowledge to reach the truth.
Just before dawn one summer morning Bruno is summoned by the wail of the siren in the little town of St Denis in the Périgord. A fire is raging in a local barn and spreading to the surrounding fields. When Bruno arrives at the scene, the smell of petrol leaves no it was arson. The barn belongs to an agricultural research company experimenting with genetically modified crops - an unpopular move in deeply traditional St Denis.
Meanwhile, a Californian producer wants to set up a wine-making business in the valley. Despite the money and jobs this would bring, many fear it would destroy their town. When a violent death follows the crop burning, it looks as though someone is prepared to do anything to stop the scheme. Bruno will have to draw on all his local knowledge to reach the truth.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Martin Walker
77 books1,634 followersMartin Walker is the U.S. bureau chief for The Guardian (London), a regular commentator for CNN, and a columnist for newspapers in the United States, Europe, and Moscow. A published novelist and poet, he lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, the novelist Julia Watson, and their two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,197 reviews
February 22, 2023
I am giving this second book in the series five stars because of its sheer entertainment value. I was totally absorbed in the delightful French life style in the small commune in France where Bruno is the Chief of Police.
Of course there were crimes, including murder. Someone drowned in a barrel of red wine. Bruno had to tread a narrow line between honest policing and local politics. A lot of very wonderfully described food and wine was consumed. All this in the beautiful French countryside where the sun shone all the time - for the length of this book anyway. Beautiful.
Bruno is an exceptionally appealing main character - single, good looking, intelligent, thoughtful, an excellent cook and more. The other characters are all well described and very real. I was sad to finish it, and I am very much looking forward to the next one.
Of course there were crimes, including murder. Someone drowned in a barrel of red wine. Bruno had to tread a narrow line between honest policing and local politics. A lot of very wonderfully described food and wine was consumed. All this in the beautiful French countryside where the sun shone all the time - for the length of this book anyway. Beautiful.
Bruno is an exceptionally appealing main character - single, good looking, intelligent, thoughtful, an excellent cook and more. The other characters are all well described and very real. I was sad to finish it, and I am very much looking forward to the next one.
August 2, 2015
3.5 stars
In this 2nd book in the 'Bruno, Chief of Police' series, the French police detective investigates arson and murder. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Police Chief Bruno Courreges of Saint-Denis, France is on the spot when a fire destroys a field of genetically modified crops (GMOs) and a nearby barn - which unexpectedly contains a batch of office equipment.
Bruno becomes suspicious of the local ecolos (green party members), who vehemently oppose GMOs.
He questions Alphonse, the elderly, hippie leader of the "greens' and his foster son Max, a handsome young man who works for a local wine maker and hopes to become a vintner himself.
Alphonse and Max claim to know nothing about the fire. Bruno isn't convinced but he has no proof and is reluctant to accuse the locals because of his love for Saint-Denis and its people.
To heighten the mystery, the burned GMO field is owned by a shadowy corporation called Agricolae that did not have the proper permits to grow the crops. The national police arrive to look into the arson, including Bruno's old flame Isabelle, a detective who recently moved to Paris.
There's angst between Bruno and Isabelle because she wants big city opportunities while Bruno is determined to remain in Saint-Denis.
Meanwhile a partnership of foreign wine makers - led by Monsieur Dupuy and Fernando Bondino - arrive in Saint-Denis with an offer to take over the local vineyards.
This foreign syndicate plans to use cutting edge techniques to make wine, attract tourists, run hotels, and so on. To add to the goings on, a beautiful Canadian girl named Jacqueline - also a wine expert - takes a job with a local wine maker and has liaisons with Max and Fernando.
Before long there are physical fights over Jacqueline and two peculiar deaths, all of which engages Bruno's attention. Bruno is also concerned that the foreign wine syndicate will harm Saint-Denis, unlike the mayor - who thinks they're a great idea. In between investigating the arson, looking into the peculiar deaths, and trying to derail the wine syndicate Bruno engages in romance, has a fabulous barbecue, and hobnobs with an interesting array of friends/acquaintances - including an old friend who's dying of cancer.
Much of the charm of this series is the ambiance of the French countryside, which is on vivid display once more in this story. All in all this is an enjoyable mystery with engaging characters, an interesting (if not totally realistic) plot, and a satisfying climax that ties everything together. An entertaining light read.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
July 5, 2014
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: 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 only municipal 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 Quebecoise; 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.
My Review: The Doubleday UK meme, a book a day for July 2014, is the goad I'm using to get through my snit-based unwritten reviews. Today's prompt is to discuss your favorite novel involving food.
Well now.
I haven't read any new Montalbano novels this year, but Martin Walker certainly dials up the yum-yum in this book! He centers the plot on discovering the identity of who wanted the GMOs on the secret hilltop farm in Saint-Denis burned, and why. As always with Bruno's adventures, we're treated to a bit of utterly drool-worthy wine and food talk, plus Bruno's cheery, simple sex life (only slightly sarcastic there).
I love that the series, even though it's dealing with the arson of a state-secret agricultural research station, and the murder of a local young man-about-town, also takes into account the murder of a resident's dearly beloved dog, the breaking of a two-thousand-euro bottle of wine (treated as a crime, as well it should be!), and the discreet arrangements between a devoted husband and his paralyzed wife.
You know, Life.
And in the end, when the killer is revealed, and the family secrets that no one wanted aired come to Bruno's attention and Right is finally done, what happens? Dinner, no a feast!, is planned, with bécasses (woodcocks) accompanied by some of the world's most exquisite wines...possibly even a 1975 Pétrus *fantods*, one of the greatest Bordeaux wine vintages ever. After all, what could be more apropos, since Bruno is celebrating a....
Oh dear, mustn't spoil the very welcome and long overdue surprise!
I love the experience of reading these books, I enjoy Bruno's delivery of comeupance to the damnfool ambition-poisoned gendarme Duroc, I absolutely dote on his dog Gigi, and the entire cast of crazies that Walker has created to bring Saint-Denis to life.
The Publisher Says: 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 only municipal 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 Quebecoise; 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.
My Review: The Doubleday UK meme, a book a day for July 2014, is the goad I'm using to get through my snit-based unwritten reviews. Today's prompt is to discuss your favorite novel involving food.
Well now.
I haven't read any new Montalbano novels this year, but Martin Walker certainly dials up the yum-yum in this book! He centers the plot on discovering the identity of who wanted the GMOs on the secret hilltop farm in Saint-Denis burned, and why. As always with Bruno's adventures, we're treated to a bit of utterly drool-worthy wine and food talk, plus Bruno's cheery, simple sex life (only slightly sarcastic there).
I love that the series, even though it's dealing with the arson of a state-secret agricultural research station, and the murder of a local young man-about-town, also takes into account the murder of a resident's dearly beloved dog, the breaking of a two-thousand-euro bottle of wine (treated as a crime, as well it should be!), and the discreet arrangements between a devoted husband and his paralyzed wife.
You know, Life.
And in the end, when the killer is revealed, and the family secrets that no one wanted aired come to Bruno's attention and Right is finally done, what happens? Dinner, no a feast!, is planned, with bécasses (woodcocks) accompanied by some of the world's most exquisite wines...possibly even a 1975 Pétrus *fantods*, one of the greatest Bordeaux wine vintages ever. After all, what could be more apropos, since Bruno is celebrating a....
Oh dear, mustn't spoil the very welcome and long overdue surprise!
I love the experience of reading these books, I enjoy Bruno's delivery of comeupance to the damnfool ambition-poisoned gendarme Duroc, I absolutely dote on his dog Gigi, and the entire cast of crazies that Walker has created to bring Saint-Denis to life.
November 12, 2023
4★
“‘So it won’t be your old friend Bruno making inquiries but some serious cops looking for leverage. If they have to pin something else on you to make you cooperate, that’s how they work. And an old hippy commune is just asking for a drugs raid, so if there’s anything up there that shouldn’t be, you’d better get rid of it fast.’
‘It’s not a hippy commune,’ Alphonse protested.
‘You know that, and I may know it, but the Gendarmes don’t and that Capitaine Duroc is hungry for promotion’”
Bruno is the Chief of Police of the Commune of St Denis in the southwest of France, just inland from Bordeaux. But the ‘hippy commune’ was built by young revolutionaries in 1968, and some forty years later, the residents are still called the ‘soixante-huitards’ (the sixty-eighters).
St Denis itself has only about 3000 people, and not many are strangers to Bruno or to each other. Bruno had been called out in the middle of the night to a horrific fire that was burning crops and a big shed in an unfamiliar part of the region.
“Fire frightened him. He had always treated it with a wary respect that had become something close to fear since he’d hauled some wounded French soldiers from a burning armoured car during the Balkan wars. His left arm still carried the scars.”
He didn’t escape this fire unscathed either, but the reason he warned the commune was that many of its members are ‘ecolos’, environmental activists. The destroyed crops were a GMO research project, and Bruno knows how strong the feeling is against GMOs by Greens and many local farmers.
As it turns out, the whole project is mysterious. It seems no agricultural or building permits were ever issued, and the big shed housed filing cabinets that are now completely destroyed.
Bruno is a rugby and tennis coach, so he knows a lot of the young activists and their families. He’s also a wine connoisseur and lover of fine foods, giving him plenty in common with the producers in the region. He feels a deep affection and responsibility for these people.
A newcomer, Jacqueline, is a beautiful young Canadian in her early twenties who is keen on studying wine-making and is toying with the idea that GMOs might be promising. She is a natural flirt who has even the old men spellbound, but she seems to have set her cap at university student Max, who is working in old Cresseil’s vineyard. His mother had left him in the commune, where he was raised by Alphonse.
Cue a young American businessman with all kinds of plans for the valley and for Jacqueline as well, it appears. She is seen out with him a few times, and Bruno worries for Max. Sure enough, there are sparks in the village, and not just between a couple of jealous young men.
The mayor is interested in the plans, but meanwhile, It's the annual grape harvest, where everyone gets together to pick and tramp the grapes The women really let their hair down and hike their skirts up as they jump in and dance about wildly and suggestively.
‘Bruno, who had learned in almost ten years as the town’s policeman that very little was really out of character for anyone, relished this event each year.
. . .
Bruno smiled to himself, remembering old Cresseil’s remark about the number of children born nine months after the vendange.”
I’ll bet. Bruno gets stuck in as well. Isabelle has come down from Paris and dances in her swimming suit in the vats with him and the others. Needless to say, the romp definitely fans their personal flames.
But it’s a serious story, what with GMO crops, American business plans, and worst of all, a couple of deaths that are personally upsetting to Bruno. He has to deal with them but also has to protect his people from too much pressure from his superiors, who swan into St Denis from the city because of the foreign involvement.
As before, Bruno impresses lady friends (and others) with excellent food and fine wines. If you’re a connoisseur of French cuisine, you’ll enjoy this. I’m no chef (just a reluctant cook), but I was certainly wishing I were there.
On a completely personal sidenote, I had to say how surprised (and pleased) I was with this conversation at one of the meals, about a white wine that was offered.
“‘New Zealand? What surprise is this?’
‘Try it with the omelette. You’ll be very pleasantly surprised,’ said Nathalie. ‘One of Bruno’s finds. Hubert wants to see if he can make a Sauvignon Blanc like it in the new vineyard.’
. . .
‘It’s a long story,’ said Bruno. ‘I first tasted it in Bosnia, thanks to the quartermasters of the French army, who have my deep admiration…
. . .
And on one memorable evening I drank a white wine of such remarkable freshness and style that I vowed to track it down again some day. It was named after the English General, Milord Marlborough. And I’m delighted that you all approve.’”
I approve! I am particularly partial to a New Zealand Marlborough Sound Sauvignon Blanc, or as we say in Australia, a Sav Blanc, or even a Savvy Blanc. The ‘whole’ name is pronounced properly – SOH-veen-yon blahnk, but nicknames are shorthand, and a house sav blanc will do me.
I love the series (and the wine), and recommend it to all mystery readers who enjoy some history and atmosphere in their stories.
“‘So it won’t be your old friend Bruno making inquiries but some serious cops looking for leverage. If they have to pin something else on you to make you cooperate, that’s how they work. And an old hippy commune is just asking for a drugs raid, so if there’s anything up there that shouldn’t be, you’d better get rid of it fast.’
‘It’s not a hippy commune,’ Alphonse protested.
‘You know that, and I may know it, but the Gendarmes don’t and that Capitaine Duroc is hungry for promotion’”
Bruno is the Chief of Police of the Commune of St Denis in the southwest of France, just inland from Bordeaux. But the ‘hippy commune’ was built by young revolutionaries in 1968, and some forty years later, the residents are still called the ‘soixante-huitards’ (the sixty-eighters).
St Denis itself has only about 3000 people, and not many are strangers to Bruno or to each other. Bruno had been called out in the middle of the night to a horrific fire that was burning crops and a big shed in an unfamiliar part of the region.
“Fire frightened him. He had always treated it with a wary respect that had become something close to fear since he’d hauled some wounded French soldiers from a burning armoured car during the Balkan wars. His left arm still carried the scars.”
He didn’t escape this fire unscathed either, but the reason he warned the commune was that many of its members are ‘ecolos’, environmental activists. The destroyed crops were a GMO research project, and Bruno knows how strong the feeling is against GMOs by Greens and many local farmers.
As it turns out, the whole project is mysterious. It seems no agricultural or building permits were ever issued, and the big shed housed filing cabinets that are now completely destroyed.
Bruno is a rugby and tennis coach, so he knows a lot of the young activists and their families. He’s also a wine connoisseur and lover of fine foods, giving him plenty in common with the producers in the region. He feels a deep affection and responsibility for these people.
A newcomer, Jacqueline, is a beautiful young Canadian in her early twenties who is keen on studying wine-making and is toying with the idea that GMOs might be promising. She is a natural flirt who has even the old men spellbound, but she seems to have set her cap at university student Max, who is working in old Cresseil’s vineyard. His mother had left him in the commune, where he was raised by Alphonse.
Cue a young American businessman with all kinds of plans for the valley and for Jacqueline as well, it appears. She is seen out with him a few times, and Bruno worries for Max. Sure enough, there are sparks in the village, and not just between a couple of jealous young men.
The mayor is interested in the plans, but meanwhile, It's the annual grape harvest, where everyone gets together to pick and tramp the grapes The women really let their hair down and hike their skirts up as they jump in and dance about wildly and suggestively.
‘Bruno, who had learned in almost ten years as the town’s policeman that very little was really out of character for anyone, relished this event each year.
. . .
Bruno smiled to himself, remembering old Cresseil’s remark about the number of children born nine months after the vendange.”
I’ll bet. Bruno gets stuck in as well. Isabelle has come down from Paris and dances in her swimming suit in the vats with him and the others. Needless to say, the romp definitely fans their personal flames.
But it’s a serious story, what with GMO crops, American business plans, and worst of all, a couple of deaths that are personally upsetting to Bruno. He has to deal with them but also has to protect his people from too much pressure from his superiors, who swan into St Denis from the city because of the foreign involvement.
As before, Bruno impresses lady friends (and others) with excellent food and fine wines. If you’re a connoisseur of French cuisine, you’ll enjoy this. I’m no chef (just a reluctant cook), but I was certainly wishing I were there.
On a completely personal sidenote, I had to say how surprised (and pleased) I was with this conversation at one of the meals, about a white wine that was offered.
“‘New Zealand? What surprise is this?’
‘Try it with the omelette. You’ll be very pleasantly surprised,’ said Nathalie. ‘One of Bruno’s finds. Hubert wants to see if he can make a Sauvignon Blanc like it in the new vineyard.’
. . .
‘It’s a long story,’ said Bruno. ‘I first tasted it in Bosnia, thanks to the quartermasters of the French army, who have my deep admiration…
. . .
And on one memorable evening I drank a white wine of such remarkable freshness and style that I vowed to track it down again some day. It was named after the English General, Milord Marlborough. And I’m delighted that you all approve.’”
I approve! I am particularly partial to a New Zealand Marlborough Sound Sauvignon Blanc, or as we say in Australia, a Sav Blanc, or even a Savvy Blanc. The ‘whole’ name is pronounced properly – SOH-veen-yon blahnk, but nicknames are shorthand, and a house sav blanc will do me.
I love the series (and the wine), and recommend it to all mystery readers who enjoy some history and atmosphere in their stories.
December 5, 2022
The Dark Vineyard is the second in the Bruno Courreges series. Because of my library, I read books 3-6 before coming back to the first two. It’s been interesting to now fully understand the histories of some of the friendships and romance.
The story begins with the burning of a research station for a genetically modified vineyard, designed to create vines resistant to drought. Meanwhile, the young scion of an international winery shows up in St. Denis, investigating buying up some of the local vineyards. He has an anger issue and Bruno seems to be constantly forced to intervene.
The beauty of these books is the all encompassing nature - the reader gets a feel for the history, politics, food and wine of the village. The story deals with the very real problem of how to provide jobs in a village where not much has changed since the Middle Ages.
I could guess who the villain of the piece was, but it was the how it was done that I couldn’t unwind.
One could call this a cozy mystery, as it doesn’t have any overt violence, but that seems a misnomer because of the depth of the story. I recommend it for fans of Donna Leon and Louise Penny.
I listen to this series. Robert Ian Mackenzie is the narrator. He’s actually growing on me despite his English accent. He does a good job with the French pronunciations.
The story begins with the burning of a research station for a genetically modified vineyard, designed to create vines resistant to drought. Meanwhile, the young scion of an international winery shows up in St. Denis, investigating buying up some of the local vineyards. He has an anger issue and Bruno seems to be constantly forced to intervene.
The beauty of these books is the all encompassing nature - the reader gets a feel for the history, politics, food and wine of the village. The story deals with the very real problem of how to provide jobs in a village where not much has changed since the Middle Ages.
I could guess who the villain of the piece was, but it was the how it was done that I couldn’t unwind.
One could call this a cozy mystery, as it doesn’t have any overt violence, but that seems a misnomer because of the depth of the story. I recommend it for fans of Donna Leon and Louise Penny.
I listen to this series. Robert Ian Mackenzie is the narrator. He’s actually growing on me despite his English accent. He does a good job with the French pronunciations.
June 24, 2016
It is hard not to grab the next book in the Bruno, Chief of Police series after finishing the current read. Once again, the reader is swooped up in the holistic experience of the fictional small town of Saint-Denis (situated loosely in the region of Périgord in France).
Police Chief, Captain Bruno Courrèges, is taking care of his beloved town as usual. His love life is tick-tocking between everlasting and heartbreaking, and 'his people' is thrown into the mystery of a GMO-research facility, the Agricultural Research Station, being burnt to the ground.
It was serious.
J-J, officially known as Commissaire Jean-Jacques Jalipeau, chief detective of the Police Nationale, a big, burly man whose crumpled appearance concealed his keen brain, had to drop investigations into one murder, two rapes and a bank robbery in Paris to take charge of the investigation into this incident of arson in Saint-Denis.
The ministries of Defense, as well as Agriculture was involved. The American Embassy stepped in. International lawyers hastily flew into town and a company called Agricolae with a registered office in Paris popped up behind the scientific research on the unknown property which was now nothing more than a charred field and a burnt-out shed in the middle of nowhere.
Nothing hardly changed in a community since the first royal chartered market on Tuesdays was established in 1347, followed in 1807 by the Saturday market, established as the outcome of a bright idea by a prefect of Napoleon to increase the tolls on the bridge into town.
Small changes did come, such as the internet, fashions, computers and the like, but the cuisine, public rituals and the passion behind liberté, égalité and fraternité basically remained the same.
The inhabitants did change the way they protest current issues. No more decapitation and guillotines on the market square, declares Bruno! The town's police chief constantly insured that everyone had a right to protest peacefully, while unobtrusively controlling events with the famous rugby team and the other heavy-weights, such as the construction workers in town. In any circumstance the town's people have the last say, thanks to their beloved police chief. Ambassadors, high ranking politicians, powerful police units from Paris: it doesn't matter, they always come second in any skirmish. Viva la Saint-Denis! Viva Bruno! After all, he was constantly accused of putting the interests of Saint-Denis above the code criminel. Frankly, after the mayor, monsieur Gérard Mangin, Bruno was the most important man around town.
The splendid way of life as it was established by the inhabitants through thousands of years gains equilibrium again, when the culprit of a murder is apprehended. Of course it was a difficult situation. The town, like so many all over the world, need investments to create jobs. When an international conglomerate shows interest in establishing a new wine industry on different terms than the town is accustomed to, the pot starts boiling. Hence the murder.
Was it an act of revenge, a family feud, a political statement, or a crime passionel? These elements are all driving the situation to a climax.
While all this is happening, there's grapes to be harvested, good food and wine to be celebrated and human bonds to be confirmed. Love, politics, principles and history are the building blocks of this entertaining, informative and much enjoyable mystery in a town harboring intelligence, integrity, passion, eccentricity and loyalty above all.
The Dark Vineyard captures the intrigue within the wine industry of France, as well as the world. It is a blend of values, people, passion and facts. A well-rounded, fast moving and captivating read with no dull moments anywhere in sight. An enriching experience on all levels.
FIVE STARS.
Police Chief, Captain Bruno Courrèges, is taking care of his beloved town as usual. His love life is tick-tocking between everlasting and heartbreaking, and 'his people' is thrown into the mystery of a GMO-research facility, the Agricultural Research Station, being burnt to the ground.
It was serious.
J-J, officially known as Commissaire Jean-Jacques Jalipeau, chief detective of the Police Nationale, a big, burly man whose crumpled appearance concealed his keen brain, had to drop investigations into one murder, two rapes and a bank robbery in Paris to take charge of the investigation into this incident of arson in Saint-Denis.
The ministries of Defense, as well as Agriculture was involved. The American Embassy stepped in. International lawyers hastily flew into town and a company called Agricolae with a registered office in Paris popped up behind the scientific research on the unknown property which was now nothing more than a charred field and a burnt-out shed in the middle of nowhere.
Nothing hardly changed in a community since the first royal chartered market on Tuesdays was established in 1347, followed in 1807 by the Saturday market, established as the outcome of a bright idea by a prefect of Napoleon to increase the tolls on the bridge into town.
Small changes did come, such as the internet, fashions, computers and the like, but the cuisine, public rituals and the passion behind liberté, égalité and fraternité basically remained the same.
The inhabitants did change the way they protest current issues. No more decapitation and guillotines on the market square, declares Bruno! The town's police chief constantly insured that everyone had a right to protest peacefully, while unobtrusively controlling events with the famous rugby team and the other heavy-weights, such as the construction workers in town. In any circumstance the town's people have the last say, thanks to their beloved police chief. Ambassadors, high ranking politicians, powerful police units from Paris: it doesn't matter, they always come second in any skirmish. Viva la Saint-Denis! Viva Bruno! After all, he was constantly accused of putting the interests of Saint-Denis above the code criminel. Frankly, after the mayor, monsieur Gérard Mangin, Bruno was the most important man around town.
The splendid way of life as it was established by the inhabitants through thousands of years gains equilibrium again, when the culprit of a murder is apprehended. Of course it was a difficult situation. The town, like so many all over the world, need investments to create jobs. When an international conglomerate shows interest in establishing a new wine industry on different terms than the town is accustomed to, the pot starts boiling. Hence the murder.
Was it an act of revenge, a family feud, a political statement, or a crime passionel? These elements are all driving the situation to a climax.
While all this is happening, there's grapes to be harvested, good food and wine to be celebrated and human bonds to be confirmed. Love, politics, principles and history are the building blocks of this entertaining, informative and much enjoyable mystery in a town harboring intelligence, integrity, passion, eccentricity and loyalty above all.
The Dark Vineyard captures the intrigue within the wine industry of France, as well as the world. It is a blend of values, people, passion and facts. A well-rounded, fast moving and captivating read with no dull moments anywhere in sight. An enriching experience on all levels.
FIVE STARS.
October 10, 2010
I’d been skeptical of the idea of police procedurals set in the Dordogne, especially since the first book in this series, 'Bruno, Chief of Police,' opened with some hullaballoo about the illegal sale of raw cheese in the small village of St. Denis. I jumped to the conclusion that here was another ‘cozy mystery’, populated with clichéd and overwritten local characters, its plot revolving around quaint but hardly riveting local issues. After a year of reading the brilliant Scandinavian crime writers (Henning Mankell, Asa Larsson, Steig Larsson, Karin Fossum, among others,) the move from that stark, compelling, and forbidding fictional world to the lovely but tepid valleys, rivers, and fields of the Périgord was something of a shock.
I thought, too, that Bruno Courrèges, was essentially a younger, slightly hipper version of Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache, Montréal Detective Inspector extraordinaire, who spends much of HIS time solving murder cases in the tiny Québecois village of Three Pines.
I was half right on both counts. 'The Dark Vineyard' does take place in a cozy village, awash in sunlight, wine, grudges, and other elements of idyllic rural Frenchness. But there is global intrigue, too, shady and cutthroat international financial dealings, and, of course, violence of many kinds and a couple of questionable deaths.
And Bruno Courrèges does, indeed, share traits with Armand Gamache. They are both Francophone foodies, handsome, brave and noble, virile but sensitive. Well, really, what’s not to like?
As it turns out, 'The Dark Vineyard' and 'Bruno, Chief of Police,' are wonderful books. Plot development is tight, characters are interesting, quirky, and well-drawn, the setting is charming, and, in the case of 'Bruno, Chief of Police,' there is a great deal of history relating to the Resistance movement in France informing the action of the novel.
These works of fiction are a departure for the author Martin Walker, a longtime journalist, scholar and senior director of the Global Business Policy Council, a think-tank for CEOs. I’m so glad Walker has turned to fiction writing---long may he do so. In fact, there’s a third Bruno Courrèges novel, 'Black Diamond,' just released in the summer of 2010 in Britain. Amazon.uk, here I come!
February 10, 2022
This is the second book in the 'Bruno, Chief of Police' series, set in rural France.
Bruno is the police officer in the small town of St Denis and very much a local. It is the local knowledge that puts him ahead of his metro counterparts when a fire is deliberately lit on an experimental crop deep in a wine growing region.
In addition to it being an intriguing mystery, there is also a lovely amount of story about local life, characters and foods. Including a delicacy called bécasse (which did make me shudder).
Looking forward to book three.
Bruno is the police officer in the small town of St Denis and very much a local. It is the local knowledge that puts him ahead of his metro counterparts when a fire is deliberately lit on an experimental crop deep in a wine growing region.
In addition to it being an intriguing mystery, there is also a lovely amount of story about local life, characters and foods. Including a delicacy called bécasse (which did make me shudder).
Looking forward to book three.
June 13, 2023
The passing tree trunks flared and faded in the yellow light of Bruno’s headlamps, then they were on the bumpy lane up to his cottage.
Second in the series featuring “Bruno” – Benoit Courréges – Chief of Police of the town of St Denis-sur-Vézère in the Perigord region of SW France, The Dark Vineyard opens with a suspicious fire on a building/barn without the necessary legal permits, or legal access to a water main. The pompiers was alerted by an anonymous call from a public phone booth. When Bruno finds a marker there suggesting the site was used for genetically-modified crops, local activists are the initial suspects.
This being the heart of wine-making country the cast of characters, local and outsiders make themselves known: an American heading a conglomerate wanting to invest but turn the local produce from Appellation Controlée into a broader variental to match the wines produced and marketed in Australia, South Africa and California, with the promise of local jobs and for the local producers a chance ‘to buy in’. The Mayor seems impressed but not everyone shares his sentiments. When an elderly producer and a promising young viticulturist are found dead, the old man’s dog missing, evidence points to the hot-shot American. Bruno is unconvinced.
Although I did not enjoy this as much as the first in the series – I guessed the culprit early in the piece – there is much to like here, especially the food and wine, the ancient dog breeds, descriptions of the countryside, and a handy map showing the towns and rivers and the famous Lascaux caves. Always a bonus. With Bruno’s love-interest Isabelle, now a DCI in Paris, romance is taking a new direction. Overall, recommended, and I would especially like to sample the omelette with truffles, and the wine of course.
Second in the series featuring “Bruno” – Benoit Courréges – Chief of Police of the town of St Denis-sur-Vézère in the Perigord region of SW France, The Dark Vineyard opens with a suspicious fire on a building/barn without the necessary legal permits, or legal access to a water main. The pompiers was alerted by an anonymous call from a public phone booth. When Bruno finds a marker there suggesting the site was used for genetically-modified crops, local activists are the initial suspects.
This being the heart of wine-making country the cast of characters, local and outsiders make themselves known: an American heading a conglomerate wanting to invest but turn the local produce from Appellation Controlée into a broader variental to match the wines produced and marketed in Australia, South Africa and California, with the promise of local jobs and for the local producers a chance ‘to buy in’. The Mayor seems impressed but not everyone shares his sentiments. When an elderly producer and a promising young viticulturist are found dead, the old man’s dog missing, evidence points to the hot-shot American. Bruno is unconvinced.
Although I did not enjoy this as much as the first in the series – I guessed the culprit early in the piece – there is much to like here, especially the food and wine, the ancient dog breeds, descriptions of the countryside, and a handy map showing the towns and rivers and the famous Lascaux caves. Always a bonus. With Bruno’s love-interest Isabelle, now a DCI in Paris, romance is taking a new direction. Overall, recommended, and I would especially like to sample the omelette with truffles, and the wine of course.
June 29, 2020
Ļoti jauka atgriešanās Sendenī, kur notikumi šoreiz savijas ap vīnadārziem, ekoloģisko lauksaimniecību un korporāciju sadursmi ar vietējām tradīcijām. Manuprāt, labā attiecībā sajaukti personību stāsti ar detektīvintrigu, kas, ja godīgi, man pašai nešķita nemaz tik svarīga, jo biju pilnīgā grāmatas noskaņā kaut kur jaukā, agrā Francijas rudenī starp foršiem cilvēkiem, kas totāli romantiskās literatūras cienīgi uz episki aizkustinoša un patriotiska viļņa sanāk kopā, lai atrisinātu savas problēmas. Noteikti turpināšu sēriju, bet pēc kāda laiciņa (cerams, turpināsies tulkošana?), lai nesacukurotos pārmērīgi.
December 26, 2013
The second in this book is as charming as the first but my problems with the first have not been resolved. Bruno, the Chief of Police, is again too perfect. He makes all the right decisions, keeps others from making mistakes, knows everyone he should know and everyone loves him. It's all admirable but I think characters are at their best when they're not perfect.
Also the life he leads in his rural path of France is perfect. He has dinners with his friends that are always happy occasions. The view from his little farm is gorgeous. He's well known for his cooking. And his dog is cute. Can't there be some jealous person to throw a spanner in the works? Or a half-mad neighbor who tries his patience? The closest we get is a mayor who was on the verge of violating some ethics to help bring a big employer to the area but Bruno makes a suggestion that leads to an amazing solution and the day is saved.
No one's life is this charmed.
So yes, this is a mystery and there are people behaving badly. There's an arson and two deaths and a liar. However it's all but eclipsed what with the bottles of wine generously passed around, the casual dinner parties and all the good deeds. This is a really good series if you need to feel that people can treat other well and be happy and friendly and warm. It's like the Disney movie of murder mysteries and sometimes that is exactly what you need. I won't pick up another in this series unless I need my faith in humanity restored.
Also the life he leads in his rural path of France is perfect. He has dinners with his friends that are always happy occasions. The view from his little farm is gorgeous. He's well known for his cooking. And his dog is cute. Can't there be some jealous person to throw a spanner in the works? Or a half-mad neighbor who tries his patience? The closest we get is a mayor who was on the verge of violating some ethics to help bring a big employer to the area but Bruno makes a suggestion that leads to an amazing solution and the day is saved.
No one's life is this charmed.
So yes, this is a mystery and there are people behaving badly. There's an arson and two deaths and a liar. However it's all but eclipsed what with the bottles of wine generously passed around, the casual dinner parties and all the good deeds. This is a really good series if you need to feel that people can treat other well and be happy and friendly and warm. It's like the Disney movie of murder mysteries and sometimes that is exactly what you need. I won't pick up another in this series unless I need my faith in humanity restored.
February 26, 2015
I have decided that I will no longer provide in-depth reviews of the middle books of a series UNLESS they make a special impact on me or it is the first or most current book of the series.
This second book in the Bruno, Chief of Police Series, is as enchanting as the first. The book delves into French Wine Trade, French Inheritance Law, French Politics and GMO's while leaving behind a few dead bodies and an intriguing mystery.
This series provides adult characters, mature writing, crime while making the characters enjoyable, relatable and persons with whom you would like to sit down to dinner. This series has been a magnificent find and I am looking forward to reading all the way through!
A side note, as it relates to the audiobook version, the narrator did the single worst impression of a French Canadian accent that I have ever heard. While he was quite good through the book, the single French Canadian character was laughable terrible. It makes me think that he has never heard a Quebecer and made it up in his head.
This second book in the Bruno, Chief of Police Series, is as enchanting as the first. The book delves into French Wine Trade, French Inheritance Law, French Politics and GMO's while leaving behind a few dead bodies and an intriguing mystery.
This series provides adult characters, mature writing, crime while making the characters enjoyable, relatable and persons with whom you would like to sit down to dinner. This series has been a magnificent find and I am looking forward to reading all the way through!
A side note, as it relates to the audiobook version, the narrator did the single worst impression of a French Canadian accent that I have ever heard. While he was quite good through the book, the single French Canadian character was laughable terrible. It makes me think that he has never heard a Quebecer and made it up in his head.
April 15, 2022
3,5 Sterne hat sich dieser zweite Band der Krimireihe schon verdient, mehr aber auch nicht. Eine stimmungsvoll erzählte Geschichte, die Lust auf Wein und gutes Essen macht, die Auflösung war mir dann aber zu vorhersehbar und wenig überraschend.
April 20, 2020
Sexist, immature, boring, flat characters
I am done with this series.
I am done with this series.
August 5, 2021
The Dark Vineyard is the second in the series about Bruno, Chief of Police (and only town policeman) in St. Denis, France, a small town in the Perigord not too far from Perigueux and Sarlat, places that I have been privileged to visit. If you would like to get a real feel for what it is like to live in a small town in this area, you should most definitely read this series. I say this without fear of contradiction because I do, in fact, live in that part of France.
A fire breaks out mysteriously in a shack in a field on a small farm not far from St. Denis. The town siren summons all the necessary and, apparently, unnecessary people, including the pompiers (firemen). The fire is quickly put out but not before Bruno dashed gallantly into the building to see if anyone was there. He smells an accelerant and the Fire Chief is overcome but Bruno manages to get him out of the building. Later, some very interesting things are learned about the field that was burned.
At about the same time, a wealthy young American, son of the owner of an international winemaking empire. Hmmmm. Are these two events occurring almost simultaneously in quiet little St. Denis connected? The gendarmes get involved as do the department police and a federal department located in Paris.
The Dark Vineyard was fun to read, a quite good mystery and very educational about the Perigord, even to one that lives there. I strongly;y recommend it to anyone who enjoys an old-fashioned mystery where there are few fights, fewer guns and not a single threat to world peace.
Over and Out
A fire breaks out mysteriously in a shack in a field on a small farm not far from St. Denis. The town siren summons all the necessary and, apparently, unnecessary people, including the pompiers (firemen). The fire is quickly put out but not before Bruno dashed gallantly into the building to see if anyone was there. He smells an accelerant and the Fire Chief is overcome but Bruno manages to get him out of the building. Later, some very interesting things are learned about the field that was burned.
At about the same time, a wealthy young American, son of the owner of an international winemaking empire. Hmmmm. Are these two events occurring almost simultaneously in quiet little St. Denis connected? The gendarmes get involved as do the department police and a federal department located in Paris.
The Dark Vineyard was fun to read, a quite good mystery and very educational about the Perigord, even to one that lives there. I strongly;y recommend it to anyone who enjoys an old-fashioned mystery where there are few fights, fewer guns and not a single threat to world peace.
Over and Out
March 27, 2015
It is so easy to be drawn into this series! . Walker writes with knowledge and obvious love for the Dordognes, the area in which Bruno lives. The contemporary issues and politics, part of the fabric of this series, ring true. Here the story revolves around wine production in the region. A big American wine conglomerate wants to buy up land and start producing in and around the town of St Denis. And someone is experimenting surreptitiously with GMO crops in the area. Both of these lead to lots of action on the part of local citizens, government officials from Paris, environmentalists and, since this is a mystery after all, death.
I love the cast of characters, the setting, the pace and the feel of these books. There is food, wine, romance, music, intrigue and triumph of good over evil. I see a theme emerging of which I'm curious how it will play out in future books. In addition to successfully solving the crimes, Bruno and other locals bend the rules a little to make sure that the justice served (and the path to it) fits the culture of the commune.
And in the end, Walker whets ones appetite for the next book! Will Bruno and Isabelle (his love interest from the first book) figure out how to resolve their differences or will he act on his attraction to one of the other women in the area? What will the role of Fabiola, the new medical examiner, be? Will the area be granted a DOC wine appellation? Will they become one of the next great wine areas in France? Stay tuned!
I love the cast of characters, the setting, the pace and the feel of these books. There is food, wine, romance, music, intrigue and triumph of good over evil. I see a theme emerging of which I'm curious how it will play out in future books. In addition to successfully solving the crimes, Bruno and other locals bend the rules a little to make sure that the justice served (and the path to it) fits the culture of the commune.
And in the end, Walker whets ones appetite for the next book! Will Bruno and Isabelle (his love interest from the first book) figure out how to resolve their differences or will he act on his attraction to one of the other women in the area? What will the role of Fabiola, the new medical examiner, be? Will the area be granted a DOC wine appellation? Will they become one of the next great wine areas in France? Stay tuned!
January 21, 2013
I definitely did not realize this was the second book in a series when I started this. I don't think I missed out too much from not having read the first book, but I guess I was a little disappointed to learn that. While I was initially interested in the plot (wine country, different wine makers), the point of the book wasn't quite as the summary described. I also thought the writing was a little amature-ish. I did like the main characters, but to the characters, some of the twists didn't seem overly shocking or important. I ended up just wanting to get it finished so I could move on to something else.
April 16, 2021
Bruno, chief of police in the French village of St. Denis, is confronted with a problem. A large winemaking company based in California wants to establish a base in St. Denis, which would undoubtedly bring many changes both good and bad to the village. Bondino, the company's representative and scion of a wealthy California family, gets into drunken bar fights, but is he also a murderer? Bruno will keep searching until he uncovers the truth, no matter what the circumstantial evidence indicates. The author captures the ambiance of this village in France's wine country perfectly, and Robert MacKenzie again provides excellent narration.
November 12, 2019
I'm drawn to these mannered mysteries, in large part for the evocative descriptions of life in the Dordogne (AKA Périgord) region of France—its idyllic villages and exquisite wines, and cuisine. It is the region of France that most warms my heart. However, this book focuses so much the village (St. Denis), the townspeople, the wine, and the food that the mystery seems an afterthought. Toward the end, it suddenly takes shape and is resolved. As much as I loved the ambience, the story needed more punch.
July 28, 2024
This was convoluted and I am quite sure I reviewed this already, but anyway, it propelled me to the next in the series. I am a sucker sometimes for calm. And while there are some gruesome deaths detailed in the novels, somehow we can clearly see that Bruno has it all in hand.
September 13, 2022
Responding to an alarm, St. Denis police chief Bruno Courrèges head to the scene of a raging fire, where a field of crops and a large barn are burning. Bruno quickly discovers the fire was arson and the property being used illegally to develop genetically modified crops, specifically drought-resistant grape vines. Bruno must deal with a number of suspects from a local ecological minded commune to more nefarious motives, including foreign interests who want to develop a massive vineyard, bringing capital and jobs to the region. The Mayor thinks this is wonderful, but Bruno worries more about his constituents and their simple way of life. Bruno remains a deeply caring, devoted public servant, trying to do what is right and seeking justice.
March 18, 2018
The delightful second installment of a series featuring Bruno, the chief of police in a quiet French village, this book centers around the destruction by arson of an illegal GMO project. Of course, murder is added to the mix as the story develops, along with other nefarious deeds. But again the best part of the book is the series of wonderful wines, spirits, and delectable foods that Walker describes in minute detail. Be careful with these books--you'll be hungry after reading them!
August 30, 2012
It is always a great pleasure for me to find a new mystery series and I was lucky enough to become acquainted with Bruno the chief of police in a tiny community in Dordogne, France by reading Martin Walker’s The Dark Vineyard.
Walker has deftly created an interesting series which combines an attractive main character with a wonderful setting, a tasting of food and wine and an exciting mystery. This is not a wham, bam, thank you mam mystery nor is it hard boiled, even though it is exciting from page one we were well into the book before the first death occurred. Walker built the background and characters carefully before the main mystery.
It starts with a fire on a hill, which happens to burn a crop of GMO plants. And then the head of a multinational wine corporation arrives wanting to buy up the valley and requesting that they apply for their own wine appellation. The we insert a mix of cheese makers, hippies and even a beautiful graduate from UCDavis school of viticulture to heighten the tension.
Bruno is an interesting man of about 40 who was traumatized by his experience in the Balkan War. He loves the life he has created for himself in this small French town and sees the people there as friends and family. He coaches rugby and tennis and seen many of the children grow up. As one of the other characters says he is a mother hen to the people of the community and works to protect them. I am quite fond of Bruno.
I would expect that many mystery fans will find this to be an appealing series.
Walker has deftly created an interesting series which combines an attractive main character with a wonderful setting, a tasting of food and wine and an exciting mystery. This is not a wham, bam, thank you mam mystery nor is it hard boiled, even though it is exciting from page one we were well into the book before the first death occurred. Walker built the background and characters carefully before the main mystery.
It starts with a fire on a hill, which happens to burn a crop of GMO plants. And then the head of a multinational wine corporation arrives wanting to buy up the valley and requesting that they apply for their own wine appellation. The we insert a mix of cheese makers, hippies and even a beautiful graduate from UCDavis school of viticulture to heighten the tension.
Bruno is an interesting man of about 40 who was traumatized by his experience in the Balkan War. He loves the life he has created for himself in this small French town and sees the people there as friends and family. He coaches rugby and tennis and seen many of the children grow up. As one of the other characters says he is a mother hen to the people of the community and works to protect them. I am quite fond of Bruno.
I would expect that many mystery fans will find this to be an appealing series.
May 2, 2012
This is the second in the Bruno, chief of police, series and it just keeps getting better! Can't wait to read the next book!
October 26, 2018
I'm really enjoying this mystery series set in rural France!
January 24, 2022
This is my second Bruno book. I’m getting to know the characters and the setting so I think I liked this story a bit better than the first. I like Bruno and I like where he lives. I’d love to have a cottage on a hillside!
The reader has quite a pleasant voice and this series seems perfect for accompanying me on my morning walk. However, Brunetti is my first love.
The reader has quite a pleasant voice and this series seems perfect for accompanying me on my morning walk. However, Brunetti is my first love.
August 7, 2010
As L. Bob Rife says, I grew up and got old specifically to get away from this adolescent banter. And more importantly, angst. (Somewhat hilariously, this isn't the first time I've alluded to this comment. Hilarious because the contexts are so different. Anyway.)
More seriously, part of the benefit of reading books with older main characters is that there's less adolescent relationship angst and social drama. Theoretically. In this book Bruno angsts a lot about women. It's annoying. Plus, the mystery seems less engrossing than the one in Bruno, Chief of Police. The book in general felt almost hastily book together, and there was a bit of a Dan Brown vibe. Especially with the relationship aspect. I'll probably still read Black Diamond to see if this was a fluke, though.
More seriously, part of the benefit of reading books with older main characters is that there's less adolescent relationship angst and social drama. Theoretically. In this book Bruno angsts a lot about women. It's annoying. Plus, the mystery seems less engrossing than the one in Bruno, Chief of Police. The book in general felt almost hastily book together, and there was a bit of a Dan Brown vibe. Especially with the relationship aspect. I'll probably still read Black Diamond to see if this was a fluke, though.
May 16, 2023
This is the second of the “Bruno, Chief of Police” series, and I found it more fun than the first. Bruno is a police officer in his beloved village in the Périgord region of France who puts in countless hours on the job but has a very active social life as well. He knows good wine and every few pages or so he or someone else is uncorking another bottle. The mayor and local officials would like to see more economic growth and business development in the area but not all in the community are on board. Suddenly, an agricultural research station is torched and Bruno has a case of arson on his hands.
November 11, 2022
A fine installment in the series, leaning heavily on the oenophile aspect as the title promises. Things got a bit gruesome for my tastes but the mystery was twisty enough.
June 9, 2021
A fire has started and Bruno attends the scene. Was it an accident or was it arson? Follow Bruno as he is on the case to solve the mystery of this fire.
Although this is the second book in this series, I feel it could be read as a stand-alone. Having read the first book, this second follows on very well with many of the characters appearing again. I liked how the mood remained the same, with the comfortable, cosy rural life of a countryside policeman. I liked the tourist on holiday feel of this book and how French culture and life was explained. Throughout this novel there was a lot of cheese eaten and umpteen bottles of wine opened. There was so much socialising it was a wonder if Bruno would actually get around to some police work!
I liked how the plot developed and enjoyed the politics involved. Character development was good and there was plenty of drama. Romance raised its head again but nothing too heavy. My overall impression is that this would make a good television series, relaxing to follow with sufficient depth of plot. A constant thought throughout this novel for both Bruno and the reader was “I’m not sure”. These doubts really questioned motive and opportunity.
I liked how Bruno’s dog Gigi was included and not just in name, for example when Martin writes…
Bruno understood his dog well enough to have accepted that a human never walks a basset hound. The dog and the human go for separate strolls, which always coincide at the beginning, sometimes at the end, and rarely in the middle, unless Bruno gave the special hunter’s whistle.
...I also liked the casual observations, for example…
Well groomed and wearing town shoes, they did not look to Bruno like troublemakers.
...Part of this story brought back surprising memories to me, something I had forgotten about, oh how engineering has progressed over the years when Martin writes…
It was a receipt from Lespinasse’s garage for melange, the oil and petrol mix that old bikes required.
...I remember motorbikes with Two Stroke engines, when you had to mix a small amount of Castrol TT two stroke oil with the petrol. It was simple but it worked, not environmentally friendly but the performance was hot!
I enjoyed reading The Dark Vineyard because aside from the basic mystery that Bruno helps to solve, there is tonnes of content to enjoy about the culture and life of St. Denis in rural France. This BIG picture makes for a GOOD 4 star read.
Although this is the second book in this series, I feel it could be read as a stand-alone. Having read the first book, this second follows on very well with many of the characters appearing again. I liked how the mood remained the same, with the comfortable, cosy rural life of a countryside policeman. I liked the tourist on holiday feel of this book and how French culture and life was explained. Throughout this novel there was a lot of cheese eaten and umpteen bottles of wine opened. There was so much socialising it was a wonder if Bruno would actually get around to some police work!
I liked how the plot developed and enjoyed the politics involved. Character development was good and there was plenty of drama. Romance raised its head again but nothing too heavy. My overall impression is that this would make a good television series, relaxing to follow with sufficient depth of plot. A constant thought throughout this novel for both Bruno and the reader was “I’m not sure”. These doubts really questioned motive and opportunity.
I liked how Bruno’s dog Gigi was included and not just in name, for example when Martin writes…
Bruno understood his dog well enough to have accepted that a human never walks a basset hound. The dog and the human go for separate strolls, which always coincide at the beginning, sometimes at the end, and rarely in the middle, unless Bruno gave the special hunter’s whistle.
...I also liked the casual observations, for example…
Well groomed and wearing town shoes, they did not look to Bruno like troublemakers.
...Part of this story brought back surprising memories to me, something I had forgotten about, oh how engineering has progressed over the years when Martin writes…
It was a receipt from Lespinasse’s garage for melange, the oil and petrol mix that old bikes required.
...I remember motorbikes with Two Stroke engines, when you had to mix a small amount of Castrol TT two stroke oil with the petrol. It was simple but it worked, not environmentally friendly but the performance was hot!
I enjoyed reading The Dark Vineyard because aside from the basic mystery that Bruno helps to solve, there is tonnes of content to enjoy about the culture and life of St. Denis in rural France. This BIG picture makes for a GOOD 4 star read.
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