Will I love Bruno, Chief of Police?

Bruno (Benoît Courrèges) is a policeman who enjoys the slow pace of country life in the South of France.

He was formerly a soldier and relishes his peaceful daily routines of patrolling the lovely village of St. Denis, shopping for groceries, and cooking magnificent meals. Occasionally, bad guys show up, crimes of one kind or another disturb Bruno’s peace, and he must use his detective skills.

I especially love the care he puts into his wine pairings, no matter how many villains are on the loose.

I love to travel, and when I’m at home, I love to read about places I’ve been or hope to visit. This book transports me to a beautiful village in France, where Bruno, Chief of Police, chases bad guys, fights bureaucracy, keeps the townspeople calm, falls in love, and cooks food that I wish he’d cook for me. 

I went to school in France twice and have visited that country ten times, I think, so reading the first of this series was like being back in the Dordogne region that I love so much.

The pace is gentle, the characters glow, the story transports to one of the most beautiful and historic parts of France... After reading Bruno, Chief of Police, I plowed on through all the subsequent novels in this series—I think there are 17 last time I checked. All fun, relaxing reads with good police plots.

It’s fun to compare French policing with what we… show more.

I bought the paperback in 2010, and as I return to it, see where I underlined phrases and lines, especially about food and wine. I was enamored of the bachelor Bruno, and the small village he was a part of. That title was followed by The Dark Vineyard the following year, and that was when I declared myself a fan of Martin’s entertaining series. Martin interlaces serious issues with humor, just enough romance, and marvelous descriptions of food and wine. He was kind enough to endorse my series, and also sent me a recipe for lamb shanks that I cook… show more.