The Patriarch

June 8, 2015
In Walker’s delicious eighth mystery featuring Benoît “Bruno” Courrèges (after The Children Return), the police chief of St. Denis, a tiny commune in the south of France, has cause to doubt his lifelong worship of Col. Jean-Marc Desaix (aka the Patriarch), who was decorated by both de Gaulle and Stalin for his services as a fighter pilot on the Russian front during WWII. When Gilbert Clamartin, a former air attaché to Moscow, dies under suspicious circumstances on the estate of Clamartin’s revered friend, the Patriarch, it is kept very hush-hush. “Accidental death” is the official line, but Bruno isn’t so sure. When little things don’t add up, he begins an informal investigation. Before long, decades of Franco-Russian politics raise the stakes, and authorities from Paris get involved. This entry is sure to delight readers who relish a skillful blend of complex international political nuance and pastoral intrigue mixed with a soupçon of fine French wine and cuisine. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Felicity Bryan Associates.

June 1, 2015
An apparently natural death at a distinguished World War II veteran's 90th birthday celebration turns out to have roots as deep and distant as the war itself. Benoit "Bruno" Courreges, chief guardian of the law in the sleepy but homicide-prone town of St. Denis, leaves the festivities honoring Col. Jean-Marc Desaix early. After all, he's been invited mainly to push the wheelchair for the Red Countess, a far more distinguished guest whose life Bruno saved. So it's not until the mayor telephones the next morning that Bruno learns the affair was spoiled by sudden death. Col. Gilbert Clamartin, who'd been a cadet long ago with Victor, the patriarch's son and heir, had long been a hopeless alcoholic, and the kerfuffle when he laid his arm on Chantal, Victor's daughter, makes everyone indecently eager to put his death down to overindulgence. Even after Gilbert's been cremated, however, Bruno wonders how he could have gotten so very drunk so very quickly and vows to find out-that is, if he can tear himself away from the far more pressing question of how to mediate the growing strife between local hunters and anti-hunting activist Imogene Ducaillou, one of whose deer has collided fatally with a car driven by Monique Peyrefitte, the wife of a conservative candidate for the national assembly. And all this detective work, including some serious research into the source of Gilbert's suspiciously large annuity, will have to take its place behind Bruno's trademark eating, drinking, and womanizing, this time with Madeleine Desaix, Victor's beautiful, politically ambitious wife. The mystery, though eminently predictable, is as conscientious as ever. As usual (The Children Return, 2015, etc.), however, it's the details of the good life in the Dordogne that linger longest in the memory.

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from August 1, 2015

Benoit Courrege, known as Bruno, heads the police force in St. Denis, in France's Dordogne region. In his eighth adventure (after The Children Return), Bruno is invited to a spectacular birthday party for his hero, Marco "The Patriarch" Desaix. In Bruno's mind, the 90-year-old Desaix represents the heroes of World War II--those who left Vichy France to fight against the Nazis. When a friend dies unexpectedly after the celebration, Bruno is not on board with the medical examiner's quick diagnosis of aspiration and even less amenable to the immediate cremation. As he investigates, Bruno discovers the victim was probably not drunk at the party and had many secrets. So who stands to benefit from his death? The Patriarch's family oversees a vineyard and is attempting to create a new type of wine. Rivalries and jealousies abound. Bruno also has to deal with a Green Party activist who protects the deer on her property against the hunters in the area. Plus his personal life isn't going well. VERDICT With meals to prepare and wines to sample, life in the Dordogne is delightful--until the next murder. This enjoyable Gallic series will appeal to fans of Peter Mayle's Provencal-flavored "Caper" books (The Marseille Caper; The Vintage Caper). Read-alike authors also include Fred Vargas and Julia Spencer-Fleming. [See Prepub Alert, 2/23/15.]

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2015
The latest in the Bruno, Chief of Police, series (Bruno being the nickname for Benoit Courreges, chief of police of the small town of St. Denis in the Perigord region of France, also known as the Dordogne) is a country-house murder set in an elaborate French chateau. Walker treats readers to lavishly detailed accounts of meals served in farmhouse, restaurant, and at village fetes, giving us cookbook-worthy accounts of ingredients, preparation, and wine pairings. Walker also leads us through this region, home of historic caves, the Lascaux cave paintings (with a fascinating detour into the contemporary Lascaux Museum), and wonderfully variegated landscapes (some of which are seen from the back of Bruno's horse). The mystery may seem almost incidental to meals and scenery but is, nonetheless, a corker. Bruno is invited to the ninetieth birthday celebration for his childhood hero, WWII flying ace Marco the Patriarch Desaix. In true country-house-murder fashion, one of the guests, Gilbert Clamartin, the Patriarch's old comrade-in-arms, is found dead after the party. It seems as if he died from alcohol poisoning, but was it mere overindulgence or actual poisoning? Bruno's investigation leads back to the Patriarch's and Gilbert's Cold Warespionage past and through the intricacies of the Patriarch's family. The ending is absolutely amazing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)