Martin Walker and a Surprisingly Interesting Detective – Bruno Courreges

As they used to say on Monty Python’s Flying Circus (Google it!), ‘and now for something completely different’!

I really don’t remember how I discovered Martin Walker and his local French policeman, Bruno Courreges, but someone must have introduced me to him and I am very grateful that they did! The only thing that worries me is that, simply by telling you about him and describing him to you, I’m not sure I’ll be able to convince you that reading the books is as satisfying and rewarding as reading many of the others which I cover in the blog! I’ll try but, at the end of the day, you might just have to take a chance on him and, having done so, I hope you’ll end up liking the books. I think I’ve managed to work my way through fourteen and, as with most of my other favourite authors, I tend to read them almost as they are published.

Although he’s a local (but pretty senior) policeman and in uniform most of the time, Bruno is also (perhaps inevitably) a war hero, a pretty tough guy and very well-regarded with contacts in the French Secret Service who regularly use his services. He has found this wonderful posting in the lovely, fictional, French village of St Denis in the Southish of France and his affection for the place seems to have prevented him from moving on as a detective or member of the secret service in Paris where I’m sure his skills would be well received.

In addition to being a tough guy and a great cop/detective, though, and perhaps a little unusually for me, I like another side which Bruno has to his personality which you will find if you access the link at the beginning of this piece. He is a very good cook and it is right up there with his hobbies of horse riding, rugby and tennis. He also keeps a few animals and grows all his own vegetables as well as being very attached to his dog. I suppose that fits quite well with the huge interest the world seems to have in cooking these days! What makes his cooking interesting is that he goes through his recipes in detail and is regularly hosting and cooking for his friends who the reader gets to know! That, of course, is a good reason to read the books in order although Martin Walker always gives you a bit of background to get the new reader up to speed.      I know I am probably not giving Bruno or the books a very good introduction but I have enjoyed them and the plots/stories are pretty good. I have also enjoyed getting to know the various characters, several of whom have pretty interesting backgrounds, in those respects, the books fit into the genre quite well for me. In addition, though, because of the various other sides to Bruno’s life and the different environment from most of the other books I read, they can be a pleasant diversion or break from the rest of my reading list. If I can’t decide what to read next, I often find myself saying ‘I’ll try a Bruno” and I usually have one sitting on my Kindle unread. In any event, I would certainly recommend that you try one and see what you think. If you read them in order, you will be able to feel that you’re moving through life along with him and his various friends and colleagues who turn up in all the stories. For example, I was quite pleased to see at the beginning of the most recent one I read, the Body in the Castle Well, that he had received a pretty big promotion. I almost felt I should write and congratulate him! I’m sure you will like Bruno but please let me know what you think.