Encouraged by the Amazon Kindle Daily Deal, I thought I would try a new author in the crime/mystery/thriller genre. Death in the Dordogne was originally titled Bruno, Chief of Police, the first book in the series.
Follow Bruno, a country policeman from the fictional small town of St. Denis in the Dordogne. An elderly Arab is found murdered in his home and Bruno helps solve the mysteries surrounding the death.
I enjoyed reading Death in the Dordogne which has a full story mix. You experience the full life of St. Denis and it is not just a police procedural. The reader is thrown head first into the rural culture of the Dordogne, with its funny little ways of life. There are tonnes of characters with their little quirks to enjoy. I loved the descriptions of everyday life and the little schemes involved, for example…
Everybody knew the old woman was poor as a church mouse since her husband drank the farm away. She bought the cheapest eggs at the local supermarket, scraped off the date stamps, rolled them in straw and chicken-shit and sold them to tourists as farm-laid for a euro a piece.
...There were other incidents including a potato and visiting EU inspectors. I liked how this novel made me feel like a tourist enjoying a holiday. All life in rural France was fully explained with great detail about the food and wine. I loved the atmosphere created within this story.
Bruno is a very likeable lead character who fully appreciates his job and life in St. Denis. I enjoyed reading about his day job and his very happy private life - he is a very active member of the community outside of work. Bruno has a Basset Hound called Gigi to complete the rural picture but sadly no current partner to share his free time. However, romance does creep slowly into this novel but nothing to offend your grandmother!
I liked the plot and how the mystery was solved with a surprise ending. No spoilers from me but the murder victim had a very unusual and colourful past! I even enjoyed reading about the 20th century history of France, Martin made the military and political struggles so interesting which is very hard for any author to do!
The format of this book made for very comfortable reading, there were no boring bits and it made me feel as though I was on a holiday with new experiences. The writing style is clear and entertaining. The feel of this book is identical to the Kate Shugak mysteries by Dana Stabenow which are set in Alaska.
I think Death in the Dordogne is a GOOD 4 star read and I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
Death in the Dordogne was written in 2008 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.
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