Martin Walker: The Crowded Grave (USA 2013)

From the publisher:
Another delectable serving of mystery and the pleasures of the Dordogne from the newest master of suspense, Martin Walker.
It's spring in the idyllic village of St. Denis, and for Chief of Police Bruno Courrèges that means lamb stews, bottles of his beloved Pomerol, morning walks with his hound, Gigi -- and a new string of regional crimes and international capers. When a local archaeological team looking for Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal remains turns up a corpse with a watch on its wrist and a bullet in its head, it's up to Bruno to solve the case. But the task will not be easy, not with a meddlesome new magistrate eager to make a strong impression, an ongoing series of attacks by animal rights activists on local foie gras producers, and a nearby summit between France and Spain approaching -- not to mention two beautiful, brilliant women vying for Bruno's affections.

Complicating events even further, the professor in charge of the dig is soon reported missing, leading Bruno to suspect that the past and the present are bound up in dangerous ways. As summer approaches, the wine growing cooler and the fruit sweeter, Bruno's investigations take him indelibly deeper into contemporary Europe's dark history of terrorist and counterterrorist tactics -- and toward a dramatic finale.

As savory as foie gras, as piquant as vin de noix, and as richly complex as the region's truffles, The Crowded Grave is a feast for mystery lovers and Francophiles alike.

Martin Walker: The Crowded Grave. A Mystery of the French Countryside. Vintage Books, ISBN: 9780307744647 (April, 2013), 314 p., $14.95.

Martin Walker: The Crowded Grave (UK 2013)

From the publisher:
Millions of fans worldwide have discovered the world of Bruno, Chief of Police, and the lovely Perigord town that he looks after. Yet even in the depths of rural France, murder is never far away.

Spanish separatists, angry local activists and a mystery corpse: Bruno has his work cut out in this exciting mystery, part of the internationally bestselling series.

Life in the Dordogne isn't full of the charming peace that you might imagine. In St Denis a summit in a local château is threatened by Basque separatists, animal rights campaigners are causing havoc and it's about to get worse.

A local archaeological team unearths a well-preserved skeleton. Yet it's a lot more recent than they'd hoped - boasting a Swatch on its wrist and a bullet-hole in its skull.

Meanwhile, an influx of visitors makes St Denis unusually crowded, and the solution to the murder appears to lie with one of these outsiders. Bruno must think fast and keep his wits about him, especially if the answer lies a little closer to home.

Martin Walker: The Crowded Grave. A Bruno Courrèges investigation. Quercus, ISBN: 9781849163231 (March, 2013), 360 p., £7.99.

Martin Walker: The Crowded Grave (USA 2012)

From the publisher:
Another delectable serving of mystery and the pleasures of the Dordogne from the newest master of suspense, Martin Walker.
It's spring in the idyllic village of St. Denis, and for Chief of Police Bruno Courrèges that means lamb stews, bottles of his beloved Pomerol, morning walks with his hound, Gigi -- and a new string of regional crimes and international capers. When a local archaeological team looking for Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal remains turns up a corpse with a watch on its wrist and a bullet in its head, it's up to Bruno to solve the case. But the task will not be easy, not with a meddlesome new magistrate eager to make a strong impression, an ongoing series of attacks by animal rights activists on local foie gras producers, and a nearby summit between France and Spain approaching -- not to mention two beautiful, brilliant women vying for Bruno's affections.

Complicating events even further, the professor in charge of the dig is soon reported missing, leading Bruno to suspect that the past and the present are bound up in dangerous ways. As summer approaches, the wine growing cooler and the fruit sweeter, Bruno's investigations take him indelibly deeper into contemporary Europe's dark history of terrorist and counterterrorist tactics -- and toward a dramatic finale.

As savory as foie gras, as piquant as vin de noix, and as richly complex as the region's truffles, The Crowded Grave is a feast for mystery lovers and Francophiles alike.

Martin Walker: The Crowded Grave. A Mystery of the French Countryside. Alfred A. Knopf, ISBN: 9780307700193 (July, 2012), 314 p., $24.95.

Martin Walker: The Crowded Grave (UK 2011)

From the publisher:
Life in south-west rural France is not the sleepy idyll you might suppose. Local duck and goose farms are being attacked by animal rights protestors attempting to halt the production of foie gras. A senior policeman has been shot by terrorists believed to be the Basque Separatists of ETA. And if that weren't enough, a group of students have just unearthed a 'modern' skeleton during a dig at one of the ancient sites of this famous region and home to pre-historic man - a dig that has brought an influx of foreigners to the Dordogne. It is up to Chief of Police Bruno Courrèges to get to the bottom of these seemingly unrelated events.

Martin Walker spins a surprising and compelling mystery, laced with charm and a deep knowledge and love of France, past and present. It is a combination that will win him many fans.

Martin Walker: The Crowded Grave. A Bruno Courrèges investigation. Quercus, ISBN: 9781849163217 (September, 2011), 360 p., £14.99.