Fatal Pursuit: A Mystery of the French Countryside (Bruno, Chief of Police Series) Paperback – May 2, 2017

The latest book in the Martin Walker series, Bruno Chief of Police, does not disappoint. The story is rich in the detail of the laconic countryside, the relationships with the town's people, plus the taut mystery is not only plausible it also pulls you into the story both past and present. Walker has a way of weaving the recent past with the present to tell a story that makes you want to keep on reading to the end. The characters are rich and fully developed, they are people that you might just want to get to know. Martin Walker has done it again.

One of my least favorites but I love the Bruno series.

Another fantastic read in this amazing series! I so love the food descriptions, the detailed descriptions of the settings, the history and the culture. Every time I read one of these books I feel like I am visiting rural France.

This is the best yet in the Bruno, Chief of Police Series. It just flows.... like a conversation between old friends. The plot is simple but it takes a long time to work its way out on each of the threads. Reminds me of a Masterpiece Mystery. The love, the food, the animals and the characters all interact in a lovely way.I'm not sure it would be a good FIRST read of the Bruno series because much of the appreciation comes from the Bruno's history. I loved it and can't wait for the next book in the series.

Another steady and reliable entry in the Bruno canon, with the usual cast of characters readers of the series have come to love. In this book we are presented with the addition of a new romantic interest for Bruno, adding to the harem of attractive female characters that orbit around our hero and that hopefully one of them will eventually be willing to settle down with him and give him the children he craves. The sense of place in this series is always so strong and the feel for French country life and French cooking is so authentic that to an extent the details of the particular criminal investigation that the book centres on hardly seems to matter and the reader willingly suspends belief that something that could threaten the security of the entire French state always seems to involve the tiny country town of St.Denis.

Bruno is one of my favorite lead characters in a mystery series. He can cook, he loves his community, he understand the real purpose of law enforcement and how to strengthen a community. The series as a whole has created an idyllic understanding of community, while maintaining an understanding of the fallenness of the world. Crime still happens, people are still abused and hated, and there is still a need for police to protect the innocent and bring about redemptive justice. Bruno is not religious in this series. There is no explicit Christian faith. But his view of justice is deeply Christian.I purchased Fatal Pursuit (the newest book) on the day it came out. I alternately read it on kindle or listened to the audiobook and finished in 2 days. I enjoyed the book, but it felt like a re-tread of previous books. There was a major crime, there was a connection to WWII history, a new woman in the community for Bruno to consider, a new aspect of the very small community that had never been mentioned before (in this case a community amusement park), and yet another connection to international terrorism in his small community. If you have liked previous Bruno books, you will probably like this one. Although the plot was weaker than normal and I was sure there was more to the story when approached the end. The best part of the story is Bruno's helping a low income immigrant teen avoid trouble and get a job. But that is reveals Bruno's character and view of the world. It does not move the story along.Bruno is a series that you read because you love the community and the characters. You still want a good mystery, but at least for me, what has made the series is the community, the food and the characters. I do not think this was a bad book, I would read it again, but Walker has to move the story along. Bruno needs a stable relationship. He wants to be a husband and father. There series has gone on for too long, if Walker does not make some hard decisions, Bruno will be 20 years into the series and still alone, but I will have stopped reading.

I am an avid foodie and mystery lover. On top of those two, I love classic automobiles. This book combines all of those is a fun read!

I have read many of the Bruno books and feel that Martin Walker is very good at what he does. The detail is so good you can almost smell the coffee and taste the croissants. This story was believable and enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone with a love of the South of France.Martin Walker is to France as Donna Leon is to Venice.

This series is good & best read in order but do stand alone too. The characters are engaging & there’s a lot of interesting material about that area of France. Bruno is a comforting, kind hero who is a smart, thoughtful policeman, one who knows his people & area well. I hope the series will continue for many more books

… with lots of Périgord cooking! I have read most of these books, into really in the right order, but this doesn’t matter.Our main protagonist Bruno nearly falls in love, negotiates his way around between feuding families, rides his horse, walks his dog, feeds his chickens and geese and nurtures his garden. And works as the town’s policeman.And works out whodunnit.

Hoffentlich gibt es noch viele, viele Folgeromane. Immer wieder packend. Donna Leon nimmt uns mit Brunetti auf eine Reise nach Venedig mit.

I was alerted to this series by an American friend, yet I live in Tasmania! Given we go to France every year and have done since 2002, the Dordogne is one of our favourite regions. It was wonderful to be able to picture the places the author wrote of, and also learn so much about the region too. Bruno is a fantastic character - the sort of community policeman we'd all like to have involved in kids' lives and keeping others in line with pragmatism and common sense - and boy, he sure does manage to get tangled into some incredible adventures. I read the whole series in a matter of 4 weeks whole in France and loved every single moment.

8作目からトーンダウンがはっきりしたのですが、緩くてのどかな展開が味わいになってます。ストーリー展開のテンポが今一つなのは、ネタが作者の中から湧いてこなくなったから、という印象です。それでもブルーノの夜の活躍から目を離せません。イザベラとの関係復活はあるのか、次回も期待してます❗