I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of A Shooting at Chateau Rock, the thirteenth novel to feature Bruno Courrèges, Chief of Police in the Dordgne town of St Denis.

When old man Driant dies of a heart attack nobody is particularly surprised but when his son discovers that he has sold the farm and invested the proceeds in an insurance company that will pay for a lifestyle he’s unaccustomed to in a private retirement home Bruno’s antennae are raised. His investigation establishes links to a Russian oligarch, who is of great interest to the French Security Agencies and whose daughter is staying at the home of an ageing rock star.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Shooting at Chateau Rock which is the usual mixture of topical issues and small town life with a dash of rural trickery at the expense of city slickers. I should say immediately that I have deducted points for the fact that the eponymous shooting doesn’t take place until the final chapters, thus goading me into impatience as I turned the pages quickly to get to the expected main event.

The novel is told from Bruno’s point of view and is a charming mix of his personal and professional lives. Much is made of his dog, Balzac’s, first foray into love and it’s funny as is Bruno’s love of cooking and recipes for what he cooks, although they seem like a lot of effort to me. It seems like a simple life of friendship, barter and community but wrongdoing lurks and Bruno is the man to sort it out. I enjoyed his dismay at National Security (my capitalisation) issues trumping his suspicious death investigation and happily went along with his mutterings, possibly because I, like much of the readership, am not a big picture person. I also loved his use of agricultural laws to jumpstart his investigation, which is pure class with the bumpkins winning. It made me laugh but also underlines what I don’t understand about the bureaucracy of rural life. It’s an eye-opener.

I must admit that the politics of the plot didn’t really hold my attention. Russia’s illegal efforts at world domination are, by now, so public that no recap is really necessary and I hate reading about refugees, because it’s too heartbreaking to fictionalise. Having said that the author puts it in more personal terms for some of the characters so it’s perhaps a little harder hitting. The plot itself is actually quite slim but that hardly matters as the warm atmosphere of friendship and all the details of Bruno’s life and lateral thinking more than make up for it.

A Shooting at Chateau Rock is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

This has been on my wishlist for months; and it was worth waiting for!! A mixture of the France profonde, modern Europolitics, food, and dogs. Many of the old characters, and some new ones, financial scams, oligarchs - Martin Walker weaves them all into another excellent novel. Once you start to read, everything will stop until you reach the last page. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for an advance copy.

This was my first book in Bruno's series, too bad, because I'm sure if I had read the others I would have appreciated it even more. Anyway the story is nice, the characters have a long story in common and even if some stereotypes made me smile, I liked the novel.

Questo é stato il mio primo libro della serie di Bruno, peccato, perché sono sicura che se avessi letto anche gli altri avrei apprezzato ancora di piú. Comunque la storia é carina, i personaggi hanno una lunga storia in comune e anche se alcuni stereotipi mi hanno fatto sorridere, il romanzo mi é piaciuto.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

Reading A Shooting at Chateau Rock was like visiting with an old friend that I hadn't seen for awhile. Bruno is that person that you want to catch up with and see what is happening in his world. While he is often dealing with issues as international terrorists, a Russian oligarch, or working around the complications of European Union laws, he always has times for his friends. Martin Walker loves Périgord and it shows in every word he writes.
Not all is perfect in the region but the townspeople and the local government are always looking for ways to fix the problems. It is enjoyable to learn abut such different subjects as dog breeding and the government bureaucracy that is involved with selling family farms. Martin Walker's books are one of my favorite to recommend to friends and library patrons.