Another delightful book from Martin Walker featuring the wonderful Bruno, chief of police. Set in the beautiful Perigord region, Martin’s books transport the reader to this peaceful area bringing to life the scenery, food and culture typical of rural France. The story relates to a cold case that has puzzled Bruno’s boss JJ for 30 years. The skull of a mystery man who has never been identified and his murderer never brought to justice has always frustrated him. As the story develops and long buried crimes begin to emerge, the high point for me of any of Martin Walker’s books is the wonderful camaraderie of Bruno’s friends, colleagues and indeed animals. This perfect lifestyle of growing and cooking your own food, sharing knowledge, time and goods with friends warms the heart and while his working life is totally contrary to his home life, the mix works harmoniously. The characters from previous books in the series all reappear together with new ones and blend together with warm familiarity. As the mystery builds to a conclusion, Bruno also has other concerns when the long, hot and dry summer threatens destructive wildfires across their region. Another busy time for Bruno with a satisfying ending and I Iook forward to the next in the series.

The Coldest Case by Martin Walker was a very strange read. I kept getting confused as it evolved. I’d thought JJ was going to be the main character so didn’t pay proper attention to Bruno initially yet he is the central character. I then thought we were going to see Bruno’s relationship develop with Pamela or even Sabine or Virginie but that was overtaken by many other things from cooking to puppies to fire-fighting. I thought the book was about a cold case and the mystery skull but pages and pages were about food and cooking. I’d thought the developments and relationships would be about solving the case but a huge chunk of the book was about forest fires. All very disconcerting and a little distracting but very well written nonetheless.
I did love the characters and their personalities and the story does satisfactorily deal with the cold case. Overall maybe there’s too much going on and, for me, that proved distracting and diluted my enjoyment of the book a little. While every aspect is linked to the ‘main’ storyline of the cold case the detail is immense. I did skip over the fires and think that’s another story in its own right. Maybe one with Bruno, Isabelle or Pamela and the puppies but Cold War and cold case didn’t give me head space for global warming too.
This perhaps reads as a negative review, which I hadn’t intended. It’s a very good storyline with gorgeous descriptors of food, wine and cooking alongside a whodunnit mystery, political and historical elements, bullying and harassment, dog breeding, romance and career development. Settle down without distractions to enjoy. Three and a half stars rounded up to four

This is the first book I've read about Bruno, chief of police in the French town of St Denis in the Périgord region, but find it is number fourteen in what is obviously a popular series. In this book Bruno notices the reconstruction of some ancient skulls in the museum and wonders if this technology could help with the identity of a thirty year old murder victim. He enlists the help of a technician to reconstruct the skull but meanwhile DNA evidence helps to identify surviving family members. The team are led to a reclusive vintner, Henri Bazaine whom they suspect of not being all he appears. This investigation is set agains the backdrop of a particularly hot summer season in the south of France and burning wild fires which Bruno must help with.
The setting of the story was interesting and sounds beautiful ,with chateau and museums dotted around the landscape, and every house appearing to have abundant gardens oozing with vegetables and fruit and wine on tap. The cold case mystery is also interesting and the links with East Germany and the Stasi providing an interesting backdrop to the story.
However, my problem with the book were twofold. Firstly, Bruno can do no wrong. It is his idea to bring in the technician to reconstruct the skull. It is his idea during the fires to use the boats and the trebuchet to provide some relief. He is a brilliant rider, a fine gardener and a locally renowned cook. He helps children across the road in the mornings. He is too good to be true!
My second, lesser beef, is that sometimes the dialogue was stilted and designed to impart information to the reader, rather than being completely realistic.
These two points are a shame and spoiled what was otherwise an intriguing plot and an enjoyable setting.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for a chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another solid and totally enjoyable outing for Bruno, basset hound Balzac and the whole cast of characters who inhabit the Périgord. This time, an old case of Bruno's boss J-J - his very first as a young cop many years ago - is re-opened thanks to modern technology in reconstructing skulls into 3D imagery. Needless to say, old wounds are picked over and the case becomes entangled with attempts to declassify old Stasi documents relating back to the Cold War. As all of Bruno's circle comes together to help solve the case, modern political alliances are stretched to the extreme.

As ever with the Bruno books there is much more going on: a heatwave brings about forest fires which threaten the valley; Balzac has become father to a litter of puppies; and, not content with cooking a meatless bolognese in the previous book, this time Bruno faces the challenge of cooking an entirely vegan meal for his friends. Mon dieu!!

I love this series, and even though actually very little of the book has any action concerning the cold case (it does get solved but it feels more like a background story than anything else) the comings and goings of Bruno, Pamela, Isabelle and everyone else makes this feel like a very welcome homecoming, where readers are safe in the knowledge that all is right with the world. Great characters, a wonderful setting and, of course, that wonderful food. Another winner from Martin Walker. 4.5 tasty stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

Bruno Courreges is Chief of Police of the lovely town of St Denis in the Dordogne. His main wish is to keep the local people safe and his town free from crime. But crime has a way of finding its way to him. For thirty years, Bruno's boss, Chief of Detectives Jalipeau, known as J-J, has been obsessed with his first case. It was never solved and Bruno knows that this failure continues to haunt J-J. A young male body was found in the woods near St Denis and never identified. For all these years, J-J has kept the skull as a reminder. He calls him 'Oscar'. Visiting the famous pre-history museum in nearby Les Eyzies, Bruno sees some amazingly life-like heads expertly reconstructed from ancient skulls. He suggests performing a similar reconstruction on Oscar as a first step towards at last identifying him. An expert is hired to start the reconstruction and the search for Oscar's killer begins again in earnest.
I can’t believe that this is the fourteenth book in this riveting series. I eagerly await each book & I’ve not been disappointed in any of them. I love the mix of police work, cooking & socialising, which combine effortlessly to make an engrossing read. I loved how the story built from the skull & how it developed, it has me engrossed from cover to cover & I devoured it. I highly recommend this brilliant book & in fact the whole series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I always look forward to the latest Bruno chapter and this year was no exception. Escaping to France with characters that feel like friends is a perfect anecdote for current times. And Bruno did not let me down.
The use of technology to kickstart solving a cold case that had perplexed his colleague JJ for years was a bit different to previous books. But the comforting familiar food, countryside, wine and friends were all there in abundance. The threat of overwhelming forest fires runs throughout the book and captured the images well.
The sign of a good book to me is when I am sad it’s finished (even though I stayed up late to finish it!). And this book did just that. Looking forward to the next book already - and hoping that his cousin Alain features and he finally gets his relationship with Isabelle onto a more solid footing....
A good, interesting and comforting read.

This is the first book I’ve read by Martin Walker although I’ve found out that ‘The Coldest Case’ is the 14th book in the Dordogne Mysteries!
I was immediately drawn to the promise of a murder mystery set in the glorious French countryside. I found myself quickly immersed into the life of Bruno and his friends living in the Dordogne enjoying the offerings of sumptuous gourmet food and wine which is embellished throughout the mystery making it a refreshing change from the usual crime novels I’ve read.
In short, it’s a 30 year old cold case which remains unsolved until Bruno saw an exhibition of a study of the reconstruction of faces of historic men, women and children which inspired him to initiate the reconstruction of the skull which was found in the local woods 30 years ago. The mystery then unravels into an interesting case, cleverly weaved through Bruno’s every day full life in the splendid Perigord.
Great plot, glorious setting, believable characters and interesting facts all amalgamating together to create an enjoyable read, I look forward to reading more from Martin Walker.
Big thanks to Martin Walker, Quercus Books and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

I'm a huge fan of this series and it's always a pleasure to travel to Dordogne and catch up with Bruno and his friends.
This is an excellent series that mixes historical facts, mysteries and mouthwatering descriptions of food. If you are on a diet it's a sort of lovely torture as the descriptions are so detailed and well written that you can savour and smell the food
This is an excellent addition to this series, one of the most complex story I read in this series and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The title refers to a cold case, something that happened more than 30 years ago. We don't know anything about the victim and the slow burning plot is both about discovering who the victim was and the culprit.
It's not a fast paced and action packed story, the pace is gentle and there are a couple of subplots regarding a possible fire and what some pups (I loved the part about the pups).
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and was fascinated by the historical background that made me discover some new historical facts.
The plot is well developed and well written, the character development is excellent and this is an engrossing and highly entertaining story.
Even if it could be read as a stand alone I think it's better read the previous books.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Quercus and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Holey Moley.. Book 14 and still going strong. Probably, mainly I think, due to the fact that the author has created some great characters and placed them in the most wonderful setting, and given them all a real sense of community. Basically laid the foundations so strongly that whatever shenanigans they subsequently get up to will always be interesting and intriguing. Not that I am saying that the main plots are lacking - Not At All. Just trying to explain why, after all this time, I find each and every new book as fresh as every one that has gone before. Oh and just a reminder - do not go into this book hungry as there are so many culinary delights to be had all the way through - from the simplest of snacks to the most lavish of dinner parties - that there's a high danger of snacking if you aren't full! Oh and start from book one and read in order...
So... we start with Bruno getting an idea when he visits a museum where there is a display of facial reconstruction of ancient skulls. He remembers his old friend JJ's 30 year old cold case, the one that bugs him every day, the one he has failed to solve. He has an unidentified skull. Maybe the people who did the exhibition can put a face to it? Long story short and this new angle injects new life into the investigation and JJ and Bruno, along with a host of other familiar friends start their investigations in earnest. Obviously it's still challenging as the case and witnesses are 30 years older by now but they have a start...
Irrespective of the plot, which by the way is interesting and intriguing, well plotted and executed and comes to a great conclusion, the real joy of this series for me is dipping once again into Bruno's world. We see him host his friends, watch him as he goes about his daily business and he makes such a wonderful companion. He really is the real deal character wise. I'd love to go meet him and break bread with him, maybe swilled down by a cheeky local wine... Idyllic...
All in all, I loved my shortish re-visit back to the Perigord, to St Denis, and all in contained, the mystery holding may attention nicely throughout. Only bad thing about it was leaving the characters once again - but only for a short while, they'll be back soon enough, hopefully, can't wait...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I was intrigued by this book (I haven't read any others in this series) as it seemed unusual. I enjoyed the very clever story, and the setting is very appealing. However, I found myself getting bogged down in the lengthy descriptions of everything, especially the details of Bruno's cooking. This would make an excellent TV series (which the author may well have in mind) but I think I would struggle to read another of the author's books.

This is the first of Martin Walkers' books I have read and thoroughly enjoyed it. The details are amazing and I felt that I was there enjoying the delicious food and manning the trebuchet! The characters, especially Balzac, were delightful and the investigations rumbled on in the background with an unexpected conclusion. Really great read!

I hadn’t read any of the earlier books in this series but I am about to rectify this very quickly. I am now totally hooked on all things Bruno! I absolutely loved this mix of ‘la vie française’ with a splash of mystery, a dash of history and a lot of truly delicious sounding meals. I’ve been recommending to all my friends. Since we can’t as yet travel to experience the real thing - this is next best.

The story totally worked as a stand-alone.
The cold-case mystery was intriguing and the finale exciting. I love the cover picture too.

My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for letting me read a copy of this book.

Not read any of the other books so this was my first foray.
I do love France and the setting was wonderful.
The plot was very slow going and I feel dragged a bit. Lots of background detail describing the food, scenery, lifestyles which people will either love or hate. I did feel it slowed everything down somewhat.
This would probably work very well as a TV afternoon BBC1 cop show in the middle of winter

WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS WHEN HUNGRY!

Despite the focus of this story being a thirty-year old cold case surrounding a skull named Oscar and a body found in a nearby forest, the beauty of the book lies in the people of the region, the environment and the food (all of which were richly described and almost tangible). Whilst the identity of the murder victim develops slowly, it is evident quite early on who the suspect is, even when little is known about them. However, this doesn’t necessarily detract from the story. What isn’t initially evident is the motivations behind the murder and its links to the Stasi and the former East Germany, something which Martin Walker weaves in and out of the story exceptionally well.

However, the Dordogne is suffering from an intense summer drought that is sparking fires across the region, and our protagonist, Bruno Courreges, Chief of Police in the Dordogne town of Saint Denis, is both trying to help solve this cold case and protect his home and friends. He makes some delicious food, and I could probably follow the book as a recipe guide! The firefighting escapades were also excellently written and, whilst it wasn’t necessarily relevant to solving the murder, it didn’t seem too out of place and provided both a source of great tension but also some humour. Sounds strange but it worked!

This was a single sitting read and thoroughly enjoyable, I’d really recommend it!

My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC!

Always enjoy these stories about Bruno and his friends, not just for the descriptions of his cooking and vegetable garden. Learnt more about French postwar history and prompted a bit of research on the side into what exactly was going. on in the intelligence world then. I have read a few of these now but am so glad I still have a sizeable backlog to get through. Thanks to Netgalley.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Coldest Case, the fourteenth novel to feature Bruno Courreges, Chief of Police in the Dordogne town of Saint Denis.

Bruno’s friend, Chief of Detectives Jean-Jacques “J-J” Jalipeau has been haunted by the thirty year old murder that he failed to solve, so when Bruno sees some reconstructions of early man in a local museum he wonders if a reconstruction of J-J’s victim would breathe new life into the case. An expert is hired, DNA from the skull is recovered and the case roars back to life.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Coldest Case which is the usual mix of investigation and Bruno’s life with his friends. It is told entirely from Bruno’s point of view so the reader gets to live his life alongside him, be it policing, cooking or socialising. There is no difference as they all blend seamlessly together with much intermingling.

I found the investigative side quite compulsive this time round. First there is the question of identifying the corpse and the ensuing ramifications, which are considerable and extremely well done. I was amazed at how the plot developed from so little initially and how it drew in some old friends. I was hanging on every turn and wasn’t disappointed by the wonderful ending, which is neat, clever and very fitting. I loved it.

Of course no Bruno novel would be complete without his cooking and the recipes. He has a bit of an idyllic lifestyle, growing his own fruit and vegetables, rearing hens and geese, hunting and bartering with his neighbours for what he can’t produce. It wouldn’t be for me but I like dipping into a lifestyle so totally different to mine. I find it fascinating. I don’t know if it’s just my impression but this novel seems to explore more of the local countryside and its history than other novels. Again all these snippets of information are fascinating and make me want to visit, that’ll be me and half of Europe.

Bruno is a great character, kind, smart and dutiful. His duty to his community takes centre stage for part of the novel and it’s a wild ride with some ingenious solutions. It also raises some serious points.

The Coldest Case is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

The Bruno Courreges series is something of an enigma in that they have a stylistic approach that is quite unique. Each time I read one I say that it will be last but each new title lures me back. They have become a guilty pleasure. They are not fast action thrillers but a french countryside police adventure which in turn feels like a tourist and culinary promotion. This latest book is more realistic in relation to the role of Bruno than some of the previous titles involving international terrorists and criminals and is a better read for this. Yes, there is a historical link to the Cold War but it’s somewhat more credible than a fantastical link / association to events in earlier escapades. As ever, Bruno manages to juggle a multitude of roles whilst maintaining a strong social life and displaying his cookery skills. The usual cast are present and I guess this is what adds to the comfort of this series. Martin Walker knows what his audience enjoys and provides the goods... and of course , we’d all love to live in that idyllic zone

It was when he saw Elisabeth Daynes' work in the prehistory museum at Les Eyzies that chief of police Bruno Courreges had the idea which he thought might help his boss, chief of detectives Jalipeau, known as J-J, to solve a case which had haunted him for thirty years. The body of a young male was found in the woods but he was never identified and his killer never brought to justice. What if an artist could recreate the face from the skull and the resulting publicity be used to identify the young man? J-J calls the skull 'Oscar' and has a picture on his door: he sees it every time he leaves his office: he doesn't want to forget Oscar until his killer has been brought to justice.

The search for Oscar's identity and his killer is the essence of the story but this is the Dordogne and you're going to get the full tourist experience. Foremost is the food and wine, where you'll get details of individual dishes (I've made the Vichyssoise soup) and complete menus to the extent that I did actually consider putting the book in the cookery category as well as crime. Then I realised that I'd also have to put it in the history category - it's exceptionally good on what we think of as pre-history - as well as popular science to cover wine and oenology as well as climate change and there's a fair dollop of politics as well. Normally, I'd think of this as padding but Martin Walker is skilful and rather than seeming like an information dump you'll find that, in the course of reading an interesting and intriguing plot, you've been gently educated.

You could read this book without having read any of the thirteen earlier books in the series but you will find some of the relationships less confusing if you know a little of the background. Regular readers will recognise the characters who have reappeared throughout the stories, including Pamela and Isabelle, sometime lovers of Bruno, Balzac his dog (who becomes a father) and Hector his horse, whose love life is undocumented.

It's a cleverly constructed plot: DNA leads the police to the son of the dead man and then to a half-sibling and to a close friend of his mother who has information about the time just before the man's death. It's well-thought-out, compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read: I got through it far more quickly than I intended and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

The Ghost of The First Case....
The latest case for Bruno, Chief of Police and book fourteen in the excellent Dordogne Mysteries. With the ghost of his first case ever haunting him J-J, Bruno’s boss, is certainly obsessed - even keeping ‘Oscar’,the skull of the desceased. Bruno decides to reopen the cold case following an enlightenment on skull reconstructions. With its ever beautiful settings, vivid descriptions of both place and fare and an intriguing, captivating storyline this is another very worthy addition to this long running series. A first class read.

Another excellent book in the Bruno series. I love how the cast of characters has expanded over the years and are still part of the story. A really enjoyable crime story with bits of cooking and sight seeing thrown in - perhaps becoming a bit too cozy. But what I enjoy about these books is that they are cracking good reads which will keep you turning the page without the need for blood and gore