Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A selection of short stories, some new some previously published are brought together in this collection. An ideal holiday read

Some lovely stories in a community centered town in the Dordogne. Many appealing characters and activities which involve a lot of food and wine. They also catch some oyster smugglers! Very enjoyable read.

With titles like ‘The Chocolate War’; ‘The Birthday Lunch’; ‘Oystercatcher’; ‘A Market Tale’ and ‘Fifty Million Bubbles’, you may be sure that champagne and gastronomy will feature as well as cosy crime in ‘Dangerous Vacation’. Bruno strides through these tales, staying calm. settling local disputes and keeping safe his beloved town of St Denis.

Only on one occasion does he panic: in ‘Bruno’s Challenge’, his friend Ivan, proprietor and chef of the town’s popular eatery, suddenly collapses on the eve of a large anniversary dinner, and he asks Bruno to take over the restaurant. After a few protests followed by some deep breaths, the inimitable Bruno meets his challenge and saves the day. (Synopsis courtesy of Quercus Books) https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/martin-walker/brunos-challenge-other-dordogne-tales/9781529418125

To be honest, I’m pretty firmly on the record as a fan of Martin Walker and his Bruno novels, so this is not exactly going to be impartial criticism.

http://pajnewman.com/2021/05/27/a-warm-heart-for-a-cold-case/

In essence, I love them. Whenever Walker launches his noble rugby-playing, cuisine-loving, unlucky-in-love village policeman on the literary world, I’m buying it and I am ready to be transported to the Perigord, sign me up and destination added to the bucket list thank you very much.

Interestingly, what I do not like is short stories. Not sure why; it’s a prejudice like an aversion to sci-fi or the ballet. I can understand that these things might have appeal, but I kind of feel like it’s not for me.

Except, these are for me. I’d actually purchased the festive story, Le Père Noël, previously as a Kindle single and it bears re-reading and is a lovely showcase for Bruno’s generosity of spirit which is at the heart of this series of stories.

The other delight of this collection of stories are two-fold. Firstly, the gang’s (nearly) all here: Pamela, the Mad Englishwoman – who is neither mad nor English which is charming as ever – Isabelle, the itch Bruno can never scratch, Florence, the schoolteacher who Bruno saved and installed at the local école and who is the woman the fans think he should end up with. Jack Crimson, retired intelligence agent assisting Bruno as he encounters various dangers, and his daughter Miranda who now works with Pamela and the horses. Finally, local doctor Fabiola and her partner Gilles, late of Paris Match and Sarajevo where he initially met our war hero Bruno, are all present and correct and often eating.

Secondly, there is the regional cuisine of the Perigord. Walker, Bruno and his fictional friends are all dedicated to these regional delicacies: as are Walker’s daughters Kate and Fanny who appear to be instrumental in the cookbook which exists (only in German at the moment, although I’ve heard tell of an English language translation on the horizon). It is this passion which sees stories of cooking flood through this collection like flavours layered in a well-made Cassoulet.

And so I have been converted to the short story as a form, at least when it brings my old fictional friends a-calling and leaves me sated for their company but hungry for dinner.

Having previously read another of Bruno's tales, I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories that follow Bruno in his role as the local policeman for St Denis in the Dordogne. The food was excellent and definitely something I need to look into making, but it was sometimes repetitive in mentioning descriptors of the areas. However, knowing they are meant to be standalone stories, I happily overlooked that and got on with enjoying Walker's work!

Another great Bruno book, this time a collection of short stories. I love the atmosphere of the Dordogne and the way that people help each other and how Bruno is more interested in natural justice than applying the letter of the law. Strongly recommended.

Bruno's Challenge & Other Dordogne Tales by Martin Walker.

A bumper collection of delightful stories featuring Bruno, Chief of Police and France's favourite cop, all set in the beautiful Dordogne valley and the ravishing Perigord region of the south west. Here is a landscape of meandering rivers with medieval castles overlooking their banks, of lush hillsides and spreading vineyards, of delicious local wines and world renowned cuisine.

Author’s Introduction ix Bruno’s Challenge 1 The Birthday Lunch 19 The Chocolate War 37 The Lost Boy 59 A Question of Chabrol 77 The Green Army 83 Dangerous Vacation 103 A Market Tale 135 Fifty Million Bubbles 165 Oystercatcher 177 Mère Noelle 197 Boeuf Neanderthal 205 The Collaborator 217 Le Père Noël 237

A good read. Each story was different. Likeable characters. 4*.

Like a selection of tempting side dishes to accompany the main course of the Bruno novels, this collection of short stories is a charming and welcome publication gathering together previously published stories. There are no major crimes here, simply the day-to-day life of Bruno and the gang of usual characters from the novels, always - of course- ending with a fine meal or a good drink. The stories are like a warm hug when you need one most, undemanding, never surprising when everything is sorted out in the end, Fans of the novels will, needless to say, love this. 4 stars.

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

A review from the preview copy I received via NetGalley

As a big fan of the Bruno series of novels by Martin Walker I was very interested in this collection having completed the series of books (so far) but not getting around to the handful of short stories that was available. This new book collates the stories together along with six new stories to make up Bruno’s Challenge.

The book is a nice accompaniment to the series and if you have read a Bruno book you know what to expect, some of the stories do feel a bit samey with the explanations of things like for example setting the scene of the town market but many of these were published as stand alone so its to be expected. What I like about these stories are the experiments using new characters such as Monica from Pere Noel and some new locations and scenarios.

As always the book is full of life with the inhabitants of St Denis and its favourite Police Man, some great stories to dip in and out of and a wonderful accompaniment to the main series.

A most enjoyable read of St Denes town policeman Bruno in short episodes of keeping peace in the Dordogne. Of the rich life he leads resolving disputes, making the path of true love smooth, pouring oil on troubled waters, and nipping crime in the bud. All helped over a drink or a good meal, helped by good friends and occasionally comforted when lucky with a bed warmer in the shape of an old flame.

A lovely collection of short stories featuring Bruno the local policeman for St Denis in the Dordogne. It’s lovely to read the tales which are interspersed with cooking dishes that made me want to stop and pay attention to the ingredients to cook later! It is great to meet all the characters that we meet in the full length novels and find out more about them.
A truly lovely book to pick up whenever you want and read a tale. .

I'm not usually a fan of short stories - I find it all too easy to put the book down between stories and forget to pick it up again - but I am a fan of Martin Walker's Bruno Courreges Mysteries so the temptation to read Bruno's Challenge was hard to resist and I'm rather glad that I didn't even try. For those new to the series, there's an excellent introduction that will tell you all you need to know about who's who and the background to why Bruno is in St Denis.

The titular story is a feel-good tale of the town coming together when someone is taken ill. There's an added bonus in that if you should need to cater for thirty people, the recipes are all here. Continuing on the food theme, The Birthday Lunch is a celebration of the archaeological richness of the Perigord. The Chocolate War is only incidentally about chocolate` - it has more to do with the economics of the marketplace and building cooperation rather than confrontation.

The Lost Boy is a heart-warming tale of a young boy who wanders off in search of a cave - he's been promised a visit - and then gets lost. He's found by a combination of the sniffer skills of Bruno's dog, Balzac, and new technology - a drone.

Some stories are a little heavy on information and short on action, such as A Question of Chabrol, Boeuf Neanderthal and The Collaborator. They're interesting in themselves but I did feel that I was being educated rather than entertained. Equally, I'll confess that The Green Army might well have fallen into this category but I was really interested in the subject - winemaking - and even more delighted when the subject came up again in Mère Noël which highlighted the finances of running a vineyard - and the ingenuity required to make it pay when the going gets tough.

My favourite stories: Dangerous Vacation was more of a mystery of the type which we're used to Bruno solving in his full-length books and highlighted to local police preference for solving a problem rather than making an arrest. A Market Tale is a love story, which begins over a punnet of strawberries and continues to a neat ending which I really wasn't expecting. The construction of the story is excellent. I liked Fifty Million Bubbles too. It proves that winning should not be at any cost and that knowing you've done it fairly is what matters most.

Oystercatcher sees Bruno meeting up with the love of his life - Isabelle - on the bay near Bordeaux, where he's called up to track down thieves who are putting the oyster trade at risk. It's a taste of the Action-man Bruno we all know and love. My favourite quote comes from Le Père Noël when the townsfolk gather to sing at Christmas: it's how Europe ought to be, with everyone singing the same tune in their own tongue.

It was a good read which I sprinted through all-too-quickly. It was good to catch up with people I've known for years and meet a few newcomers. I was sorry when I got to the end of the book, which isn't bad when you don't like short stories! I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

Bruno strides through these fourteen short tales, staying calm. settling local disputes and keeping safe his beloved town of St Denis Most of them involve solving day to day problems rather than crimes. Of course food plays an integral part of the stories. These are ideal for whiling away a couple of hours & dipping into whilst waiting for the next full length Bruno story. These are a cosy read which I thoroughly enjoyed
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

A delightful collection of short stories based around the community of St Denis in the Dordogne and featuring the much loved local policeman, Bruno. For fans of Bruno who have previously encountered him in the full length novels this will be a heartwarming reminder of his idyllic lifestyle mixed with the occasional crime. For anyone new, this is the perfect introduction to not only Bruno himself but all the delightful characters that feature in the main books. The stories encompass local food, traditions and history that bring to life this beautiful area with thought provoking imagery that places the reader in the very heart of rural France. A true delight.

I have not really read any short story books before and decided to give this a go and I really enjoyed the stories. I liked the stories particularly the way the characters intertwined with each other and felt in some ways it was one story. Great read. I have never read Martin Walker before either and will read his books in the future. The stories mix police work, food and entertaining in such a sweet way. I have a feel from the stories of the area and it makes me feel that I would like to visit as it made me feel quite tranquil. I loved the way that Bruno sorted out dramas in a way that not always meant jail. In one story there was a problem with a market trader and the owner of a café had an issue with the sale of hot chocolate. Bruno worked out a solution to suit each of them and it must be said that could work in many ways if we decided to test the water with other people. A delightful charming set of stories

A wonderful selection of short stories all centred around Chief of Police Bruno. All our favourite characters are there with good stories of their lives in St Denis.

I am not the biggest fan of short stories. However I am a big fan of Bruno and also, I really don't mind short stories when they contain characters and places I am already familiar with. So... it was a no brainer that I was mega excited to get my hands on this - a whole book crammed full of Bruno's shorts, some new, others previously published elsewhere. Each one was a veritable delight as I wondered which one of Bruno's friends would pop up to assist him in whatever was going on.
Starting with a bit of a cooking challenge which had him thrown in at the deep end a bit. But, as with what usually happens in the main books, everyone comes together and, well, I'll let you find out for yourself how that goes. Another one which stood out for me was when Bruno had to keep the peace in the market when a new kid on the block appeared and started to sell his own coffee, taking custom away from the locals.
If you are wanting a proper big crime solving fix then this isn't the book for you as a lot of the stories deal with the day to day stuff that Bruno, as Chief of police, has to deal with. There's crime to be had but it is of the softer variety, that is easily solved in a few pages. That's not to say that it's boring. Far from it. There's plenty still to guess and ponder on. And most stories are served up with the most delicious sounding treats, and wine. Which means that this book should come with a warning not to dive in unless you have already eaten! Made my mouth water...
For me it has filled a gap between the proper Bruno books. But, although I had a bit of fun along the way, it's not a substitute for the real thing. A proper Bruno mystery. Which I hope will not be too long coming after.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Martin Walker's Dordogne is a sort of culinary, historical and naturalistic paradise and one of the places I like to visit when I want to relax.
This is an enjoyable and entertaining anthology of short stories, some featuring a mystery and some featuring some small town problem solved by Bruno.
I thoroughly enjoyed them as I'm a fan of the series. The descriptions of the food are mouthwatering and I was left wondering why they do no have any apparent issue with cholesterol (as usual).
I think this not the best book to start the series but it's a highly entertaining and riveting anthology.
I strongly recommend it if you want to relax, and enjoy Bruno's Dordogne.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Loved this book. I will certainly go and read the detective stories. This was a joy, an absolute gem. Made me very hungry! I just wanted to be there in France and enjoying the wonderful hospitality. Incredibly atmospheric and evocative of the region. Great cast of characters. A joy to read.

3 ½ stars I think. Short stories mostly about cooking and sorting out some minor village problems. Not sure this would convert you but if you are already a fan, then this is a fun, quick read. I think I prefer the novel format. Thanks to Netgalley.