Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside

The first installment in a wonderful new series that follows the exploits of Benot Courr¨ges, a policeman in a small French village where the rituals of the caf© still rule. Bruno€"as he is affectionately nicknamed€"may be the town€s only municipal policeman, but in the hearts and minds of its denizens, he is chief of police.

Bruno is a former soldier who has embraced the pleasures and slow rhythms of country life€"living in his restored shepherd€s cottage; patronizing the weekly market; sparring with, and basically ignoring, the European Union bureaucrats from Brussels. He has a gun but never wears it; he has the power to arrest but never uses it. But then the murder of an elderly North African who fought in the French army changes everything and galvanizes Bruno€s attention: the man was found with a swastika carved into his chest.

Because of the case€s potential political ramifications, a young policewoman is sent from Paris to aid Bruno with his investigation. The two immediately suspect militants from the anti-immigrant National Front, but when a visiting scholar helps to untangle the dead man€s past, Bruno€s suspicions turn toward a more complex motive. His investigation draws him into one of the darkest chapters of French history€"World War II, a time of terror and betrayal that set brother against brother. Bruno soon discovers that even his seemingly perfect corner of la belle France is not exempt from that period€s sinister legacy.

Bruno, Chief of Police is deftly dark, mesmerizing, and totally engaging.