Martin Walker: Black Diamond (USA 2012)

From the publisher:
The third installment in Martin Walker's delightful, internationally acclaimed series featuring Chief of Police Bruno.
Something dangerous is afoot in St. Denis. In the space of a few weeks, the normally sleepy village sees attacks on Vietnamese vendors, arson at a local Asian restaurant, subpar truffles from China smuggled into outgoing shipments at a nearby market -- all of it threatening the Dordogne's truffle trade, worth millions of dollars each year, and all of it spelling trouble for Benoît "Bruno" Courrèges, master chef, devoted oenophile, and, most important, beloved chief of police. When one of his hunting partners, a noted truffle expert, is murdered, Bruno's investigation into the murky events unfolding around St. Denis becomes infinitely more complicated. His friend wasn't just a connoisseur of French delicacies, he was a former high-profile intelligence agent -- and someone wanted him dead.

As the strange crimes continue, Bruno's detective work takes him from sunlit markets to dim cafés, from luxurious feasts to tense negotiations -- from all of the paradisial pleasures of the region to its shadowy underworld -- and reunites him with a lost love, an ambitious policewoman also assigned to the case. Filled with an abundance of food and wine (including, bien sûr, many, many truffles) and a soupçon of romance, Black Diamond is a deliciously entertaining concoction that delivers all the complexity and delights of the Dordogne itself.

Martin Walker: Black Diamond. A Mystery of the French countryside. Vintage Books, ISBN: 9780307744630 (July, 2012), 297 p., $14.95.

Martin Walker: Black Diamond (UK 2011)

From the publisher:
At the heart of French gastronomy lies the famed black truffle of the Périgord. But France's truffles are being adulterated with cheaper ones from China, and it seems that Chinese organised crime is behind the fraud.

In St Denis market, a Vietnamese family has been selling their dishes for years, until their stall is wrecked by attackers who look Chinese. Again it appears that organised crime is behind the outrage, firing the opening shots of a Viet-Chinese triad war. When vicious murder, illegal immigration and the importation of underage girls for prostitution are added to the mix, Bruno has his work cut out.

Martin Walker spins an intriguing mystery leavened with charm and humour, informed by love and knowledge for France, past and present. It is a combination that will win him many devoted readers.

Martin Walker: Black Diamond. A Case for Bruno, Chief of Police. Quercus, ISBN: 9781849161237 (September, 2011), 354 p., £7.99.

Martin Walker: Black Diamond (USA 2011)

From the publisher:
The third installment in Martin Walker's delightful, internationally acclaimed series featuring Chief of Police Bruno.
Something dangerous is afoot in St. Denis. In the space of a few weeks, the normally sleepy village sees attacks on Vietnamese vendors, arson at a local Asian restaurant, subpar truffles from China smuggled into outgoing shipments at a nearby market -- all of it threatening the Dordogne's truffle trade, worth millions of dollars each year, and all of it spelling trouble for Benoît "Bruno" Courrèges, master chef, devoted oenophile, and, most important, beloved chief of police. When one of his hunting partners, a noted truffle expert, is murdered, Bruno's investigation into the murky events unfolding around St. Denis becomes infinitely more complicated. His friend wasn't just a connoisseur of French delicacies, he was a former high-profile intelligence agent -- and someone wanted him dead.

As the strange crimes continue, Bruno's detective work takes him from sunlit markets to dim cafés, from luxurious feasts to tense negotiations -- from all of the paradisial pleasures of the region to its shadowy underworld -- and reunites him with a lost love, an ambitious policewoman also assigned to the case. Filled with an abundance of food and wine (including, bien sûr, many, many truffles) and a soupçon of romance, Black Diamond is a deliciously entertaining concoction that delivers all the complexity and delights of the Dordogne itself.

Martin Walker: Black Diamond. A Mystery of the French countryside. Alfred A. Knopf, ISBN: 9780307700148 (August, 2011), 297 p., $24.95.

Martin Walker: Black Diamond (UK 2010)

From the publisher:
France's Perigord region is the home of the exquisite black truffle, and at five thousand euros a kilo, it's a treasured local asset. When reports come in that this unique delicacy is being adulterated with a cheaper Chinese version, Bruno is asked to investigate the scam.

In St Denis market, a Vietnamese family runs a popular stall selling their country's dishes, until one morning their stall is overturned and wrecked by attackers who look Chinese. Bruno wonders if these are the opening shots of a Viet-Chinese triad war.

When a horrific murder is added to the mix, Bruno has his work cut out to find the connection between present crimes and long-buried ones that arc linked to France's colonial past.

In this gripping new investigation, Bruno needs all his local knowledge, acumen, courage and charm to work his way towards the truth.

Martin Walker: Black Diamond. A Bruno Courrèges investigation. Quercus, ISBN: 9780857380494 (July, 2010), 294 p., £12.99.