Martin Walker: The Patriarch (USA 2016)

From the publisher:
Another delightful installment in the delightful, internationally acclaimed series featuring Chief of Police Bruno: Bruno Courrèges is thrilled when he receives an invitation to the lavish birthday celebration of his childhood hero, World War II flying ace Marco "the Patriarch" Desaix. But when the party ends in the death of one of Marco's longtime friends, Gilbert, it turns into another day on the job for St. Denis's chief of police.

All signs point to a tragic accident, but Bruno isn't so sure, for there is more to the Desaix family's lives and loyalties than meets the eye. There's Victor, the Patriarch's son and Gilbert's sometimes rival, and Victor's seductive wife, Madeleine, whose roving eye intrigues Bruno even more than her fierce political ambitions. Not to mention the Patriarch himself -- did his postwar Soviet ties intersect too closely with Gilbert's career in Cold War intelligence?

As Bruno's entanglement with the Desaix family becomes more complicated, his inquiries into Gilbert's life will become a deadly threat to his own.

Martin Walker: The Patriarch. A Mystery of the French Countryside. Vintage Books, ISBN: 9780804173513 (September, 2016), 336 p., $16.00.

Martin Walker: The Dying Season (UK 2016)

From the publisher:
The Dordogne town of St Denis may be picturesque and sleepy, but it has more than its fair share of mysteries, as Bruno, chef de police, knows all too well. But when Bruno is invited to the 90th birthday of a powerful local patriarch - a war hero with high-level political connections in France, Russia and Israel - he encounters a family with more secrets than even he had imagined. When one of the other guests is found dead the next morning and the family try to cover it up, Bruno knows it's his duty to prevent the victim from becoming just another skeleton in their closet. Even if his digging reveals things Bruno himself would rather keep buried. Meanwhile, very modern battles are being fought in St Denis between hunters defending their traditions and environmentalists protecting local wildlife. Neither side, it seems, is above the use of violent tactics. At the centre of it all, Bruno must use all his cunning and character to protect his community's future from its present - and its past.

Martin Walker: The Dying Season. Some family secrets shouldn't be brought to light - Bruno must tread carefully... A Bruno, Chief of Police Novel. Quercus, ISBN: 9781848664081 (March, 2016), 342 p., £8.99.

Martin Walker: The Patriarch (USA 2015)

From the publisher:
A beloved village, a renowned family, a suspicious death -- it's the latest adventure in the Dordogne for police chief Bruno.
When Bruno is invited to the lavish birthday celebration of World War II flying ace and national icon Marco "the Patriarch" Desaix, it's the fulfillment of a boyhood dream. But when the party ends in the death of Gilbert, Marco's longtime friend, it's another day on the job for the chef de police. All signs point to a tragic accident, but Bruno isn't so sure. There is more to the Desaix family's lives and loyalties than meets the eye. There is Victor, the Patriarch's son, Gilbert's old comrade-in-arms and sometime rival; Victor's seductive wife, Madeleine, whose roving eye intrigues Bruno even more than her fierce political ambitions; Yevgeny, another son, an artist whose paintings seem to hold keys to the past; and the Patriarch himself, whose postwar Soviet ties may have intersected all too closely with Gilbert's career in Cold War intelligence.

Bruno is diverted by a dangerous conflict between a local animal rights activist and outraged hunters -- as well as meals to cook, wine to share, and an ever more complicated romantic situation. But as his entanglement with the Desaix family grows and his suspicions heighten, Bruno's inquiries into Gilbert's life become a deadly threat to his own.

Martin Walker: The Patriarch. A Bruno, Chief of Police Novel. Alfred A. Knopf, ISBN: 9780385354172 (August, 2015), 321 p., $24.95.

Martin Walker: The Dying Season (UK 2015)

From the publisher:
The Dordogne town of St Denis may be picturesque and sleepy, but it has more than its fair share of mysteries, as Bruno, chef de police, knows all too well. But when Bruno is invited to the 90th birthday of a powerful local patriarch - a war hero with high-level political connections in France, Russia and Israel - he encounters a family with more secrets than even he had imagined. When one of the other guests is found dead the next morning and the family try to cover it up, Bruno knows it's his duty to prevent the victim from becoming just another skeleton in their closet. Even if his digging reveals things Bruno himself would rather keep buried. Meanwhile, very modern battles are being fought in St Denis between hunters defending their traditions and environmentalists protecting local wildlife. Neither side, it seems, is above the use of violent tactics. At the centre of it all, Bruno must use all his cunning and character to protect his community's future from its present - and its past.

Martin Walker: The Dying Season. Some family secrets shouldn't be brought to light - Bruno must tread carefully... A Bruno, Chief of Police Novel. Quercus, ISBN: 9781848664050 (July, 2015), 342 p., £17.99 (?).