Wednesday, November 02, 2022

To Kill a Troubadour by Martin Walker

 
First Line: Bruno Courrèges, chief of police of the small French town of St. Denis and for much of the Vézère Valley, was taking a late evening patrol around the garden with his basset hound, Balzac, when the phone at his waist vibrated.
 
Bruno Courrèges has been a long-time fan of the folk group Les Troubadours. When one of their songs hits a political nerve and is banned by the Spanish government, problems begin piling up. Les Troubadours has a concert scheduled for St. Denis, and evidence is pointing to Spanish right-wing extremists coming to assassinate the song's composer who's traveling with the group.
 
The French and Spanish governments quickly form a joint task force with Bruno as the critical man on site to coordinate everything. But-- par for a busy man's course-- when it rains, it pours. While the puppy-sitting Bruno has his hands full tracking down snipers, his friend Florence needs his help. Her abusive ex-husband is out of prison demanding to see his children. This man is so busy he may not even have time to sit down to any mouth-watering feasts with his friends!

~

Any fan can tell you: when you pick up one of Martin Walker's Bruno Chief of Police mysteries, you know what you're going to get, and To Kill a Troubadour is no exception. You're going to get a finely tuned cast of characters who work together to combat the evil that appears at the village of St. Denis' doorstep. You're going to get a well-crafted mystery that showcases a fascinating nugget of the history of southwestern France. You're going to spend some time scratching basset hound ears and on horseback enjoying beautiful scenery. And you're going to spend some time drinking excellent wines and eating fabulous food.

This formula annoyed me at one stage because part of it involved Bruno trying to find the right woman to settle down with, but he's mellowing and less of the book is being spent on his romantic woes. I can't overcome the feeling that Walker isn't done with the subject, and I do look forward to seeing future developments; I just appreciate the respite.

To Kill a Troubadour highlights some of the things I enjoy so much about this series. The inter-agency cooperation is fantastic. The French government is shown to perceive a threat and to act immediately. Even collaboration with other countries works well. Although Spanish right-wing extremists are the ostensible villains of the book, there is actually a puppet master working away in the background. I do like how Walker weaves real-world situations into these books.

I always learn something about the Périgord region of France, too. This time, its connections to Spain and the dissemination of Arabic music and thought from Iraq to Spain to France and on to the rest of Europe. 

The subplot of Bruno helping Florence to keep her abusive ex-husband away from her children is not only good but it also provides a laugh-out-loud moment when the women of St. Denis make their presence felt.

All in all, this latest book in Martin Walker's series delivered the goods and left me with a smile on my face, anticipating my next visit to the Périgord.

To Kill a Troubadour by Martin Walker
ISBN: 9780593319796
Knopf © 2022
Hardcover, 320 pages
 
Police Procedural, #15 Bruno Chief of Police mystery
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore.

10 comments:

  1. I do like this series a lot, Cathy. One of things you always get with a Walker (at least to me) is a great sense of place and cultural setting. He also brings in some interesting sociopolitical threads, too, which I find really interesting. I'm with you about Bruno's love life, though. I'd like it to be settled in some way...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I finish reading a Bruno mystery, I think in a French accent for awhile, that's how steeped in France these books are!

      Delete
  2. I love this series as a quiet read before going to sleep. Sometimes the murder gets in the way of the quiet feel, but not too much, and the descriptions of the food are soothing. I'm not quite up to this one yet and now I know not to expect anything soon on the Bruno settling down front!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel as though I've taken a holiday in France whenever I read a Bruno mystery, and as far as his love life goes, now some of the people of St. Denis are trying to steer him in their preferred direction. :-)

      Delete
  3. I enjoyed this one earlier this year.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I enjoyed this one already - so kind of the publisher to have this series on a schedule that makes it a birthday treat.

    I'm ready for Bruno's love life to be a little more settled, but I keep 'worrying' that such a change would involve him leaving his house and garden, which I enjoy so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I could always send him the name of my remodeler. ;-)

      Delete
  5. Maybe this is the light reading I need.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!