‘A Grave in the Woods’ by Martin Walker

Published by Quercus,
20 June 2024.
ISBN: 978-1-52942-828-5 (HB)

I’ve been an unashamed fan of Martin Walker’s Dordogne Mysteries series since I first discovered them more than a decade ago, and as well as the wonderfully drawn characters and location they have one thing in particular in common: at the end, I’m considerably better informed about one aspect of life. This time that aspect is the endgame of the second world war as it was played out in south-western France. 

The story begins with the discovery of a sealed grave in the grounds of a derelict building close to St Denis, where all the novels are based. The three bodies it contains date back to the 1940s, and paperwork buried with them identifies them as two German women and an Italian man killed in the line of duty. The Mayor of St Denis is conscious that they are all Europeans and allies now, and plans a ceremony to honour the three, And Bruno Courrèges, local chief of police and protagonist of the entire series, finds himself drawn into the arrangements although he is still on convalescent leave after being shot during his previous adventure, a tangle with Russian criminals.

Meanwhile, there are two newcomers to the area: Abby Howard, an American archaeologist who hopes to set up a business in the area, and Colette Cantagnac, the new administrator at the Mairie where Bruno is based. Abby is friendly, and happy to be drawn into both the plans for the ceremony and Bruno’s circle of friends. The frighteningly efficient Colette is another matter entirely, and soon earns the nickname Dragon of the Mairie.   

As usual, Bruno proves himself much more skilled than the average village policeman, and despite his best efforts to stay on sick leave, he becomes involved in a battle against cybercrime and cryptocurrency fraud. And also as usual, both commemorative and nefarious goings-on are set against the glorious scenery of the Perigord, and include wonderful food, music and history. All the familiar supporting characters make an appearance: Pamela the Scottish horsewoman, Fabiola the capable doctor, J-J the harassed chief of detectives in Perigueux and plenty more besides, not forgetting Balzac, Bruno’s ever-faithful basset hound.

All the threads come together in a dramatic climax which offers an insight into the effects of global warming. Martin Walker’s background as an eminent journalist is very much in evidence in the research that clearly went into this aspect of the story as well as the war history, but he never loses sight of the story itself, or the people who take part in it. Let’s hope there are many more stories to come in this engaging, entertaining and informative series.
------
Reviewer: Lynne Patrick

Martin Walker was educated at Balliol College, Oxford and Harvard. In twenty-five years with the Guardian, he served as Bureau Chief in Moscow and, in the US, as European Editor. In addition to his prize-winning journalism, he wrote and presented the BBC series Martin Walker’s Russia and Clintonomics.  Martin has written several acclaimed works of non-fiction, including The Cold War: A History. He lives in Washington and spends his summers in his house in the Dordogne. Many of his novels feature the old-school chief of police, Captain Bruno. The most recent being A Chateau Under Siege. You can visit Bruno’s website at brunochiefofpolice.com

Lynne Patrick has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen, and has enjoyed success with short stories, reviews and feature journalism, but never, alas, with a novel. She crossed to the dark side to become a publisher for a few years and is proud to have launched several careers which are now burgeoning. She lives in Oxfordshire in a house groaning with books, about half of them crime fiction.