The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker is the second book of his Bruno, Chief of Police series about a French policeman who is loyal to his town and everything in it. The first book I found to be very long and drawn out so I wasn’t sure I’d like the second.

I liked the storyline and the new characters introduced in this book. I liked that Bruno’s character developed and continued to move the storyline. The deaths were interesting and other criminal acts were investigated that led you to keep thinking. I also liked the ending more than the first one.

I didn’t like that this one seemed to have less humor than the first one. It also got a little bit long winded when it came to the topic of wine. I will still give the third one a chance.

★★★★ Not a top recommendation but it’s an interesting series. ( )

viticulture, oenology, France, local-law-enforcement, local-politics, romantic, rural, murder, murder-investigation, due-diligence, lies, secrets, rivalry, office-politics, small-town, small-business, audiobook, crime-fiction, suspense, relationship-issues, relationships, relatives, resentment, foodie, local-gossip, arson, arson-investigators, environmentalists*****

There are so many things happening in the first third of the book that it almost seems impossible that the disparate arms of the divisions in French law enforcement will get it together. It's also waiting to find out how some of the crimes, misdemeanors, and skullduggery will become a cohesive conclusion.
The plot moves along quickly and has some diabolical misdirections, but the malevolent twist at the end blew me away.
Voice actor Robert Ian MacKenzie is excellent and is great for pronunciations I don't know. ( )

3.5*

This second book in the Chief Bruno series again entranced me with the life in the small town of Saint-Denis in the Perigord region of France - I can understand why Bruno refuses to leave Saint-Denis even to be with his lover in Paris! I found the mystery intriguing but thought that parts of the solution were obvious long before Bruno did, hence my rating. ( )

The second entry in the Bruno police procedurals, it picks up the pace considerably from the first of the line. The focus on food is still there (yum) but the crime and the circumstances are more interesting, centered around wine making and drinking, as home brew and big business. I'm looking forward to continuing the series. ( )

This book marked the welcome return of Bruno Courrèges, head of police in the small town of St. Denis ion the Dordogne region of France. Bruno is not a native of St Denis but has nevertheless been accepted as a local (as a village boy myself, I know how difficult it can be to secure such acceptance). He certainly makes a big contribution to the general wellbeing of the community, teaching children to play rugby and tennis, while helping out with his neighbours boar hunts or wine making, and himself preparing palatable terrines and patés. There ois some bleakness in his past – before retreating to St Denis he had served as a soldier, and seen grim action as part of the French element of UN forces trying to impose and then maintain peace in the fragmenting former Yugoslavia.

Alongside his other contributions to communal life, Bruno is also a close ally and friend of the town’s mayor, who advises him of an approach from the head of a huge American wine company which could result in the creation of a lot of jobs for the town. It is not straightforward, and is likely to cause controversy, but the mayor is essentially supportive. Bruno is more hesitant, seeing potential pitfalls. Meanwhile, a local scientific research station is the subject of an arson attack following hints that it might be involved in testing genetically modified crops. Local eco-protesters swarm to the area, stretching meagre police and gendarmerie resources to their limit. And then there is a suspicious death.

Martin Walker manages the various threads to the story with great dexterity. Characters find themselves caught up in several different plotlines, and their motives appear to fluctuate. The characters are well drawn, and the relationships between the different villagers seem wholly authentic to this village boy’s eyes. I am not familiar with the area, but am now desperate to visit as these books are like an enticing tourist guiude, with a strong plot thrown in. A very heady mix! ( )