Fatal Pursuit: A Bruno Courreges Investigation by Martin Walker
| Fatal Pursuit: A Bruno Courreges Investigation by Martin Walker | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: The ninth book in the series and they're still cracking reads. Best to avoid if you're on a diet - the food will make your mouth water. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 336 | Date: June 2016 |
| Publisher: Quercus | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1784294571 | |
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Two young racing drivers come to the Perigord region to hunt for clues as to the whereabouts of the missing Bugatti Type 57c Atlantic. Only four were made and three are accounted for - but stories would have it that the missing car is somewhere in the Perigord. It's more than seventy years since the car was last seen and that was in war time - but it's worth finding: a Californian museum paid $37,000,000 for one of the cars. One of the young racing drivers has local connections and another is in a relationship with Annette, a magistrate. The race to find the car is not going to be kind.
When a local researcher is found dead by his wife the immediate reaction is that he's died of a heart attack - all the signs that this would happen had been there for a while, but he had taken no notice. Only - where are his research notes, and who was his mysterious client? Then Bruno, chief of police in St Denis, is seconded to French intelligence when it begins an enquiry into the use of sales of classic cars to launder money to fund Islamic terrorism.
Martin Walker's great skill with the Bruno: chief of police series is that he captures the atmosphere of a small town perfectly. Everyone knows everyone else's business, but the flip side of that coin is that most people care about the community and are happy to help others. The good in people is seen before the bad and there's a willingness to help even the local tearaway who might be trying to pull himself together. St Denis has some advantages though - it's set amidst the idyllic Dordogne and the local food is to die for. If you're on a diet it might be a book best avoided - my mouth watered just reading about it.
The story is well plotted too. I had various people chalked in as the villain of the piece, but was taken completely by surprise by a twist near to the end and didn't spot the real perpetrator, although when I looked back it was obvious. It was neatly, cleverly done. Perhaps though, I was distracted. You see, Bruno's fallen in love again and I couldn't help but wonder what it was with him and powerful women who are never going to want to settle down and be a policeman's wife in St Denis.
A good addition is that there is some truth behind the story. There were only four Bugatti Type 57c Atlantic made and it was said so be the most beautiful car ever. Three of them have been accounted for...
It was a good read and I finished it in a couple of sittings over two days: a lovely indulgence. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
All the Bruno: chief of police books read well as stand alones, but you might get more out of them if you know the history of some of the characters. We began with Black Diamond. If something from the Netherlands appeals, we can recommend Little Sister (Detective Pieter Vos) by David Hewson.
Martin Walker's Commissar Bruno Courreges Mysteries in Chronological Order
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