France's favourite country policeman investigates a suicide and gets involved in a tricky local issue in the latest adventure in this ever popular and bestselling mystery series.

'FRENCH TOURISM SHOULD RAISE A GLASS TO WALKER'S DORDOGNE MYSTERIES' Daily Mail

Bruno Courrѐges is chief of police of the lovely Dordogne town of St Denis with a remit that covers the beautiful valley of the river Vézѐre. One autumn morning he comes across an abandoned car parked near a local beauty spot. Inside is a dead woman, Monique, an apparent suicide resulting from depression. But there are circumstances surrounding the death that raise Bruno's suspicions, particularly when disputes arise surrounding her Will.

At the same time, Bruno makes the mistake of interfering in a local marital dispute. Deputy mayor Xavier has been playing away and finds himself evicted from the family home. Old controversies about deer culls take on new life and then a second campaign begins, stating that Bruno is less of a village copper and more of a secret policeman, whose main job is working for French intelligence. Some of the ammunition for this attack, Bruno learns, comes from Xavier, who sees this as a way to topple Bruno and the mayor and succeed to the mayor's job himself.

Suddenly Bruno's shiny reputation is looking a little tarnished as he battles to save his name and answer the questions surrounding Monique's suicide.

A tense thriller that still lets you savour the tastes of France . . . With strong characterisation, Walker keeps up the tension while providing welcome breaks in the narrative for readers to savour the best in French food and wine. * Daily Mail, 'The 'best classic crime novels out now’ *
Atmospheric and wonderfully multi-layered whodunits... enchanting, French-flavoured series which stars an astute, epicurean detective with a taste for food, vin rouge... and crime... Lovers of clever mysteries, social, international and political history, stunning scenery, excellent cuisine, and the very best of French wines, have enjoyed sharing the past seventeen years with the smart, likeable and fair-minded Bruno in Walker's exceptionally entertaining and eternally popular novels * The Lancashire Post *

Martin Walker is a prize-winning journalist and the author of several acclaimed works of non-fiction, including The Cold War: A History. He lives in the Dordogne and Washington D.C.