Martin Walker's Bruno Chef de Police Series

My sister and I often talk about books we like to read when we need a break from today's reality. Our go-to man is normally Alexander McCall Smith and the city of Gabarone in Botswana. But, looking for something a little different I recalled our neighbors in Maryland, a couple with an enviable home library, who had just returned from France, specifically the Dordogne area, because they had discovered Bruno Courreges, the delightful chief of police in St. Denis, brought to wonderful life by author and former UPI correspondent Martin Walker.

There are already fifteen books in this series, which I accidentally began smack dab in the middle with "Children of War." I had expected a cozy mystery set in the French countryside and was actually pleasantly surprised to discover that Walker manages to deftly juggle the light with the dark. So, while we meet many of the villagers, and learn about the local wines and foods, we are also treated to a suspenseful mystery that includes a Jewish brother and sister who were secreted from the Nazis in St. Denis during World War II, a local doctor who was sexually abused by a professor in medical school and forced to keep quiet about it, and a young Muslim boy with severe autism who was taken from a mosque in Toulouse and forced to build bombs for the Taliban.

If that isn't enough to interest you then I don't know what you're looking for in a good book! Bruno seems to be a sensitive officer, wise beyond his years yet hardened by his time in the service. He's sought after by several women in the community and yearns to be a parent. He has known Sami, the young man who disappeared from the mosque several years ago, since he was a child. Now Sami, escaped from the Taliban and seeking refuge back in St. Denis, is wanted by three countries, not to mention the FBI, because he is accused of actually being "the engineer," a man whose expertise with weaponry has been responsible for horrific deaths. Bruno and the local physician Fabiola hope to protect Sami and his family while unraveling the mystery of Sami's conversion to terrorism.

The story of David and Maya Halevy offers a short history lesson on the famed roundup of Jews in Paris who were then held in the Velodome while awaiting transfer by train to prison camps in Germany and Poland. Unsung heroes, families throughout the French countryside, took in children, converting them to Christianity for their safety, hiding them in apartments and on farms until the end of the war. Now wealthy and near death, the Halevy family wants to set up a memorial in St. Denis but they need the help of Bruno, the mayor, and even the local history teacher to find the husband and wife who sheltered them so many years ago.

Martin is a terrific writer, creating characters you'd really like to know living and working in an atmosphere that you can smell and taste. If you enjoy long series of novels where you can really feel at home and in the company of old friends then this is one you may want to try. I can't wait to begin at the beginning with "Death in the Dorgogne." Then I'll probably be perusing the Air France website!