The Children Return: A Mystery of the French Countryside (Bruno Chief of Police Book 7)

Interesting take on Islamic terrorism in France. Bruno doesn’t have a lot of time for cooking but the story is great.

Recommend this to everyone who has a great love of the French countryside.also a great love of food and wine.

This 7th installment in the series kicks off with a grisly discovery: the body of a man is found in the woods on the outskirts of St. Denis, and the cause of death is far from "natural". Complicating the investigation is the return of Sami, a young man from St. Denis who had become entangled with Islamic extremists and is thought to have ties with known terrorist groups. Is Sami just an unwitting pawn that was exploited because of his uncanny talent with electronics or is there something more going on....Where to start with this one? Let's start with the good stuff first. I found the central plot very compelling. Sami is an autistic young man who spent a good chunk of his childhood in St. Denis. Bruno feels that he knows Sami, and yet do we ever really know what another human being is capable of? I like the way the author explored that issue. There's also a storyline involving a bequest made to St. Denis by wealthy siblings who escaped capture by the Nazis when they were sheltered by a local farmer and his wife. This was a touching story based on real-life events and I found it very moving.This book had more of a Spy/Action Thriller feel than the previous books in the series and I'm not sure that I'm 100% on board for that. I like the "Bruno" series because of the underlying themes of community and loyalty; I like the portrayal of Bruno as a small town policeman with an innate sense of justice whose approach to law enforcement is colored by common sense, decency and respect for the people of his community. In this book we see Bruno as something of a superhero, a Ramboesque action figure if you will. I wasn't thrilled with that, and frankly the ending of this story devolved into a kind of B-Movie action sequence that had me rolling my eyes.I'm a little torn on this one. The story was compelling and well written, but I missed the down-to-earth Bruno from the previous novels. Part of the appeal of this series for me is the charming portrayal of small town life, and that was mostly missing from this novel. Then again, I did find this to be a page-turner, so it would be unfair to say the book was just "OK" simply because it departed from the formula a bit. Hmmm....it's precarious sitting up here on this fence! I'll call this a 3.5 rounded up to 4 for Amazon.Occasional strong language, some descriptive violence, no explicit sexual content. This is book 7 in a series and I'd strongly recommend that you start with book one, Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside  .

THIS JUST IN, January 11, 2015: This book, "Children of War," was published by Quercus in Britain and began selling here on U.S. Amazon in mid year 2014. Now some six or seven months later this exact same book is about to be published in the U.S. by Knopf and sold on Amazon under a different title, "The Children Return." Meanwhile, Amazon's Vine program is sending out advance copies using the new title to its reviewers, which is how I ended up with twin books with different titles. Thought you should know. I contacted Amazon and got their okay before adding this topper to my July 1 review, below:Our hero, Bruno Courreges, the one-man police force of the small French town of Saint-Denis, certainly has a lot to deal with in this, his seventh appearance. For starters, there's the discovery of a shockingly grisly midnight murder of an undercover cop who'd been exploring strange goings on at the Toulouse mosque. And then there's the matter of Sami, a young autistic Muslim boy from Saint-Denis who has been living in Afghanistan and now wants to come home...but as "friend" or "enemy?"...that is the question. Then comes news of the death of a wealthy Parisian who, along with his sister, had been among the Jewish children who were given sanctuary in Saint-Denis during World War II and whose will leaves a bequest for the building of a memorial to the people of Saint-Denis who'd risked their lives on these children's behalf. Which leads the donor's elderly sister to revisit Saint-Denis and take author Martin Walker's hero and his readers along on a most interesting flashback tour of life in this small French town in its WWII days.As usual in the "Bruno" books, there'll be lots of food and wine and the possibility of a new romance for our hero...this time with an American!! Can't wait for the next one to see how that works out. Here's the "Bruno" series in chronological order: "Bruno, Chief of Police," "The Dark Vineyard," "Black Diamond," "The Crowded Grave," "The Devil's Cave," "Resistance Man" and "Children of War" (also now sold under the title "The Children Return.")

... And therein is a story of French national heroism and pride. In the midst of it all, Bruno, Chief of Police, solves murder, unearths a WWII legend, aids a dear friend in her recovery of a brutal attack, and keeps St. Denis safe.This is a humdinger of a novel with all the satisfaction of seeing old friends in a lovely southwestern French village in the Dordogne.

シリーズで7作出てますが、翻訳は３作まで、待ち切れずに、４作からは原書で一気読み、小説の世界観に一気に引き込まれました。ヨーロッパの歴史、フランス社会の過去と現在を踏まえ、さらにグローバリズム、キャピタリズム、テロリズム等々世界の動きまでのネタに盛り込んで、フランスの片田舎の一人警察署長が大活躍です。さらに、イギリス人独特のシニカルさで、フランス人を描写するシーンにも思わずニヤリとさせられます。男にはめっぽう強いが、女性にはめっぽうやさしくて優柔不断なブルーノの次回作が待ち遠しいです。

The Bruno Chief of Police series has built-up nicely over the years with its layering of detail on regional French food, wine, landscape, people, politics, history (which is not always pretty and kind) and relationships. Along the way we get to read about Bruno via his skills as a chef, drinker of wine, sporting pursuits (rugby, tennis and more recently horse-riding), local policeman and ability to mix it with high powered political matters and criminals of various type. But it’s the way he attempts to manage relationships with women that lingers in my mind once I’ve finished reading the books.I think Mr Walker’s skill is the way he builds-up the sense of place around St Denis with each successive story. Characters develop and grow, people come and go, yet there are many constants which anchor each book. Therefore this book may be less enjoyable and satisfying for readers who haven’t already followed the series.So, for another slice of life in regional France with a strong story on children in war, past and present, then read on.The latest instalment in the Bruno Chief of Police series is an excellent read combining descriptions of the local landscape, regional food & wine, current and past issues of war and conflict impacting this part of France. The author overlays that with Bruno’s multi-faceted love life to create an entertaining story for followers of this series. Compared to previous stories in the series this book spends less time on Bruno’s cooking, the local wine making industry and more on espionage / paramilitary activities in St Denis. Bruno seems to slip quite easily into the anti-terrorist paramilitary team of the Brigadier, more so than in earlier novels, though the author works hard to create the sense that Bruno does so because of his desire to protect ‘his town’. Salutes, “yes sir” and “I need to inform the Brigadier first” occurred frequently. There is a modern and historical plot around the theme of children in war which adds another interesting storyline to the book. The author does a good job of personalising the plight of some Jewish children in WW2 in this part of France and bringing it to a positive position in modern St Denis. That storyline sits alongside of the main tale regarding a French child of a Muslim family that is caught up in modern day war. There is a clear sense of Bruno’s emotional attachment to the children in both circumstances and perhaps hints at his own yearning for children. The cast of characters around Bruno is an eclectic and sympathetic group, with Fabiloa (the doctor) moving into the spotlight in this book. In fact this book is dominated by women and children, with the wonderful Bruno working hard to protect them in his own honest and caring style.Finally, Bruno might be about to embark on a love affair with another strong and confident woman, though without the angst which typified his relationship with Isabelle or the casualness of his relationship with Pamela. It is not often that one kiss can deliver so much in terms of meaning, but the author has done that wonderfully well in this book. It is a book that I have already re-read without tiring of it, so for me that is a sign of an excellent book. Bravo Mr Walker, you have written a very good story.

A good solid read. But becoming far too much like all the rest. The author will need to radically break away form the typical themes to keep my attention. Bruno has more death to deal with-tick; interracial conflict - tick; past war memories and friends re-emerge - tick; falls in love again-tick; side love interests abound-tick; brave and saves a poor unfortunate-tick; not knowing if his existing lover is committed-tick; mix of cultures-tick; cute dog and St Denis moments-tick; lots of culinary advice - tick (*yawn*).The price point is also beyond what I feel represents 'value for money'. if you are think of buying this book and haven't read the rest, I would suggest the first three are much better both in terms of the story and the price.Still, it is like returning to a good French holiday spot: warm and comfortable. Excellent writing saves the series from the usual promise to not purchase the next book. So...one more chance, maybe.

As always I enjoy the series Bruno Chief of Police and eagerly await the next one. I love the quaintness of St Denis, the characters who I feel I know so well and the way history is woven into the story. Sometimes Bruno is too perfect, but I forgive him as the book in its entirety is fabulous read and difficult to put down.

Children of War A good book in the continuing series with good contemporary themes. Familiar characters and some new ones.