The Body in the Castle Well by Martin Walker

Once again, Chief of Police Bruno is cooking up a storm.

For Francophiles and gourmets alike - starring French country cop Bruno, his trusty sniffer dog Balzac, a number of shifty suspects and Claudia, a murdered rich American art historian.

Can’t afford a holiday home in France? Buy the book, and live the good life in the sun vicariously through Bruno. He is so busy enjoying his rural lifestyle with his interest in gourmet food, good wines, music and the arts and his love of French history, that having to solve a tricky murder is almost an inconvenience. Or perhaps a welcome distraction from the good life?

Bruno has been compared to our Sicilian detective friend Montalbano, and indeed there are great similarities. The one entices you to book your next holiday in Sicily, and the other urges you to travel to the Perigord region in France, where The Body in the Castle Well is set. It is lovely to escape to a world where no one is in a rush, where people have time to prepare elaborate dishes, sit in cafes and join the brotherhood of wine or a gourmet society dedicated to one type of food, say pate. Bruno is indeed a member of the Confrerie du Pate de Perigeux and even has the regalia to prove it. All I have ever managed to join is the unofficial sisterhood of chocolate which involves, perhaps even necessitates, a voluminous gown, a comfortable sofa and a copy of the Body in the Castle Well.

To whet your appetite, here are some of the dishes prepared lovingly by Bruno:

Smoked trout, calf liver in sage and butter with potatoes dauphinoise, followed by Tarte Tatin.

Split pea and ham soup, terrine of hare with rognons de veau au vin blanc, (the kidneys to be prepared with fatty ham, shallots, mustard with seeds, crème fraiche and a persillade, cooked in white wine, but a red to accompany the meal, eg. Montravel from Chateau Moulin Caresse and Crème Caramel for afters.

Bruno’s lambchops Navarin: coat lambchops in a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, herbs de Provence, and a casserole with duck fat, lardons, a shocking amount of shallots and garlic – you’ll have to read the book to find out more.

And for dessert - Tarte au Citron or black chocolate cake with Armagnac (I'm all for the chocolate cake)

Like his protagonist, the author is leading the good life in the sun in rural France with his herb garden and chickens. However, I can't tell you how many gourmet or wine societies he belongs to. Martin Walker is the author several non-fiction books in addition to the Bruno series. He spent 28 years with the Guardian Newspaper in a variety of interesting roles, followed by work for the United Press International, where he is now editor-in-chief emeritus.

If you would like to discover further French recipes, Bruno’s wine suggestions or his spotify playlist, then consult this website dedicated to the Bruno series: http://www.brunochiefofpolice.com/

The Body in the Castle Well, the 13^th book in the Bruno series, is published by Quercus, 2019