As with the previous books in the series, this latest installment thoroughly immerses the reader in the rather charming life of a small-town police officer in France. Benoit "Bruno" Courreges -- investigates the apparent suicide of a well-connected young American woman, whose body is found in the well of a castle in the Perigord region where she had attended an evening lecture. World War II history comes into play, with the added fascinating touch of the iconic singer, personality and French Resistance fighter Josephine Baker. Throw in descriptions of French food and wine, scenery plus a helping of Bruno's rather complicated and entertaining love life and his canine companion, Balzac -- and you have the same recipe that has worked well in most of the previous books in this charming series. It's a combination that just doesn't grow old, opening the door to a region and way of life that are endlessly fascinating. Martin Walker doesn't disappoint!

The Body in the Castle Well is the 12th Bruno novel (not counting the story collections and novellas) by Martin Walker. Released 4th June 2019 by Knopf, it's 352 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats.

This is a book to be savored slowly and enjoyed. It's a warm and inviting visit with an old and welcoming friend. Despite being a murder mystery, it's a very very civilized book, full of quirky affection and genuine hospitality. The motives for murder and conspiracy are complex and rarefied and somewhat academic, paralleled with modern day drugs and wealth and shadows of crimes from WW2.

This author is on my auto-read list and this particular book was lovely; both familiar and new at the same time. I love that the book is redolent with the Gallic sensibilities regarding work, food, culture, life, and love. There is a longish passage in the book describing a culinary event and awards certification for local producers of pâté and the author respectfully (albeit humorously) describes the medieval trappings, the pomp, the wine, the people surrounding the 'Brotherhood of the pâté de Périgueux' and at the same time, provides interesting character and plot development.

The denouement and resolution are satisfying and Bruno once again ties up the loose threads (except possibly of his love life), and he and Balzac and Hector can once again concentrate on the important non-violent aspects of life.

This was such a fun read and I loved it to bits. Long live Bruno!

Five stars.

The 12th book in the excellent Bruno mystery series .... The returning cast of characters is easy to follow even if you're new to the series, very descriptive I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one

THE BODY IN THE CASTLE WELL by Martin Walker is the first mystery in the Bruno, Chief of Police series that I have read and it certainly won’t be the last. This appealing series is set in the Dordogne region (the former province was called Périgord) of France allowing Walker to skillfully incorporate references to local history, specialty wines (like Bergerac and Monbazillac), and delicious food. In THE BODY IN THE CASTLE WELL, a young art history student disappears from the small village of Limeuil near fictionalized St. Denis. When Bruno and Balzac, his basset hound, discover her body, several questions arise. And further inquiries into the death of the vivacious and likeable Claudia Muller lead to suspicion of foul play and several suspects, including a recently released convict with interests in falconry, an art historian and former Resistance fighter, and a lawyer boyfriend based in London. The mystery is written mainly as a police procedural with various government officials being involved due to the wealth and prominence of the young woman's family. Walker juggles numerous characters, plus some romantic interests and is adept at describing the locale and its residents, with mention, for example, of Josephine Baker, the famous singer and WWII agent. THE BODY IN THE CASTLE WELL is a relatively cozy crime novel with enough twists to merit a starred review from Booklist. For me, it was a perfect introduction to a new series and an engaging summer read.

Link in live post:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/PLE/bruno-chief-of-police-series

Even without any background knowledge of Bruno's prior mysteries, I really enjoyed this book. From the start, the clear and rich character development (for both Bruno and all of the figures he encounters on his way to discover the cause of death) lent itself well to the story and made the mystery all the more compelling. I'll definitely be picking up a copy or two of the previous Bruno, Chief of Police mysteries to see what else he gets up to!

First Sentence: Bruno was still glowing from his morning canter at Pamela's riding school as he sipped his first coffee of the day at Fauguet's café and scanned the headlines of Sud Ouest.

The body of Claudia, an American art history student Claudia, is found at the bottom of a well. Initially, drugs are suspected. Or is it related to Claudia's digging into the past of the art historian and scholar with whom she had been studying. And what about the young falconer, recently released from jail, who had become friends with Claudia. It's up to Bruno to find the answers.

Walker creates characters one would want to know. While Bruno is the central character, those around him are fully developed and interesting. The victim's mother is a good example of that. There does always seem to be someone floating around Bruno's romantic life.

Beginning the story with a search and discovery of a body determined to have been murdered is an interesting approach and provided some of the best suspense of the book. There is good police work done, and a very nicely done plot twist. The actual mystery is very good. but one wishes there had been more focus on it. Instead, the mystery becomes rather lost among all the information on the resistance, wine, art, falconry, jazz, and Josephine Baker. It is interesting, but after a while, one begins to feel as though one were Clara from the old Wendy's commercials wondering "Where's the beef?".

Bruno is such a strong character with an interesting background. One hopes to see more of that in the next book.

"The Body in the Castle Well" does have very good moments and a solid mystery at its heart, but the resolution was somewhat disappointing. This is not Walker's best book. Significant editing would have helped tighten the plot and made the story more effective.

THE BODY IN THE CASTLE WELL (PolProc-Comm. Bruno Courregés-France-Contemp) - Good
Walker, Martin – 14th in series
Knopf – June 2019

Martin Walker starts off with Bruno, Chief of Police in St. Denis, finding art student, Claudia, dead in a well. Claudia is the heiress of an American billionaire and his divorced first wife; she is also liaising with a French art scholar Monsieur de Bourdeille who has a fabulous art collection.. Did she overdose on prescription drugs and fall in or was it murder? Was her family or locals involved? Powerful financial investigators, American government agents and local politics from the Second World War intersect. Meanwhile Bruno enjoys his gourmet meals with friends, his romantic liaisons and small town intrigues. Never a dull moment and a satisfying conclusion to the puzzles.

The Body in the Castle Well is the latest book in the Bruno, Chief of Police mystery series. Taking place in the small French town of St Denis, the mystery revolves around the death of a visiting art scholar. At first it appears that the death was accidental, but as Bruno and his cohorts investigate further, they discover ties to art fraud, WWII and the French Resistance, and family secrets.

The Bruno mysteries never disappoint. Rich with characters, descriptions of food and drink, and the French countryside, the books are always a delight to read. While I love to read a good and well-paced mystery, I also like to learn something new. Again, the Bruno books don’t disappoint. In The Body in the Castle Well there are lessons about falconry, French cooking, the French Resistance and the world of fine art. Interspersed with French terms and phrases, the reader almost feels transported to the French countryside.

However, at times the book was somewhat heavy-handed, with the details and history of the Resistance figures and the Foreign Legion. It detracted from the mystery itself. Because of this, I have given the book 3 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Three things you can depend on in one of Martin Walker's Bruno novels: deliberate investigations, small provincial-town politics, and a full feast of French food.

The Body in the Castle Well starts with the death of a visiting art student. Claudia is a young American PhD student who is visiting St. Denis to study with an elderly scholar, Monsieur de Bourdeille. She comes from a wealthy, connected family and is at times subject to the conflicts created by her divorced parents. Splitting her time between visiting her friends and boyfriend in Paris and her research in St. Denis, Claudia seems to be living two distinct lives, one of pleasure and one of study. One night she leaves a lecture because she feels ill and is found dead down the castle well the following morning. Her toxicology report comes back showing a fair bit of drugs in her system, which makes the authorities think her death may have been an accident. But Bruno's calculated investigation points to several possible suspects...  An ex con who has just returned to town, her mentor whose own collection comes under scrutiny, and as usual, the boyfriend.

This latest installment of the Bruno series is not by any means a hard-charging thriller, but like all of Walker's books, one that simmers and can be savored over several nights. There are a couple side-plots/ topics that are particularly enjoyable, namely, Brunos' love of horseback riding, a short foray into falconry, and Bruno's work on this year's summer concert series. This book is probably accessible on its own, but might be enjoyed more if one reads the first Bruno book so to really understand the protagonist and the ins and outs of the locals. There's enough background to help you remember the recurring characters, yet you won't be hit over the head with long paragraphs of expostion. Like his previous books, Martin periodically goes over the evidence, which is good as a summary for the case as we make own way through the book. 

It takes awhile for the pieces to fall into place, yet in the meantime, Bruno is discovering clues and the ways each suspect could be involved. The Body in the Castle Well gives the reader solid doses of Bruno, a history of the region, and the shaky world of art provenance.

4 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday Publishing, and the author for an advanced copy for review.

Bruno Corrèges, now Lieutenant and the municipal policeman for St. Denis, is back for another case, together with his horse Hector still stabled with his ex-lover Pamela and his trusty basset hound Balzac. He gets a telephone call from Florence, a friend from the college informing him that a young American student, Claudia Muller, has gone missing. She has been studying in the chateau archives of eminent art historian Pierre de Bourdeille who was also a Resistance war hero and is now wheelchair bound as a result of his bravery. With Bruno's brain and Balzac's nose, the girl is soon found dead at the bottom of a well in an ancient castle's gardens where she had attended a lecture the previous evening. Her death is initially thought to be a terrible accident related to her use of strong opioid painkillers but a post-mortem makes Bruno think that things may not be that simple. So launches an investigation involving FBI man Hodge from a previous story due to the White House links of the girl's rich father and the départment's chief of police, Commissaire Jean-Jacques Jalipeau. Suspects include a recently released prisoner and those who seek to cover up doubts over the reliability of the art scholar's attributions of some valuable works of art. With this story, the reader doesn't just get a great crime mystery, but also lessons in the history of France, Algeria and the wartime Resistance movement and a number of French cookery recipes and wine recommendations too. In particular I learnt much about the life of the amazing Josephine Baker, the American jazz singer who took a French passport to work for the Resistance, assembled a large multicultural family and died bankrupt. I also improved my french vocabulaire at the same time! This is not a quick read, but more reflective of the relaxed way of life portrayed in this wonderful gastronomic region of France and some readers may be slightly dazzled by all the food and drink. I think this adds to the distinctive style of writing which really grew on me as the book progressed. A good murder mystery and a book with a lot of fantastic historical information to share.