The Dying Season cover art

The Dying Season

Bruno, Chief of Police, Book 8

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The Dying Season

By: Martin Walker
Narrated by: Peter Noble
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About this listen

Bruno, Chief of Police's beloved Dordogne town of St Denis is tearing itself apart. Can he keep it together in the gripping eighth instalment in this internationally best-selling series?

St Denis may be picturesque and sleepy, but it has more than its fair share of murder and mystery, as Bruno knows all too well.

When Bruno is invited to the 90th birthday of a powerful local patriarch - a war hero with high-level political connections in France, Russia and Israel - he encounters a family with more secrets than even he had imagined. When one of the other guests is found dead the next morning and the family try to cover it up, Bruno knows it's his duty to prevent the victim from becoming just another skeleton in their closet. Even if his digging reveals things Bruno himself would rather keep buried.

Meanwhile, very modern battles are being fought in St Denis between hunters defending their traditions and environmentalists protecting local wildlife. Neither side, it seems, is above the use of violent tactics.

At the centre of it all, Bruno must use all his cunning and character to protect his community's future from its present - and its past.

©2015 Martin Walker (P)2015 WF Howes Ltd International Mystery & Crime Mystery Fiction Suspense Crime

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Critic reviews

"Walker is brilliant at capturing the murderous charms of rural France...the setting is undeniably delicious." (Mirror)
"The Bruno series...is highly assured, full of quirky touches and characterised with real exuberance." (Good Book Guide)

"Brings all the beauty of deepest France vibrantly alive." (Irish Independent on Sunday)
All stars
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The story of Bruno Courreges and the town of St Denis continues in "The Dying Season" with another brilliant mystery and exploration of post-WWII French-Russian relations. As always in the series, the story is both charming and thrilling and the French rural settings simply take your breath away. I was very much looking forward to reading "The Dying Season" and Martin Walker did not disappoint.

Martin Walker does not disappoint.

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The narration was perfect and enhanced the sense of place which is the predominant feature of the Bruno books. The plot was carefully constructed and believable. Interspersed by the wonderful descriptions of the food and scenery of the area. I had been a little disappointed with the last Martin Walker novel but this has him back on form with the minutiae seamlessly absorbed. Can see this as a TV series. Loads of money then Martin to write more books please!

Back on form

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Yet another great book by Martin Walker. I love the way Martin Walker writes his books, they are always a terrific read.

Great book! 👏👏

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Peter Noble has got the accents right for the minor characters and it isn’t an edition of Allo, Allo. Except possibly for Pamela but I’m getting used to the post Bill Wallis narrations. The plot is an interesting one. The wonderful character of Bruno dominates - he’s not quite James Bond but in his extra curricular dalliances he’s having a good try! I’m so pleased that I’ve still got 5 more novels to read. Discovering Bruno chief of police has been like finding 3 seasons of a very binge- worthy detective series on Netflix.
The references to wine and food add value and in this book this history of the attempted coup in the Soviet Union which left Gorbachev cut off in his Dacha provided lots of insight into the intelligence services. In short an intelligent series by an intelligent author with lots of heart. I also know where we’re going on our jollies next summer from the beautiful depictions of this part of France.

Great narration.Entertaining story with lots of heart.

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Where were you when the narrator talked about the sun setting in the east (Bordeaux bit). Please fix. I felt disoriented for hours. But loved everything else. Great tale.

Producer

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I wish the audiobooks weren't of the American versions - it's a bit like the soloist producing an off key note every so often! That tooth grinding feeling when you're caught short by "pants", "hood" - of a car? - sports coat, in summer, you'd wear a coat?, slacks? sounds worse than shell suit!, asking to use someone's "bathroom" - unusual to take a shower or bath when you're only visiting for a quick drink.
Deer in France seem to cause frequent serious road traffic accidents, unlike their British cousins in the Ashdown Forest, who are a known hazard, but usually don't bring out lynch mobs or armed posses of vigilantes.
If Walker's facts are true, it is possible for someone to be cremated after a sudden death, on the basis of a death certificate from one single doctor, who has not been treating them very recently, without a postmortem. Also, someone can be committed as insane for compulsory psychiatric assessment (in a police station) by one single doctor who hasn't even examined them or seen them recently.
I do hope this isn't true!!
French police seem to be powerless to protect citizens against gun toting hunting types, but on the other hand, can be as lawless as anything we saw here in the miners' strike, or in Paris '68, or Kristallnacht.
Lord have mercy!

Walker bad mouths France again!

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Normally a satisfied follower of Bruno's evocative French stories with their marvellous French atmosphere but this one I found patchy with exciting incidents which didn't flow or grip as others in this series. Very well narrated as usual by Peter Noble.

Disappointing

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