Bob Moyer reviews the latest in a much loved series rich in with French history, culture, food and, oh yes, crime.
Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer.
A GRAVE IN THE WOODS. By Martin Walker. Knopf. 283 page. $29.
The past is never past; it is always present.
In this charming, slightly addictive (to some) series, Martin Walker always connects some event in the rich history of the French Perigord region with a fictional crime of some sort in or around the village of St. Denis, usually turning the crime into an international event. Bruno, the local chief of police, directs traffic, patrols the village market, coaches the women’s rugby team and cooks incredible meals. He also solves crimes and commits heroic acts.
Bruno is just recovering from his heroic acts in the previous novel. He returns just in time to supervise the opening of A Grave in the Woods. An entrepreneur is purchasing the land the historically significant grave is on, and the city wants to know what is in the World War II-era grave. What Bruno finds is the unclothed skeletons of two adolescent girls, and a skeleton in a German uniform. It seems there was an episode between Resistance fighters heading into battle and the soldier trying to escape. The discovery ignites two flashpoints: first, the likely rape and death of the two girls, and, second, the quickly established Italian skeleton in the German uniform. People start placing flowers on the grave for the girls, in a version of #metoo sympathy. The French government, when informed, contacts the Italian and German government. As a result, the town conducts a service to commemorate the past, with representatives from all the governments involved.
Meanwhile, Walker adds to the population of the series by introducing Abby, an American archaeologist. She brings trouble with her in the form of her now-broke cyber genius of an ex-husband. He stalks her, and he hacks into Bruno’s phone and computer, making him a person of interest for local, national and international police —turns out he’s Italian.
Bruno does cook his requisite meal for all those assembled for the ceremony, but neither the meal not the lengthy narrative tracing the history of the skeletons are as appetizing as Bruno’s food and adventures usually are. The book concludes with a flood, and in a short time, the villains lose their lives while Bruno saves a couple. Unfortunately, he can’t save this 19th book in the series from falling short of the usual quality his fans expect.