The Dying Season

I continue to love the setting and ambience of these books but felt that the solution to this mystery was pretty obvious. ( )

We love the Bruno books because of the delightful meals and cooking tips they impart. Really makes you want to sit down to a simple but delicious meal. I'm very glad to be reading these in order. I think a lot would be lost if read randomly. I've been disappointed in the amount of violence in the last couple of the series. I hate that they all seemed to end with a gun battle and the female possible love interest being shot (usually injured, not killed). I almost quit the series because of it. This one was much more satisfactory. ( )

Ein geliebtes Dorf, eine berühmte Familie, ein verdächtiger Todesfall - für Polizeichef Bruno ist es das jüngste Abenteuer in der Dordogne. Als Bruno zur üppigen Geburtstagsfeier des Flieger-Asses aus dem Zweiten Weltkrieg und der nationalen Ikone Marco "der Patriarch" Desaix eingeladen wird, ist das die Erfüllung eines Jugendtraums. Aber als die Feier mit dem Tod von Gilbert, Marcos langjährigem Freund, endet, ist es ein weiterer Tag im Job für den Chef de Police. Alles deutet auf einen tragischen Unfall hin, aber Bruno ist sich da nicht so sicher. Hinter dem Leben und der Loyalität der Familie Desaix steckt mehr, als man auf den ersten Blick sieht.

[bookcover:The Patriarch|24040544]

I really enjoy Bruno: he is easy going, and does his best to impart fairness & justice. I also wish I was his neighbor & he'd cook for me.... his dining adventures are incredible to the likes of Inspector Montalbano's.

This book however, I found boring... I seriously don't care about the cold war & spies.

The Patriarch is a man of considerable years (90) and Government/Political experience and currently the head of a well known local winery. The morning after his 90th birthday party, Gilbert, a friend of the family's is found literally Dead drunk.... but no one recalls Gilbert being drunk, and in fact immediately after the toast, he switched from champagne to orange juice.... and Bruno has nagging doubts, which he can not investigate as the family has Gilbert immediately cremated before an autopsy can be ordered.

The Patriarch's son has children by two different wives, the Russian one is deceased & the current one is highly ambitious, polished, & running for political office.

The side stories are of Burno's epicurean endeavors, his ending relationship w/ Pamela, a local woman who is a hoarder of deer, and Bruno's continuing friendships.

I was intrigued by Bruno's membership in an elite group of Pate Connoisseurs.

So then, why a lower rating? First I knew who did it; the characters other than Bruno's close friends were a particular odious group of people; all the Cold War espionage was boring; and the crazy lady with the deer was a distraction. ( )

Up until the rushed and rather unbelievable ending, this book was a solid 5 stars. Even so, I loved it, as I love all the Police Chief Bruno mysteries. These books always have an historical background which usually takes the reader back to WWII, and this one was no exception. Bruno isinvited to the 90 birthday party of his childhood hero - the patriarch in this story who was one of France's most popular fighter pilots in WWII. A guest at the party is found dead after the party is over, and so begins Bruno's hunt for a killer. Along the way, he discovers a family with many secrets, and he also discovers a lot about Russian/French espionage before and after the war. Things get murky, and Bruno almost gets lost in his personal issues, but, in the end, the modus operandi and the motive to the murder were pretty simple. With much risk to himself, Bruno apprehends the killer and all is well again in the village of St. Denis. Bruno's ego is damaged and his self-esteem at a new low, but we all who love him know he will be back again. ( )