Fatal Pursuit by Martin Walker: A review

Let's face it, the mysteries in these Bruno, Chief of Police, "mysteries" are strictly secondary. The books are really a travelog of the Dordogne section of France, all about the laid-back country lifestyle and especially the food.

After all, this Chief of Police is a gourmet cook who delights in preparing food for his friends and neighbors using the vegetables from his garden, fungi from the woods, and the products of the animals, mainly chickens and geese, that he and his neighbors raise. And of course the wine! Ah, the wine, at least two different kinds served at every meal and always at the ready to be served for any occasion. If Martin Walker is to be believed, the champagne flows freely in the little Dordogne community of St. Denis.

Food and wine and friends as always play big parts in the plot of Fatal Pursuit, but the main action is a car rally race. The race and a classic car parade are the main events of St. Denis' annual fête. The cars have attracted a large number of tourists to the area and the race has attracted super-rich car fanciers with big egos and vintage cars. It has also brought attention to the tale of a famous car, a Bugatti Type 57C, that disappeared in France during World War II. Supposedly one of the most beautiful cars ever made, it was one of only four that were produced and if it could be found and restored, it would be worth millions. It's enough to drive some of those seeking it over the edge with greed.

But back to the race. At the last minute, Bruno is dragooned into being the navigator for one of the drivers when her navigator reports he is ill and unable to do it. Thus we get to ride along on his - literally - hair-raising adventure.

Soon, though, Bruno's attention is drawn elsewhere when a local scholar turns up dead, maybe of natural causes, maybe not. Bruno has his suspicions and asks for an autopsy. The scholar had been researching some unknown topic, but all of his findings seem to have disappeared. Hm, I wonder if it could have had anything to do with classic cars...

This all gets very complicated when there appears to be a money laundering for terrorism operation going on and related to the exorbitantly expensive classic cars and possibly to the death of the scholar. Bruno's former lover, Isabelle, now working for the European Union's justice division, comes to town to be in charge of the terrorist-related investigation. Meantime, of course, Bruno has a new lover whom he's just met and who finds the body of the second suspicious death victim. In fact, there is no doubt about this one; he was murdered.

How will Bruno resolve it all, plus all the little community side issues that he's dealing with and still keep everyone happy and eager to attend his next gourmet meal? Never fear. He will do it while his Basset Hound Balzac charms everyone in sight.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters! Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...

The Nature of Things

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