The Crowded Grave — Martin Walker

Another delectable serving of mystery and the pleasures of the Dordogne from our newest master of suspense, Martin Walker, and his inimitable chief of police, Bruno Courrèges.

It's spring in the idyllic village of St. Denis, and for Bruno that means lamb stews, bottles of his beloved Pomerol, morning walks with his hound, Gigi--and a new string of regional crimes and international capers. When a local archaeological dig looking for Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal remains turns up a distinctly contemporary corpse (a watch on its wrist, a bullet in its head), Bruno has a new case to solve. But, of course, there are complications: an escalating series of attacks on local foie gras producers by animal rights activists; a summit between France and Spain about to take place nearby; and two beautiful, brilliant women vying for Bruno's affections. As summer approaches--the wine growing cooler and the fruit sweeter--Bruno's investigations take him deeper and deeper into Europe's recent dark history of terrorist and counterterrorist tactics--and, inexorably, toward a dramatic, startling conclusion.