A Market Tale

Bruno, Chief of Police #7.5

by Martin Walker

The eighth installment in the delightful, internationally acclaimed series featuring Chief of Police Bruno.Between the seventeenth-century mairie and the stone bridge over the river that winds through town, the village of St. Denis hosts its weekly market, as well-stocked with local gossip as with fresh produce and pâtés. As summer blooms, the newest talk of the town is the rapport between Kati, a Swiss tourist, and Marcel, a popular stall owner whom Kati meets over his choice strawberries. None are happier than police chief Bruno to see Marcel, a young widower, interested in love again, but as his friend’s romance deepens, Bruno senses trouble in the form of Marcel’s meddlesome sister Nadette. Even as Kati begins to put down roots in St. Denis, vending her delicious baking in the market, it seems the overbearing Nadette will stop at nothing to make her feel unwelcome. When her schemes reach the limits of law, Bruno takes it upon himself to set things right.An eBook short. A Vintage Short.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, France, Short Stories, Crime, Procedural, Novella

33 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 2, 2014

About the author

Martin Walker is the U.S. bureau chief for The Guardian (London), a regular commentator for CNN, and a columnist for newspapers in the United States, Europe, and Moscow. A published novelist and poet, he lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, the novelist Julia Watson, and their two daughters.

Reviews

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Market Tale" centers on the weekly market in St. Denis. If you're hungry before you start reading this story, be warned: once Walker begins describing all the food and drink to be found in the market, you'll have to stop reading and find something to eat as quickly as you can. There are two things I adore (yes, you heard me correctly-- adore!) about this series. One is Walker's loving depiction of the life, the culture, and the food of a small town in southwestern France, and you find that here in abundance.

The second thing I adore is the character of Bruno. In all of crime fiction, I do not think there is another police officer as intuitive, as observant of human nature, as Bruno. His skills are put to the test in this story as he comes to the rescue of true love-- Marcel and Kati-- by fighting a wicked witch-- Marcel's sister Nadette.

If, like me, you've fallen under the spell of this series, you must savor this story. If you've never indulged in the decadent richness of life in St. Denis, "A Market Tale" is the perfect bite-sized sample. Bon appétit!

[Stacie Haden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little nibble of Bruno's cleverness.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Bruno often deals in murders and other grimey crimes, in this short story there is only love--and food! Enjoy a half-hour in the wonderful town of St. Denis. You'll want to go out for a delightful lunch when you have finished.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet short story, that's pure Bruno.

[Jgrace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Market Tale - Walker
3 stars

Bruno displays his matchmaking talents in this pleasant little short story. It all happens at the local farmer’s market. Marcel is a young fruit vendor who is recovering from the loss of his wife and part of his leg. He falls for a lovely Swiss tourist named Kati. Nothing stands in the way of a perfect match except Marcel’s unhappy older sister.

It’s a surprisingly tranquil story. No murder, no terrorism, no espionage. Just Bruno working diplomatically to smooth the path of true love.

[Wulf Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice and typical Bruno short story. It’s a good sample for the early Bruno novels since it represents everything that’s good about the series:

Bruno is so wonderfully likeable, friendly and empathic.
The market obviously plays as an important role as in many of the novels.
There’s a small conflict but Bruno congenially solves it.

I felt right at home with this short story.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[Viva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story based on the Bruno series. Marcel lost his life and a leg from a car accident. Kati, a Swiss visitor is entranced by the simple life in St. Denis and Marcel. But Marcel's sister Nanette is overbearing and tries to make life hard for Kati. Bruno saves the day! It's an okay story and fits well with the series. Typically, this will be one of the subplots in a regular book. It can be read on its own and may even get the reader interested in the series.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story with all the charm of the novels featuring Bruno, Chief of Police. It introduces a couple of new characters to St. Denis and they fall in love, to Bruno's delight. There is one flaw in the ointment, when the sister of the man of the pair disapproves of her brother's new girlfriend, but Bruno manages to straighten her out and bring everything to a happy ending.

[Helynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this short story that takes place around the time of the the novel The Children Return, Bruno, chief of police, has to play peacemaker when Kati, a lovely Swiss woman, moves to St. Denis and becomes involved with Marcel, a young widower, who runs a produce stand in the local market. The two quickly fall in love, and Marcel encourages Kati in her desire to run a food truck at the market selling her own Swiss and British specialties (her mother was Irish). But Marcel’s elder sister Nadette has always been a troublemaker in the community, and now she is jealously determined to sabotage Kati’s success. But Bruno may have an idea for encouraging cooperation when he tastes a delicious quiche Nadette has made Périgord-style —not the usual quiche lorraine with bacon, but a local version with duck—quiche périgourdine. (It sounds lovely).

[RICHARD STENTON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruno At His Best

A young lady visits St. Denis after deciding she needs to leave a boring job and also a relationship not very interesting. She meets one of the local men, falls in love with the area and in love with the local man. A problem exists with the man's sister who is jealous and controlling with a mean streak. Bruno to the rescue. He cleverly works out the perfect solution and everybody wins. The story is a very interesting and quick read.

[annapi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole town is delighted when Marcel finally falls in love again with a sweet Swiss girl, Kati - all except for his shrewish sister Nadette. When Nadette schemes to destroy their relationship, Bruno discreetly intervenes to help his friend. This is a sweet little short story that illustrates perfectly how Bruno deals with his small town's problems with a blend of ingenuity, kindness and justice.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Bruno. Of course, this is just a very short and very sweet story rather than an exciting mystery, but I could read about St. Denis and its inhabitants, especially the wonderful police chief, all day. I'd just like to see Bruno get to have a real lifelong love of his own. Would that really mean he couldn't save the day anymore?

[Kandi A. Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Nice Read

This book was listed as recommended for my by Amazon. While I am not one for police procedural stories, the culinary aspect of this book appealed to me. It was a sweet short story involving a romance, food, and a rather nasty family member who tended to meddle too much. Thus making a rather enjoyable short read.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun enough short story featuring Bruno, Chief of Police. It features a tourist, Kati, who is visiting the area and a stall owner, Marcel, with whom she strikes up a friendship. Marcel's sister, Nadette, is not so sure about Kati and is far from welcoming. Bruno to the rescue. Short and fun but nothing like the longer Bruno books.

[Elaine Rittershaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transports you to the French Countryside and the food...you feel as though you were there!

Transports you to the French Countryside and the food...you feel as though you were there! Bruno is a man to admire.

[Nick Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like his other short story, this is less about plot and more about character. It is, basically, a case study in which layers (think onion in Shrek) are peeled back to reveal the nugget of gold at the core of a bad actor’s personality. I really, really enjoyed it.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another novella featuring the characters from Walker's mystery series. Not a mystery, but a vignette of the village of St. Denis and its people; a charming little bit that shows the allure of the background of the series.
Free e-book from the library.

[Karen Babbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Story

Bruno saves the day again. Walker introduced us to warm and complex characters. The short format was appealing. Great introduction for someone who hasn't read this series or someone who is short on time for a full book.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was not a mystery, but how Bruno deals with a unhappy woman who takes it out on others. He is very kind and diplomatic and in the end we can assume a happy ending. I love the description's of food in here, as always.

[Maryanne R. Marcellin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed getting to meet more of the villagers in this Bruno book. More info always makes knowing the characters a better reading experience. Keep this series coming because they are truly enjoyable.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gastronomical tale that involved harassment by an unhappy woman and because of Bruno and his love for food... it ended into a happy family business and a renewed bonding between siblings that would have otherwise ended in a possible estrangement. A heart~warmingly delicious story.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a typical market day in St. Denis. Marcel offers several varieties of strawberries to a visitor named Kati. Later as she is enjoying a cup of coffee, Marcel sits down and visits with her and a relationship is born. While Bruno and a number of others in the village are thrilled, Marcel's sister is not and works at making problems for Kati as she tries to start her own food truck business. Bruno steps in to try to find a solution.
No real mystery here but a fun story with the regular characters in a lovely French setting.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's no mystery involved in this tale, but we see Bruno acting wisely to confront a sister jealous of his brother's new girlfriend. Readers who love the region and the descriptions of food will enjoy this short tale. (3.5 stars)

[Shelly Lincoln · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little short story that manages to bring together all the best of the series - life in St. Denis, the market, the local food, and Bruno's focus on his relationships with his neighbors. A quick and easy read that is a nice addition to the series.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent novella
A Market Tale is another will written Bruno novel in the series. The story line is about friends, good food and wine. I would recommend this novella to anyone who is looking for a quick read. Enjoy reading

2018

[Tbfrank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting for Walker's novels to come off hold, I picked this short tale as a first introduction to Bruno, Chief of Police. A sweet little story with what must be familar characters, settings, and details for long-time readers. I'm eager to tackle a full-length novel.

[Maureen Staab · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was hard getting into the characters in this book.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this short story about Bruno and St. Denis. Just the mention of the foods is enough to make you hungry. What a great series.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short sweet entrée into the Bruno series for me. Will definitely start this series at book 1.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Bruno at his best.