The Body in the Castle Well by Martin Walker

THE BODY IN THE CASTLE WELL by Martin Walker is the first mystery in the Bruno, Chief of Police series that I have read and it certainly won’t be the last. This appealing series is set in the Dordogne region (the former province was called Périgord) of France allowing Walker to skillfully incorporate references to local history, specialty wines (like Bergerac and Monbazillac), and delicious food. In THE BODY IN THE CASTLE WELL, a young art history student disappears from the small village of Limeuil near fictionalized St. Denis. When Bruno and Balzac, his basset hound, discover her body, several questions arise. And further inquiries into the death of the vivacious and likeable Claudia Muller lead to suspicion of foul play and several suspects, including a recently released convict with interests in falconry, an art historian and former Resistance fighter, and a lawyer boyfriend based in London. The mystery is written mainly as a police procedural with various government officials being involved due to the wealth and prominence of the young woman’s family. Walker juggles numerous characters, plus some romantic interests and is adept at describing the locale and its residents, with mention, for example, of Josephine Baker, the famous singer and WWII agent. THE BODY IN THE CASTLE WELL is a relatively cozy crime novel with enough twists to merit a starred review from Booklist. For me, it was a perfect introduction to a new series and an engaging summer read.