Description

At the heart of French gastronomy lies the famed black truffle of the Perigord. But France’s truffles are being adulterated with cheaper ones from China, and it seems that Chinese organised crime is behind the fraud. The third internationally bestselling case for Bruno, Chief of Police. In St Denis market, a Vietnamese family has been selling their dishes for years, until their stall is wrecked by attackers who look Chinese. Again it appears that organised crime is behind the outrage, firing the opening shots of a Viet-Chinese triad war. When vicious murder, illegal immigration and the importation of underage girls for prostitution are added to the mix, Bruno has his work cut out to keep St Denis from tearing itself apart.

Publisher Review

Martin Walker spins a surprising and compelling mystery, laced with charm and a deep knowledge and love of France, past and present. It is a combination that will win him many fans * Waterstones,com * [T]hat the novel manages to avoid lapsing into a familiar description of sleepy provincial French life can be attributed to the broader, timely issues that the author has chosen to address: immigration, fraud and political corruption. * Times Literary Supplement * Luscious rural French caper * Sunday Mirror * Done with elegance, intelligence and a touch of steel to ensure that the books never turn into a twee portrayal of rural life * Reviewing the Evidence * There are truffles to gather and market days to attend, as well as a sumptuous funeral banquet for a murdered truffle master that surpasses any meal cooked up thus far in a series that always makes your mouth water * International Herald Tribune * So likeable is Courreges and so convincing his milieu, that I was desperate for more Bruno as soon as Black Diamond's brisk and brutal conclusion came... C'est formidable * Independent on Sunday *