Bruno is a member of the Municipale Police in the small French commune of St Denis. He deals with the small things of a small town and all the big things are dealt with by the Gendarmes. He spends most of his time protecting his town from European bureaucrats trying to impose their modern ideas about how how cheese should be made and sold.

But things change when an old war hero is brutally murdered in his isolated cottage. Normally not his area of responsibility, but Bruno becomes involved because of his local knowledge. But his goal is not about finding the guilty but protecting the reputation of his town.

This is a charming story of rural life in France. With imports from Africa and England and a dash of history thrown in it makes for a rather enlightening and interesting read. This is the first book in the series and this series will now be added to my reading list.