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  • The Crowded Grave

  • By: Martin Walker
  • Narrated by: Bill Wallis
  • Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (122 ratings)
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The Crowded Grave

By: Martin Walker
Narrated by: Bill Wallis
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Summary

Life in south-west rural France is not the sleepy idyll you might suppose. Local duck and goose farms are being attacked by animal rights protestors attempting to halt the production of foie gras. A senior policeman has been shot by terrorists believed to be the Basque Separatists of ETA.

And if that weren’t enough, a group of students have just unearthed a ‘modern’ skeleton during a dig at one of the ancient sites of this famous region and home to prehistoric man - a dig that has brought an influx of foreigners to the Dordogne. It is up to Chief of Police Bruno Courrèges to get to the bottom of these seemingly unrelated events.

©2011 Walker and Watson (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Crowded Grave

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

England rules and man's best friends keep dying

A Scot from Edinburgh referred to as an English woman throughout, a Welshman ditto, and three dead dog killed in three books. This series has many charms, not least the narrator (so far, about to be lost) but not winning a fan here. Surely the author can think of some other way to create tension than by killing off the dog characters in the books so brutally, time after time.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Typically French

Lovely story so typical of french life. The treatment of the new magistrate by the farmers is very funny. The description of the food & recipes is mouthwatering. A great read.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable read

Another good story in the Inspector Bruno series set in the Dordogne region of France with lots of Gallic charm and atmosphere. Very ably read by Bill Wallis

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Appalling narration stopped me from listening

Would you try another book written by Martin Walker or narrated by Bill Wallis?

Never narrated by Bill Wallis

What was most disappointing about Martin Walker’s story?

That I could not bear to continue listening after the first couple of chapters!

How could the performance have been better?

Ridiculous pronunciations of French place names (e.g. Peri-goo-uh) and ridiculous accents ('local yokel' for Bruno and cockney for JJ)

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable - but the least I have enjoyed so far

Being ill in bed I have been listening to these stories more or less back to back. They have all been good dectective stories in a fairly classical manner with a bit of a thriller thrown in by the connection to the shadier side of the French convoluted police system. Plenty of romance and cooking ! Is there a cook book and wine guide to go with this?
Overall I would say - if u like a easy listen with quite engaging characters try this series.
I have a slight issues with the narration in that the voice sounds a bit older but u get used to it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Paradise has evil prowling round

Bruno is village bobby (lowest echelon of complex French police) in an idyllic rural district in Périgord. He has had a difficult life, as abandoned orphan and then soldier in some very unpleasant French wars and UN actions. Glad to say he doesn't make great capital of this - "poor little me" - but he would prefer to live a good life in his tiny community, under the patronage of the wily Maire. He'd like a wife and family, but his women so far include the ambitious semi-spy Isabelle, and the hearty horsey cold-hearted Englishwoman Pamela, who uses him like a whore. (She has family in Scotland, too, so she's probably got a dark past in the Clearances! No chance for you, Bruno, you're a plaything!)
Conspiracy and secrets of decades enshroud this quiet part of la France profonde. There's a Welsh student who turns out to be English, even though he's good at rugby! Nothing's as it seems, and violence breaks the peaceful existence of Saint Denis, as surprising as if ISIS attacked Stornaway.
Surely in a future book, Bruno will find a suitable woman to share his life; he can cook, coach rugby and tennis, avoid village feuds - forget that red faced English harridan, with her colonial aspirations towards France and Scotland for a start; what about Fabiola the doctor?

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Didn’t work for me

I was recommended this author by a friend who knew I’d visited and loved this part of France. However I found it really dragged and at times it felt like a non-fiction book with the author giving too much information about archaeology etc. Also felt that the juxtaposition between the genteel nature of the French community and the brutality of the deaths as well as the involvement of those from the upper police echelons in Paris didn’t work for me.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book

Full of action, with great characters, who bring the French countryside to life. A really enjoyable read.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Dr
  • 18-06-23

Wonderful

Entrancing French village life clashing with terrorism Bruno is the perfect hero once again though his love life keeps us on tenterhooks

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Real pleasure

A Brilliant book and a joy, I haven’t enjoyed a book so much for ages.

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