A Grave in the Woods

Another entertaining and enlightening entry in the Bruno, Chief of Police series, featuring archeological and
World War II subthemes and more culinary magic.
When Abby, an American archeologist, arrives in St. Denis on the heels of her divorce, she hopes to make a
new life for herself as a specialist guide for visiting tourists. So when a local British couple discover a World War
II-era grave on their property, Abby is able to put her training to good use. As it turns out, in the grave are the
remains of two German women and an Italian submarine officer who had a big secret to hide. The women are
suspected of having had links to the German garrison in Bordeaux during the war. It’s up to Bruno, just recovered
from a gunshot wound earlier in the year, to unravel the mystery—and its contemporary relevance. His task
is made more difficult by the horrible heat-dome summer, which is raising the temperatures for miles around,
as unprecedented amounts of water vapor encumber the air, drenching the Massif Central and threatening
increasingly dramatic floods.
As Bruno drills to the heart of the case, matters get even more complicated when both Abby’s financially
distressed ex-husband and a mysterious dashing Italian naval officer arrive, with very different ideas in mind.
Once again, Bruno is left to serve the guilty their just rewards, and his friends, some sumptuous Perigordian
cuisine.