Martin Walker Books in Order: Bruno, Chief of Police & More

By Anna Marie CarrollMystery

The Martin Walker books in order are led by his Bruno, Chief of Police series, the cozy mystery novels set in the Périgord region of southwestern France.

If you’re here for Bruno, I’d read the main novels first, then add the short stories and collection as extras. Walker’s books mix murder, village life, French food, wine, politics, and local history, which is a big part of why the series has such a loyal following.

Jump to:

Bruno, Chief of Police Series

The Bruno, Chief of Police books are best read in publication order. Each mystery has its own case, but Bruno’s friendships, romances, and village life build from book to book.

Several books in this series have different titles depending on the country of publication. I’ve grouped those title variants together below so you don’t accidentally buy the same book twice.

The series takes place in the fictional town of St. Denis, France, in the Périgord region. It’s a small village full of markets, wineries, good food, old secrets, and more trouble than Bruno would probably like.

Benoît Courrèges, affectionately known as Bruno, is the town’s chief of police. He’s a former soldier, a careful observer, and the kind of officer who cares as much about people as he does about procedure.

  1. Bruno, Chief of Police / Death in the Dordogne (2008)
  2. The Dark Vineyard / Dark Vineyard (2009)
  3. Black Diamond (2010)
  4. The Crowded Grave (2011)
  5. The Devil’s Cave (2012)
  6. The Resistance Man (2013)
  7. The Children Return / Children of War / Death Undercover (2014)
  8. The Patriarch / The Dying Season (2015)
  9. Fatal Pursuit (2016)
  10. The Templars’ Last Secret (2017)
  11. A Taste for Vengeance (2018)
  12. The Body in the Castle Well (2019)
  13. The Shooting at Chateau Rock (2020)
  14. The Coldest Case (2021)
  15. To Kill a Troubadour (2022)
  16. A Chateau Under Siege (2023)
  17. A Grave in the Woods (2024)
  18. An Enemy in the Village (2025)
  19. A Murder in Springtime (2026)

Bruno Short Stories and Collections

The Bruno short stories aren’t required before you read the novels. I’d treat them as extras rather than required installments. If you want the simplest reading order, read the main novels first and then add these when you want more Bruno.

Martin Walker Standalone Novels

Martin Walker also wrote several standalone novels outside the Bruno series. These don’t connect to St. Denis, so you can read them whenever you want.

  1. The Infiltrator (1978)
  2. A Mercenary Calling (1980)
  3. The Money Soldiers (1980)
  4. The Caves of Périgord (2002)

Martin Walker German-Language Fiction

This thriller sits outside the Bruno series and is usually best kept separate from the English-language standalone novels. It’s mainly useful for readers who want to track down everything Walker has published.

  1. Germany 2064 (2015)

Martin Walker Nonfiction Books

Before Bruno came along, Walker wrote quite a bit of nonfiction about politics, journalism, Russia, the Cold War, and modern history. Some of these older titles are easier to find secondhand, and a few were published under different names in different markets.

  1. The National Front (1977)
  2. Daily Sketches (1978)
  3. Powers of the Press (1983)
  4. The Waking Giant: The Soviet Union Under Gorbachev (1986)
  5. Martin Walker’s Russia (1989)
  6. The Harper Independent Traveller: The Soviet Union (1990)
  7. The Cold War: A History / The Cold War and the Making of the Modern World (1993)
  8. Clinton: The President They Deserve (1996)
  9. America Reborn: A Twentieth-Century Narrative in Twenty-Six Lives / Makers of the American Century (2000)
  10. The Iraq War: As Witnessed by the Correspondents and Photographers of United Press International (2003) (Editor)
  11. Bruno’s Cookbook: Recipes and Traditions from a French Country Kitchen (2023) (with Julia Watson)

About Martin Walker

Before he became known for the Bruno mysteries, Martin Walker had a long career in journalism and international affairs. He worked for The Guardian, served as a bureau chief in Moscow and Washington, and wrote nonfiction about politics, Russia, the Cold War, and the United States.

Walker’s connection to Périgord began after he and his wife visited friends in the region. They later bought an old farmhouse near Le Bugue, and the area helped inspire the fictional village of St. Denis in the Bruno, Chief of Police books.

Bruno himself was inspired by Walker’s friend Pierrot Simonet. Like Bruno, Pierrot was a local police chief who was loath to arrest lawbreakers, disliked carrying his gun, and coached village children.

That real-life inspiration is a big part of what gives these books their charm. The murders matter, of course, but so do the meals, markets, friendships, wine, old grudges, and small-town routines around them.

When he’s not in France, Walker divides his time between Washington, D.C. and the Dordogne.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more mystery authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Mystery Books in Order index.

One thought on “Martin Walker Books in Order: Bruno, Chief of Police & More”

  1. Really interesting, and helpful to have a list with all the correct information about books published, the titles they are now published under, and their former titles, and out of print titles. Thank you so much. Martin Walker is a most entertaining author. Eagerly awaiting ‘A Chateau Under Seige’

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *