A Market Tale by Martin Walker

First Sentence:  Like so many events in the small Périgord town of St. Denis, deep in the gastronomic heartland of France, this story begins in the market that takes place each week in the square between the seventeenth-century mairie and the old stone bridge that crosses the Rover Vézère. 

            

When Kati, a Swiss tourist, catches the eye of Marcel, a young widower and friend to Bruno, the town’s police chief, everyone is delighted. Everyone, that is, except Marcel’s overbearing sister, Nadette.  When her schemes against Kati escalate to the attention of the law, it’s time for Bruno to step in.

            

Walker’s descriptions are evocative and sensory…”It was like tasting perfume:  a sweetness that was intense without being sickly, and with a sparkling zest that seemed both full of energy and deeply comforting.”  What a wonderful description conveying the taste of a fine strawberry.  He places you in the environment of the story of sights, sounds, smells and even tastes.  One cannot read Walker without wishing for the wonderful foods he describes.

            

In Bruno, Walker has created a character who believes in maintaining the law, but using finesse over force, and he does that to perfection here with a resolution satisfactory to everyone.

            

“A MarketTale” is a delightfully charming story that leaves you smiling…and hungry.

A MARKET TALE (Short Story-Bruno-St. Denis, France-Contemp) – VG

Walker, Martin – Short Story

Random House / A Vintage Short (Kindle eBook), December 2014