The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker

The Crowded Grave; A Mystery of the French Countryside by Martin Walker --- 314 pages

The new mystery featuring Bruno Courreges, chief of police in the village of St. Denis, in the Dordogne region of southwestern France.

An interesting juxtaposition of wine, foie gras, animal rights protests, the web of village life, and a corpse discovered in the middle of a potentially significant archeological dig. The corpse creates even more complications tied to old tensions between France and Spain, Basque separatists, grudges dating back to the German occupation during World War II, and modern day terrorist activities.

Meanwhile, Bruno has to deal with an overzealous and inexperienced new magistrate, an old police rival, his current love affair with an expatriate Scotswoman, and the reappearance of his former lover, now making a name for herself in the French intelligence service --- who have just happened to choose St. Denis as the venue for an important ministerial conference between France and Spain.

It takes Walker a little while to establish all these interwoven plot lines. The best part of the book, and what makes the whole series worth the time to read, is the sense of place Walker evokes; the land, the people, the long history and a way of life so different from our own.

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz --- 534 pages

A chatty, popular biography of the doyenne of American cookery, from her tomboyish girlhood in Pasadena, California, and her less than stellar academic career at Smith College. Julia McWilliams was a late bloomer, with no clear idea what she wanted to do with her life until World War II sent her into government service and an overseas assignment with the Office for Strategic Services (OSS), an early intelligence gathering service, first in India and then in China. Although Julia's job was classed as clerical, in actual fact she was responsible for organizing and cross-referencing the raw data that came in from clandestine operatives tracking political and military actions across Asia.

It was during this time that she met her future husband, Paul Child. Although their relationship was slow to kindle, by the end of the war, when it was time to return home, they both knew they had found something essential in each other. Although Paul's family accepted Julia with open arms, her father was bitterly disappointed in Julia's choice of a husband. Julia however had found independence during the war and married Paul Child anyway. Their marriage gave them both the stability and support they needed as Paul pursued a diplomatic career that landed them a posting in postwar Paris. 

In France Julia finally found her purpose in life when she encountered French food. Although up until then she couldn't boil water without burning it, shed was determined to learn French cooking. She signed up for classes and the rest is history.

The book reveals that the exuberance and gusto Julia Child brought to spreading the gospel of good food defined all aspects of her life, her marriage, her friendships and her career.