Bruno, Chief of Police

My book selection is the first of several stories by Martin Walker involving a local policeman in a small fictional village in the Dordogne region of France. There are currently 19 books in the series (see https://www.orderofbooks.com/characters/bruno-chief-of-police/). I just finished my eighth one, The Patriarch, and I feel like I know the main characters and can almost taste the food and the wine. The books are a great escape and are more about the region, the people, the food, and the wine than the crime stories themselves. On the other hand, Walker is a great story teller and each book comes to an exciting climax that somehow pulls together a complex plot. As the author says in the Forbes article below, "I am a story teller. Its the people, and the setting of the people. The Perigord is the real star."

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/24/dining/martin-walker-bruno-chief-of-police-perigord.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickpassmore/2017/07/15/author-martin-walker-on-bruno-chief-of-police-of-saint-denis-and-his-life-in-food-wine/?sh=3bd68b6e112a

Grant

Chernow's book is a long detailed account of the life of an American hero, US Grant. Grant was a flawed man that was brave, honest, and loyal to a fault. In his own words concerning his mistakes, "If a mistake was made, it was a mistake of the mind and not of the heart." His major flaws were alcohol and naivete in business that the author exposes in detail. On the other hand he was a brilliant general whose master plan won the war for the North after a series of failed leaders. He built a team with Sherman, Sheridan and others that turned the tied. He was the perfect support for Lincoln and realized that slavery was the central issue of the war. As president he brought peace, reduced the army and the debt, and protected the 4 million freed slaves. He was a champion of all races and was president under the 13th (slavery), 14th (citizenship), and 15th (voting rights for all male citizens), as well as the first civil rights act. His presidencies were plagued by corruption and petty politics, and he struggled with the challenges of implementing reconstruction in a racist country. Interesting that the "radical republicans" were the civil rights activists and the democrats were mostly racists. It sometimes feels like the "Lost Cause" will never die, particularly in the South. I took away an appreciation of the greatness of Grant and a feeling that his place in history has been unfairly tarnished.