Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside

On an early May morning, Benoît “Bruno” Courrèges, the town’s chief of police, looks out on St. Denis, a rural village in the Périgord region of France. Realizing it is market day, he calls a local hotelier to ask about a rumored visit from EU hygiene inspectors, whom he’s heard may be in the area. When the hotelier confirms it, Bruno drives into town to warn the market vendors of a surprise inspection and help them hide non-compliant goods to protect local, traditional practices that don’t comply with modern EU hygiene regulations.

Bruno arrives at the market and gives photos of the EU inspectors to Jeanne, the market fee collector, for distribution. As he warns vendors to hide their products, Jeanne reports that the inspectors have arrived in a Renault Laguna. Bruno radios the car’s description to neighboring police chiefs and calls a retired colleague to prevent vandalism to the inspectors’ vehicle, but learns a plan is already in motion. He spots the new gendarme captain, Duroc, and suspects a trap. A local café owner, Karim, reports that someone has jammed a potato into the inspectors’ exhaust pipe, disabling the car.