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

The police raid a house party at Jacqueline’s home in Lalinde, finding teenagers drinking and using drugs. Upstairs, Isabelle and Bruno find Jacqueline asleep in bed with Richard, whose wrists are consensually tied to a bed, while Nazi pornography plays and a camera records. J-J’s team seizes drugs and cash. He orders the arrests of Richard, Jacqueline, and others, noting their links to the Front National. Afterward, Bruno shares his personal history, including his service in Bosnia, with J-J, who warns that the case has drawn attention from Paris and a special magistrate will take charge.

Bruno plays his weekly tennis match with the town’s informal leaders, including the Baron, the village’s largest landowner, Xavier, the deputy mayor, and Michel, head of the public works department. As they play, they’re joined by Rollo, the school headmaster, and his friend, Dougal. The conversation turns to the recent arrests, and the Baron discusses his experience commanding Harkis, like Hamid, in the Algerian War. Rollo recalls an old school fight between Richard and Momu al-Bakr’s nephew, adding that Momu later invited Richard to dinner to settle the matter.