The Patriarch

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. L5 - A first US edition hardcover book SIGNED by Martin Walker on the title page in very good condition in very good dust jacket that is mylar protected. Dust jacket has label on the front, some wrinkling on the edges and corners, dust jacket and book have some bumped corners, wrinkling on the spine edges, light discoloration and shelf wear. A Bruno, Chief of Police novel. A BELOVED VILLAGE, A RENOWNED FAMILY, A SUSPICIOUS DEATH - IT'S THE LATEST ADVENTURE IN THE DORDOGNE FOR POLICE CHIEF BRUNO. 8.75"x6", 321 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. When Bruno is invited to the lavish birthday celebration of World War II flying ace and national icon Marco "the Patriarch" Desaix, it's the fulfillment of a boyhood dream. But when the party ends in the death of Gilbert, Marco's longtime friend, it's another day on the job for the chef de police. All signs point to a tragic accident, but Bruno isn't so sure. There is more to the Desaix family's lives and loyalties than meets the eye. There is Victor, the Patriarch's son, Gilbert's old comrade-in-arms and sometime rival; Victor's seductive wife, Madeleine, whose roving eye intrigues Bruno even more than her fierce political ambitions; Yevgeny, another son, an artist whose paintings seem to hold keys to the past; and the Patriarch himself, whose postwar Soviet ties may have intersected all too closely with Gilbert's career in Cold War intelligence. Bruno is diverted by a dangerous conflict between a local animal rights activist and outraged hunters - as well as meals to cook, wine to share, and an ever more complicated romantic situation. But as his entanglement with the Desaix family grows and his suspicions heighten, Bruno's inquiries into Gilbert's life become a deadly threat to his own.. Signed by Author. First US Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.