The Crowded Grave is the 4th Bruno Courrèges, Chief of Police novel by Martin Walker and ups the ante on this terrific series. The earlier books were solid 4's for me but this one earned an extra star for the added drama and pathos of its conclusion. The familiar friends and ambiance of the village of St. Denis in the heart of the Périgord region of France are all in place here but the added suspense of a plot related to Basque ETA terrorists takes this well out of the realms of cozy mystery fiction. As in each book an aspect of Périgord food, wine or life is used as a plot device and this time it involves an archeological find in the local area which in real-life is also famous as the site of many Prehistoric caves with wall drawings. You can also count on further new food recipes and wine recommendations during the course of the book.
I am already looking forward to the next one of my new favourite mystery series.