Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector of the Surete, is a much more morally ambiguous character in this the fourteenth installation of Louise Penny’s Three Pines series. These characters are so “real” that it is necessary to remind oneself that it would be impossible to call them up or go visit them in their little, homicidal, Canadian village. Penny adeptly mixes literary fiction with good old-fashioned mystery in her series and to good effect. When Gamache muses “Things sometimes fell apart unexpectedly. It was not necessarily a reflection of how much they were valued”, we may wonder if this is a somewhat autobiographical inclusion to the almost nixed series. Family drama, old feuds, Canadian politics, the drug trade, and even the Nazis find a way into this tightly woven story. I highly recommend the whole series.
I have been hearing teenage girls rave about these mysteries for some time, so it was time to give one a read. April Henry packs a punch in this intense mystery about a young woman returning to her childhood home to solve the mystery of her parents’ deaths. A little romance and a lot of suspense will keep you turning the pages of this young adult mystery.
| A creepy, little ghost story. Weaving narratives from a tragedy in the 1800s with a present-day ghost story, this novel does a masterful job of engaging the reader. The resolution was a little complicated, but overall a thoroughly enjoyable tale. |
Gordon the Goat is in charge of the farm until Gordon the Goose makes his entrance. As they fight over the right to boss all of the other animals around, it is easy to see how tiring constant conflict can be. A funny little farm story.
Annie Spence, a librarian, has written many the love letter and many the break-up note to the books in her life. As with most books of collected essays, some were funnier than others. All were told in very forthright language.