Fantasy isn't my usual genre, but this book sucked me in. The plot is wide-ranging and multi-threaded and told from several points of view and in several timelines. The characters, while not always likeable, are believable and the different voices are distinct. The world-building is well-handled without large chunks of explanation. All-in-all a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I will be looking out for the next book in the series.
(As an aside,I especially appreciated the taken-for-granted non-binary and trans characters.)

So we're back in Three Pines post-Covid, which is a bold move on Louise Penny's part, as this little corner of the world seems to be ahead of the real world in recovery. The plot revolves around a statistics professor, Abigail Robinson, who has come up with a plan for economic recovery and for minimising damage from any further pandemics - but it is a plan abhorrent to many, and has public opinion divided. Inspector Gamache is asked to provide security for one of her events.
Once again, murder and mayhem ensues, with Three Pines at the centre. (I do like the way Ms Penny gently pokes fun at herself over the number of murders in such a tiny village). Ghosts from the past are woken, and feelings become very personal for both Gamache and Beauvoir, as well as for the suspects. As usual, the characterisation is superb, with new faces as well as the old and familiar ones, and the plot is intricate and interesting, with numerous twists and turns before the denouement.
I have read all of the Inspector Gamache novels this year, and I'm now a bit lost, having to wait a year for the next one! 
With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the e-ARC of this book.

I found a great deal to like in this book. The friends-to-lovers trope is an old one, making the ending obvious right from the start, but it was very well done here. Alex and Poppy were sweet together, and their banter was clever and fun. They were real three dimensional characters with backgrounds and histories that explained a lot of who they were. I liked the multiple timeline structure, flashing back and forth to previous summers.
But the predictability of the plot and the repetitiveness of the holidays in different places made this slow-going for me. And there was a "big reveal" which seemed anti-climactic when it finally happened.
All-in-all a fun light-hearted read which wasn't quite for me.
With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the e-ARC of this book.

I started reading this novel as a print book, but quickly decided that the format - with many voices telling their version of the story - was better in audio, and switched to that. It was wonderful. I think it was the first audiobook I have ever listened to where I just listened as I would read a print book rather than listening while I did something else. The story itself was interesting; the rise and abrupt ending of a seventies rock band, but it was the characters who were the interesting part. The different voices telling their versions, with some inevitable contradictions, was very well done. The characters were very human, with flaws and strengths, and at times I wanted to shake some sense into them and at others I just felt sympathy for them. Definitely a book I will re-read.

Another great mystery with all the twists and turns you expect from Louise Penny. Set in Paris, and I missed Three Pines, but I enjoyed the fact that Gamache's family were very much to the fore  - especially that Reine-Marie had a more central role in the investigation than usual.

Enjoyable and interesting. I felt so much sympathy for Gabriel, exiled for a year from God's presence, and liked how the story of his exile looked back to previous events and forward to the future. I lost track a few times, and think I might have followed it better in print rather than on audio.

This was a lovely book, by turns emotional, exciting and heart-rending. In the present day, Hannah is dealing with a recent break-up, her widowed father's failing health, and the guilt of an event in her past. A letter from her dead grandmother is unearthed as she is sorting through her father's papers, sending her to an old house in the Dordogne to find out the truth of her grandmother GiGi's past and her connection with the wartime schoolteacher Lucie Laval.
The story splits into two timelines, interweaving Hannah's story with that of Lucie and her contemporaries, ordinary men and women showing extraordinary courage in fighting the Nazis occupying their country and working beneath their noses to keep people - including the most vulnerable children - safe from the Nazis. 
The atmosphere and characterisation throughout the book is excellent, and the story is beautifully told and researched.  The tension builds as the book goes on. Whilst I did find it a little slow to start with, from about halfway through it becomes very difficult to put down as Hannah's and Lucie's stories come together to the climax of events.
Definitely recommended, particularly to anyone with an interest in World War II historical novels. I learnt enough about occupied France and the Resistance to make me want more - the author gives a couple of recommendations for further reading in her author's note that I will be checking out. A book that will stay iwth me.
With thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the advanced review copy in return for an honest review.

Dark and emotional. Tensions between rivals and even between friends. The weather is even more of a character in this one than usual and Three Pines itself is threatened. What would we do to protect or avenge those we love? Masterful.

I love Mary Oliver, and this little book does not disappoint. So much about being present in the moment, appreciating what is, loving what you can, not fearing the future. Beautiful.

One of my favourite Gamache books so far, both for the characterisation and for the intertwined and contrasting storylines.