I've read this book so many times: it's familiar and yet somehow always new and fresh. One of my all time favourites. I love the descriptions, and the food (oh, the food!) and the people. Just perfect.

 

A classic cosy murder mystery with semi-successful writer Ethelred Tressider and his ambitious agent Elsie Thirkettle trapped by the snow with other writers at a retreat in the wilds of Yorkshire. One of their number is murdered, and the pair set out to investigate.
This was an enjoyable, easy read with a nice side of banter between the two main characters. There were plenty of clues to help them (and the reader) solve the murder, and they got there in the end.
Where I felt this novel lacked was in characterisation and atmosphere. Even the two protagonists were fairly two-dimensional - Elsie a selfish chocolate addict Ethelred a bumbling author who was actually a lot more competent than he appeared - and the other characters even more so. While everyone had a possible motive for the murder, none of them felt very believable to me, nor did the characters seem very bothered that there was a murderer among them who could possibly strike again.
Still, this was a fun read, especially for those who love the cosy country house murder mystery genre.
With thanks to Netgalley and Allison & Busby for an advance review copy of this book.

 

Armand Gamache wants nothing more than to enjoy his retirement in Three Pines, but his friend Peter Morrow is missing. So he embarks on  journey both physical and emotional, together with Peter's wife Clara, their friend Myrna and his former second-in-command Jean-Guy Beauvoir, to find him. Very emotional, great characterisation and great descriptions of the landscape.

A bit of a departure as the book is set away from Three Pines in a monastery where no one except the monks has set foot for decades. Until a monk is murdered, and Gamache and Beauvoir are called in. Wonderful, slightly claustrophobic atmosphere, and great character/story development for Gamache and Beauvoir.

Another wonderful visit to Three Pines, this time centred on Clara's art exhibition and the murderous fallout. Maybe not my favourite Gamache novel so far, but still good.

September 2024, enjoyed this re-read more than my first reading and upped the rating from 4 1/2 to 5 stars.

Especially liked the look into Clara and Peter's disintegrating relationship.

Gamache is in Quebec City, supposedly recovering from a traumatic event which left him physically and mentally scarred. But of course he gets involved in investigating a crime. As usual, the characterisation and insights into the character's feelings and motivations is wonderful and the settings are atmospheric. There's a welcome detour or two to Three Pines and hints of more trouble to come. I love this series.

 

I received this book as an advance review copy e-book, and it is absolutely beautiful: I imagine that the "hard copy" would be even more so, one of those books it is just a pleasure to hold and to flick through and to linger on some of the wonderful illustrations and photos.
I have to admit that the spiritual element of the book, with its emphasis on new age mysticism and talismans was not for me, but the variety of designs in the book means that you do not need to be a pagan or wiccan to find something that you will like. The promotion of stitching as a form of meditation, of slowing down and really looking at things was right up my alley however.
This is probably not a book for a complete beginner at embroidery. Although the stitch instructions and illustrations are some of the best I have seen, the patterns as presented require the stitcher to do a fair amount of work in incorporating them into their own designs. It is however a wonderful resource book for someone with some stitching experience who wants to branch out a little.
With thanks to Netgalley and Storey Publishing for the advance review copy.

 

 Well, I think this might be my favourite Gamache novel so far. The characters are brilliant: fallible human beings - no one is 100% good or 100% bad. The story is so well crafted and kept me guessing, hoping and caring to the end. 

 An enjoyable small-town story told from two different points of view, and with enough magic thrown in to make it fun but not unbelievable. I didn't enjoy this one as much as Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, but it was still a good read. 

 

The world was nothing any man can control

What did it mean if the world called to him with endless arrays of color and light?

For me, these two quotes sum up this marvellous novel.
Gad Rigby might not be able to control the world, but he will do everything he can to control his family. And added to his rigid expectations, his children - now young adults - must deal with the expectations and judgement of the staunchly Mormon town where they live.
Linda Duff actively seeks out the rigidity and order of the Mormon religion, believing that a faithful Mormon family of her own will give her stability lacking in her own upbringing. But her arrival upsets the balance, not only of the Rigby family, but of the town itself, which regards her with suspicion as an outsider and potential bad influence.
Aran, Gad's oldest son, is torn between his art and the expectations placed on him by his father and the church. He wants to paint, but he also clings to the security and safety his family and religion give him. His sister Tamsin, younger, maybe braver, or maybe just more aware that as a girl the constraints placed on her will be harsher than those placed on her brothers, is much more of a rebel.
And Linda's arrival acts as a catalyst, setting things in motion that will mean the family is never the same.
Descriptions of light run throughout the novel without being intrusive. The scenery and the town itself become as necessary as the characters, especially as the novel draws to its conclusion.
Olivia Hawker is a new author to me, but I will definitely be seeking out and reading her previous novels. This one was wonderful.
With thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced readers' copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.