A Better Man by Louise Penny

A Better Man: A Novel by Louise Penny --- 437 pages including Acknowledgements. #15 in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series.

The air is thick with anxiety as Sûreté du Québec agents gather in the conference room for the Monday morning meeting of the homicide department.

Today is Armand Gamache’s first day back since his suspension and then demotion from Chief Superintendent of the entire force, to his former  position as head of homicide. Complicating matters, he will be temporarily sharing the duties with his former second-in-command and current son-in-law, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, who will shortly be leaving to take up a new job in private industry in Paris. And taking Gamache's daughter Annie, and his grandson Honoré, with him.

Making matters worse, a storm of toxic social media attacks is being orchestrated against Gamache by his political enemies as he faces his first assignment – to find a missing woman, whose abusive husband is the immediate suspect in Vivienne Godin's disappearance.

The search for Vivienne is complicated by catastrophic spring flooding throughout Quebec. Ice jams are threatening the bridges, and the pressure of the water is threatening dams.  Gamache's own village of Three Pines is at risk, as the usually sleepy Rivière Bella Bella breaks its banks. A general emergency is declared and desperate efforts are underway to save towns and cities, dams and bridges and power plants from destruction..

As Gamache and Beauvoir lead the search for Vivienne, they develops a profound empathy for her distraught father. Vivienne makes them think of Annie. Suddenly the case becomes personal. Each is haunted by the terrible question, how would you feel, if it was your daughter, your wife?

As the rivers rise, and the social media onslaught rages, Gamache finds a body in the Bella Bella, just upriver from Three Pines. That close to home. The victim's father, overwhelmed with grief and guilt, becomes obsessed with vengeance.

Now the question nagging Gamache and Beauvoir shifts.

What would you do, to prevent your loved one's killer from getting away with it?

With each novel in the series, Penny just gets better and better. 

Click HERE to read the * review from Publishers Weekly.

Click HERE to read the review from the Christian Science Monitor.

Click HERE to read the review from the San Diego Union Tribune.

Click HERE for the review from the Pittsburg Post-Gazette.

Click HERE to read the review from criminalelement.com

The Killing Bay by Chris Ould

The Killing Bay: A Faroes Novel by Chris Ould --- 461 pages

The Killing Bay is the second book in a trilogy set in the Faroe Islands and picks up just a few weeks after the conclusion of  The Blood Strand, with British detective Jan Reyna recuperating from his injuries., and attending the funeral of his long-estranged father. His mother, who ran away from her husband taking young Jan with her, committed suicide when Jan was a child. He is visiting the islands for the first time --- an outsider attempting to reconnect with his family because he wants to know what really happened between his parents.

There are two main plot lines in this book.  One is Reyna’s search for information about the death of his mother.  He was always told it was a suicide, but has begun to question this.  Even though most people are unwilling to talk, he’s managed to pry loose a few bits and pieces of information that don't quite add up.

While Reyna is looking to the past, another story is unfolding in the present.  Activists have come to the Faroes to protest the traditional whale grind (hunt). Danish security forces descend on the islands. Shortly after a clash between the activists and the locals, one of the activists turns up dead.  Local detective Hjalti Hentze is called to the scene.  At first glance, it looks like the crime is linked to the whale protests. But Hentze is not convinced. The scene looks staged to him.

When a member of his own family becomes a suspect, Hentze is taken off the case.  At every turn it seems the murder investigation is being hindered by the security forces. Then some crucial evidence goes missing. Hentze is convinced that someone is trying to subvert the murder investigation – but why? He asks Reyna to help him find out what's really going on.

Another highly atmospheric police procedural and crime thriller.  Looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy in The Fire Pit.

Click HERE to read the *review in Publishers Weekly.

Click HERE to read a review from The Crime Review.com

Click HERE to read an interview with Chris Ould from Crime Fiction Lover.com

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 432 pages
On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick's wife Amy disappears. There are signs of struggle in the hose and Nick quickly becomes the obvious prime suspect. It doesn't help that Nick hasn't been completely honest with the police and, as Amy's case drags on for weeks, more and more vilifying evidence mounts against him. However, the evidence against him just seems too clear and Nick maintains his innocence. As revelation after revelation unfolds, it becomes clear that the truth does not exist in the middle of Nick and Amy's points of view; in fact, the truth is far more dark, more twisted, and more creepy than you can imagine. Told from alternating points of view between Nick and Amy, Gillian Flynn creates an untrustworthy world that changes chapter to chapter.

Masks by E.C. Blake

Masks by E.C. Blake, 372 pages

What originally seemed like an excellent read turned into a "just okay" read. The author has a great storyline but unfortunately went crazy with odd details (like when/how various characters relieved themselves) that interrupted the story a bit much. The idea was great - masks that reveal what the wearer is thinking so that no one can overthrow the powers that be. The main character, Mara, is daughter to the Master Maskmaker. When her masking fails, she is sent to a prison camp to mine for magic. Mara is gifted with all magic, however, and uses accidentally uses the magic to save herself from various fates. At some point, Mara has to make the choice to use her magic or be used because of it. The story is a bit slow moving at first but then picks up pace. Over all it's a good story if you don't mind the occasional pothole in the road. Judging from the last chapter in the book, there will be a sequel.

A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry

A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry --- 197 pages

A holiday tradition, this is Anne Perry's tenth Christmas novella. Each one features a Christmas-themed story centered on one of the supporting characters from her William Monk or Thomas and Charlotte Perry mystery series.

This year's offering features Claudine Burroughs, the neglected wife of a wealthy businessman, whose only sense of meaning and purpose comes from volunteering at Hester Monk's clinic for sick and abused street women. Her ambitious husband disapproves, and in order to placate him she goes through the motions of accompanying him to social events where he cultivates his business contacts among the wealthy and well-connected of London society.

At a glittering Christmas party Claudine unexpectedly meets a charming ne'er-do-well Welsh poet, Dai Treggaron, and recognizes a kindred spirit. But within moments, Dai stands accused of killing a young prostitute who has been smuggled into the party to amuse three heedless young men. Even as she realizes that the rest of the guests are only too eager to blame the outsider Treggaron for the incident, Claudine suspects that the young men are lying to protect themselves, and vows to discover what really occurred. Will people really watch an innocent man hang rather than admit the shameful truth about young men born to every advantage? What proof can she bring that will stand against the influence of the rich and powerful? And Claudine is also motivated to prevent another young woman from making the same mistake she made and suffering a lifetime of regret.