Boundary The Last Summer
by Andree Michaud
Biblioasis Windsor, Ontario 2017 332 pages
Within the protective cocoon of childhood, I can recall my pre-teen anticipation of adolescence. Summer vacation in cottage country offered pre-teens and adolescents ready-made friends with whom to explore the enclaves by the water. Summer in cottage country always seemed a time of innocence.
Childhood and adolescent innocence was shattered in 1960s cottage country on the Quebec/Maine border when best friends Zaza and Sissy disappear only to be found murdered. In a cottage community where everyone lives cheek by jowl, such innocence-shattering events instill fear and suspicion.
Andree Michaud ably creates a sense of time of childhood innocence and sense of place as I can still smell the pines and feel Simultaneously, readers are introduced to PTSD, sensitively portrayed.
Definitely read. Borrow from the library.
The Trap by Melanie Raabe
House of Anansi Press Toronto 2016 312 pages
A taut thriller with an interesting premise, the story is one of justice/revenge (depending on one’s point of view) and a reclamation of living without fear. Outward appearances suggest successful writer Linda Conrads is living the good life except that, trapped by fear, she hasn’t left her gilded cage in 11 years, having discovered the dead body of her sister Anna and glimpsing her murderer as he left the scene. By chance, she meets her sister’s killer and devises a plan to exact justice.
Suspenseful and hard to put down.
To buy or not to buy…
Death in Provence by Serena Kent
HarperCollins Press New York, New York 2019 350 pages
Serena Kent, nom de plume of wife and husband Deborah Lawrenson and Robert Rees, has written a light and enjoyable read about a murder in St. Merlot, Provence. Retired young from the Home Office in England, and unappreciated child minder of her grandchildren, Penelope decides to up sticks and move to Provence (who wouldn’t want to retire to the south of France?) The day she arrives at Le Chant d’Eau in St. Merlot to move into her fixer-upper home (shades of Peter Mayle), she discovers a dead body in her pool.
While meeting village neighbours, Penelope and her real estate agent, Clemence Valencourt, solve the murder, with its motivation harkening back to WWII.
Descriptions of the villages in the Luberon are atmospheric. Oh to be in Provence! From a North American perspective, it’s interesting to detect the British perceptions of France, the French and French women in the book.
A great read.
Definitely read. Borrow from the library.
Reviewed March 15, 2019.
A Legacy of Spies by John Le Carre
Penguin Books London 2018 384 pages
I have a confession to make: surprisingly enough, given my predilection for spy thrillers, this was my first Le Carre book. At about the same time, I also read Alan Furst, another popular writer of spy books which provided for a useful comparison.
Slow to start but once it took off, there was no putting the book down. Who needs sleep after all? Following a career as a spy, Pierre, aka Pete, recalls two operations — Mayflower and Windfall — with disasterous results. Infiltrated by a Soviet spy, innocent Liz and spies Alec and Tulip lost their lives and left children to sad fates. Rather then jailing Tulip’s murderer, the head of the Secret Service ordered Pierre to “turn” him for information and to protect a valued source — Hans Dieter Mundt — never realizing that Mundt, ruthless as he was, would murder Liz and Alec.
Evocatively written, the reader can feel the weight of moral culpability in the deaths of Liz and Alec on Pierre’s conscience, the guilt and horror at the decisions made and the disillusionment that such sacrifices served a higher purpose.
To buy or not to buy…
A Hero of France by Alan Furst
Random House 2018 256 pages
Set in occupied France in 1941, the book follows the a network of resistant(e)s Mathieu, Lisette (courier), Max de Lyon (arms dealer/nightclub owner), Daniel (a Jewish teacher), Anne Marie (an aristocrat), Joelle and Chantal.
With weak character development, the book reads as if it was hastily written and as if Furst tossed it off to say he had written a book about the French resistance. A disappointing book, especially given Alan Furst’s previous books.
Non-fiction books such as The Freedom Line (Peter Eisner) and Spymistress (William Stevenson) are taut, exciting reads.
So many books, so little time… skip this one.
The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz
Previous books in the series kept me reading until the wee hours but this book proved disappointing for it focussed primarily on Lisbeth’s sociopathic sister and their relationship. In fact, there wasn’t a great deal about Lisbeth in the book.
Worth a read but not a purchase.
Reviewed December 22, 2019.
Twisted by Steve Cavanaugh Orion 2019 337 pages
Who is the elusive mystery writer J.T. Le Beau? Is he the popular dead writer to whose funeral celebrities and fans are flocking or is he really the target of the gunman at the funeral? Only four people knew his real identity; the mystery begins with one of these four about to meet his Maker.
Rife with plot twists and layers of identity, this mystery is hard to put down.
Steve Cavanaugh, a Dublin-based lawyer and writer, has written four other equally heart-stopping mystery/suspense novels: The Defence, The Plea, The Liar and 13, all featuring lawyer Eddie who, despite being caught in impossible situations, is a creative problem-solving.
A standalone mystery, Twisted is a must read.
Reviewed January 18, 2020.
The Au Pair by Emma Rous Berkley 2019 360 pages
Seraphine and her twin brother Danny’s birth is shrouded in sorrow and mystery for, within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from a cliff. But did she really or was she pushed? The gothic allure of the tragedy has kept the nearby village twittering for years. Mourning the recent death of her father, going through his belongings, Seraphine happens upon a photo that leads to another mystery.
An entertaining read, about halfway through, it was easy to start guessing some elements of Seraphine’s mysteries.
Borrow from the library.
Reviewed January 18, 2020.
Guess Who by Chris McGeorge Hanover Square Press 2018 362 pages
This is not the book to read if you suffer from claustrophobia for, awakening handcuffed to a bed in a hotel room with five strangers, Morgan Sheppard who, as an eleven year old, solved the murder of a teacher, discovers that he and the five strangers can’t escape the room. They’ll only regain their liberty once Morgan solves the mystery of the corpse found dead in the suite’s bathroom.
Is one of the five behind this kidnapping? What if Morgan can’t solve the death? What kind of person would kidnap six people? What kind of person would kill someone for his/her entertainment in watching Morgan trying to solve this mystery? A psychological whodunit, the book is riveting.
A must read.
Reviewed January 18, 2020.
I See You by Clare Mackintosh Berkley 2016 374 pages
Imagine you’re going home from work and see your photo in a dating agency ad in the newspaper but you didn’t join it. Then you discover that other women in similar ads have been victims of crimes, including murder. All the while you’re being surveiled. Messages being sent you suggest the watcher knows your every move.
Well-written, taut and suspenseful, I See You has a shocking twist ending. By far, the best thriller I’ve read in a year, this book is highly recommended.
Add this book to your library.
Reviewed January 28, 2020
The Warsaw Protocol by Steve Berry Minotaur Books February 25, 2020 368 pages
Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that Steve Berry found a way to write about Donald Trump and his minions with barely disguised characters in his thriller who manage to complicate Cotton Malone’s mission.
An “information broker” is selling information about the Polish President which could have deleterious effects on the balance of power in Europe. The price of admission to the auction is one of the seven weapons of Christ and Cotton is tasked with stealing one of these to allow the United States to participate in the auction. Meanwhile other countries are stealing relics to gain admission to the auction as well for once the reputation of the Polish President is destroyed, the United States can proceed with its plan that, if realized, would create conflict in Europe.
Drawing on historical events of Eastern Europe in the waning decade of communism, Berry places the Polish President at the heart of the Solidarity movement and the decisions he made to further the fight for freedom.
As with all his books, The Warsaw Protocol is fast-paced and steeped in history. Cotton Malone travels to Belgium, Moldova and Poland, through seven hundred year old cathedrals and castles to seven hundred year old salt mines.
An educational and suspenseful book, The Warsaw Protocol is a great read.
Reviewed March 10, 2020.
Death in Avignon by Serena Kent HarperCollins Publishers March 3, 2020 339 pages
Through her flirtation with the attractive mayor of St. Merlot in Provence, recently retired, recently transplanted Brit, Penelope Kite, becomes embroiled in the mysterious death of a painter. Through lovely and quaint villages near Avignon, the reader follows Penelope as she solves the mystery.
A charming and light hearted read (a good balance to Nordic noirs), Death in Avignon is entertaining and fun.
Borrow it from the library.
Reviewed April 2, 2020.
A Divided Loyalty by Charles Todd William Morrow February 4, 2020 327 pages
Haunted by WW 1 and the death of a fellow soldier, Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard investigates the murder of a young woman not far from Stonehenge. Like all Inspector Rutledge books (there are 21), the reader feels tthe heaviness of Rutledge’s sorrow and PTSD. The period books, set in post WW 1 England, capture the mood of the nation recovering from the trauma of war that touched every family amid a seedling of hope for the future.
Consequently, Ian Rutledge books are, like Rutledge himself, complex, thoughtful, and intuitive. Possessing psychological insight, Ian Rutledge using his “little grey cells” to quote Agatha Christie’s Poirot, solves mysteries with commitment and compassion.
As with each and every one of the Inspector Rutledge books, this is a must read and an excellent addition to your library.
If you enjoy Inspector Rutledge books, you’ll enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series written by Jacqueline Winspear. (See New Releases section.)
Reviewed April 2, 2020.
Victim 2117 by Jussi Adler-Olsen Dutton Books 2020 465 pages
Disillusioned Carl Mork head of Deparment Q, the cold case unit of the Copenhagen police, is assisted in his investigations by timorous Gordon, traumatized Rose and enigmatic but multi-skilled Assad, all struggling in one way or another. Adler-Olsen excels at revealing the humanity of his characters.
In the seventh Department Q novel, Assad’s tragic past is revealed. The uber-efficient and multi-skilled Assad must save his family amidst a terrorist plot. So suspenseful it was impossible to put down, Victim 2117 is a must read and a good addition to your library.
Reviewed April 2, 2020.
Headhunters by Jo Nesbo Vintage Crime/Black Lizard September 2011 288 pages
To what lengths will a successful HR headhunter/art thief go to avenge suspected cuckoldy? Well worth reading to find out in this suspensful, replete with twists and turns, book.
Reviewed April 15, 2020.
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