Book Review: Still Life by Louise Penny

Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first Chief Inspector Gamache novel.  It is set in Quebec, Canada. I enjoyed that the French vs. English dynamic was included, but it was not over the top or a major part of the novel.

The mystery is the hunt for who killed Jane Neal, an older woman and life time resident of the village Three Pines.  She is murdered the day after one of her paintings is accepted in a local art exhibit.  You sort of know that the painting is why, but you don’t find out why that is until the very end.  There are a few red herrings from the attack on a gay couple at the beginning of the book to Jane’s niece to the mystery of her oddly decorated house.  In the end, it all comes together nicely.

I liked Gamache and Jean Guy Beauvoir and the other members of his team as well the residents of Three Pines.  You come to know Three Pines.  I’m not sure I really got to know Gamache, but this was the first book.  The only thing that really puzzled me was the role of Agent Nichol, basically an intern on her first case as an Inspector with Gamache’s team. He’s apparently the go-to guy for training.  She starts out likeable and then in the end she’s persona non-grata.  It appeared she understood nothing of what Gamache was trying to tell her and it was hard for me to believe that she was that dense.  I wasn’t sure of her character’s purpose as she really didn’t add anything to story unless it was to show that Gamache didn’t always excel.

Overall, the mystery was well done as were the characters; a better than average cozy mystery. I will most likely read other books in the series.  


View all my reviews

Book Review: Gone Away by Hazel Holt

Gone Away by Hazel Holt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first in the Mrs. Mallory mystery series.  It was originally titled Mrs. Mallory Investigates.  Overall, this was a good mystery, though I hated the ending.  It was beyond sad and a little depressing, at least to me.  This is the first time I’ve read a cozy mystery where I actually wanted the killer to be someone else.

Having said that, the reason for the murder also didn’t really make sense.  To me, it kind of came out of nowhere.  And, it didn’t really ring as a motive for murder to me.  I might have been okay with the killer if the reason had been a little different, which was what was hinted at until the “reveal.”

I did like Sheila Mallory.  I liked that she was a retired academic.  I liked her pets.  She seemed to have a nice little life going and didn’t really investigate.  She came across information just interacting with people.  Which she didn’t share with the police because she didn’t think it was her place to.  I’m still not sure what I think of that.

While I enjoyed the mystery and liked Mrs. Mallory, I didn’t really feel like I got to know any of the characters or the community.  I did sort of figure out the killer, but not for the reason that I thought (as mentioned earlier, the true reason came out of the blue).  Even though it was a good read, I don’t think I’ll be reading more in this series.


View all my reviews

Book Review: I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I started out not really liking this book, especially Maggie.  The story isn’t what I thought it would be based on the description.  The main character, Maggie Fortenberry, a former Miss Alabama, is feeling like it’s time “to leave” and sets about planning her suicide.  I couldn’t figure out what was so horribly wrong with her life that she felt the need to do this, other than a mega case of the self pities.

The story alternates between the various characters, past and present.  In the beginning, this was a bit disconcerting as the story felt incredibly disjointed.  However, about 150 pages in, I started to get the flow and with Maggie’s listing of a house she adored and the “mystery” of the previous owner (remains were found in a trunk in a sealed room in the attic), the story picked up.  Picked up enough, that I can say in the end, I enjoyed the book and am glad I muddled through those first 150 pages.

This book isn’t just about Maggie.  It’s also about Hazel, Brenda, Ethel, and Edward Crocker.  The mystery part was about what happened to Edward Crocker, the builder of Crestview, a house that Maggie just loved and got the listing for when it was put up for sale.  It’s also about Babs, the arch-rival of everyone (and really, not a very likable person).

I didn’t see any of the endings coming, except perhaps one.  Overall, it’s a good read and one I recommend if you’re looking for something a little different.  Just stick with it through the first 100 or so pages.


View all my reviews

Book Review: Uneasy Spirits by M. Louisa Locke

Uneasy Spirits by M. Louisa Locke

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I waffled between three and four stars for this review, but finally settled on three.  Basically because the ending didn’t satisfy.

This is the second in this series (the first was Maids of Misfortune) and is a slightly better read.  Set in late 19th century San Francisco, the book focuses on Annie Fuller and her suitor, attorney Nate Dawson.  Annie is a widow who runs a boarding house and has created a second family with those who room there.  Miss Pinehurst, one of her boarders, asks her to investigate a medium she believes is doing harm to her sister, because with Annie’s experience as Madame Sybil, she believes Annie will be able to ferret out the truth.  Thus begins Annie’s attendance at seances led by Arabella Frampton and her husband Simon, with Evie May, a young girl who is able to channel various spirits.

This is the mystery - are the Framptons fake or are they real.  Is Evie May real or is she somehow being controlled by the Framptons?  This isn’t the typical murder mystery, though there is a mysterious death that crops up from the past.  This is Annie using her experiences to determine if the seances are legitimate or not.

She gets help from her maid, Kathleen, as well as Nate.  There is also more of the romance between Nate and Annie, though it is still wobbly.  With this book we get to know more about Kathleen, as she accompanies Annie to most of the seances (but doesn’t participate).  We are also introduced to Biddy, a friend of Kathleen’s, who is working for the Frampton’s.  An enjoyable character.

My major complaint with this book as with is predecessor is that it seems to go on just a tad too long.  It wasn’t quite as drawn out as Maids of Misfortune, but I felt like it could have been wrapped up a bit sooner.  The romance is a side story and for the most part is done well, if not a bit heavy handed at times.  The other thing that bothered me was the resolution.  Not necessarily the answer to the initial “are they fakes” question, but to the resolution with Evie May.  I felt like she was actually a split personality and while I understand that these things in that time had no explanation (and Evie May has a good ending), it was just left hanging.  I would have been happy with an end note by the author at the end of the book.  Maybe in future books it will be addressed.

Having said all of that, I enjoyed this book.  The mystery was well done and I did not figure out the ending.  It has a few flaws, but not enough to detract from the story.  I plan on reading future mysteries and recommend this title to those that enjoy historical mysteries.  

View all my reviews