A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Gamache #2)
Louise Penny
“I think people who have had that experience and survived have a responsibility to help others. We can’t let someone drown where we were saved.”
When the newest resident of Three Pines is electrocuted in broad daylight in front of the whole town, few mourn her loss — CC de Poitiers was not a kind woman. But murder is murder, and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is determined to unmask CC’s killer. Nearly everyone in town has a motive, and it soon becomes clear that even Gamache himself has secrets. What hidden truths lie buried beneath the snows of Three Pines?
At 19 books and counting, Louse Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series has kept readers entertained for almost 20 years. I read the first book, Still Life, several years ago and liked it enough to add the second to my TBR. Unfortunately it wasn’t my cup of tea. There are too many characters with too few distinctive characteristics, I knew who the killer was just a couple chapters in, and there’s a repulsive amount of fatphobia directed at a child (from the narrator, not a character, which is worse because it makes it feel like it’s coming from Penny herself). Reviews and ratings indicate that things get better starting with book three, but I’m not sure I have the heart for it. (And that cheap joke about Texas? We get it, move on!)
Pick this up if you like long series, character studies, and murder mysteries.
The Paleontologist
Luke Dumas
“How even the simplest, most innocent act of survival—to eat, or defend oneself, or soothe one’s pain—makes waves. Ripples across the planet, and millions of years.”
Nearly 25 years after his sister’s disappearance from the museum, Dr. Simon Nealy has returned to the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History as its Curator. His stated goal is to reinvigorate the museum with the unveiling of its first predator skeleton; his hidden mission is to uncover the truth of his sister’s disappearance. But the Hawthorne holds more secrets than Simon expected. Scratches and shrieks, massive bloody footprints, and eyes glowing in the darkness are just the beginning. Soon Simon realizes there may be more than one mystery to solve.
This had such promise, y’all. Murder, mystery, and ghost dinosaurs?! Unfortunately just like my first read this month, The Paleontologist suffers by trying to do too much. I appreciate the plot devices Dumas used to draw parallels between the past and present mysteries, but felt like I was reading pieces of two separate novels. The “whodunit” seemed forced, like Dumas was trying to reconnect to the main story but not doing a great job. And the stuff I was most interested in — have I mentioned ghost dinosaurs? — didn’t get the focus I was hoping for and eventually fizzled without a real resolution. Plus there were some “white dude privilege guilt” moments that felt super out of place in a book that was already doing too much. This would have been a 3-star read, but the last few chapters ruined it for me.
Give this a try if you like scary dinosaurs and don’t mind a muddled storytelling experience.
Autumn (Seasonal Quartet #1)
Ali Smith
Book club
“Language is like poppies. It just takes something to churn the earth round them up, and when it does up come the sleeping words, bright red, fresh, blowing about.”
No one in Elisabeth’s family understands why she spends so much time with Daniel; if a nonagenarian isn’t the most spry of company at the best of times, one in a coma is even less so. But with the country on edge just after the Brexit referendum, Elisabeth is happy to spend time with her old friend, reading and remembering their conversations. This story explores love and life in its many forms as the winds of Autumn begin to blow.
My book club selected this as one of their October reads in hopes of getting some cozy fall vibes (along with A House with Good Bones because we wanted to be spooked too). If I’d known it was written in the stream-of-consciousness style, I would have been more hesitant to pick it up. But I didn’t, so I did, and probably ended up skipping about half of the story — such as it is. There’s no real plot or character development, and I had a difficult time staying engaged. The prose is evocative and lovely, but there’s only so much rambling I can take before I start wondering if the author might just think a little too highly of their writing and message.
I’m glad I (mostly) finished this because it was interesting to talk about with book club, but I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it, and I won’t be picking up the rest of the series.
The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1)
Robert Jackson Bennett
“What a tool cynicism is to the corrupt, claiming the whole of the creation is broken and fraudulent, and thus we are all excused to indulge in whatever sins we wish—for what’s a little more unfairness, in this unfair world?”
When a high-ranking military official is found dead with a full-grown tree sprouted from his chest, it is up to Dinios Kol to inspect the body and the scene. Dinos is an engraver, his memory magically enhanced so that he forgets nothing. Which comes in handy, because his boss — investigator Ana Dolabra — relies on him to be her eyes and ears. Their investigation takes them to the edge of the Empire…and into the sights of those who will do anything to prevent them from discovering the truth.
After half a month of mediocre reads, The Tainted Cup was just what I needed. Who wouldn’t want to read about a world whose magic system involves enhancing people’s memories and bodies in specific and unique ways, and whose boundaries are protected by huge walls and weapons to keep out literal leviathans? Ana and Dinios are wonderful characters, each with their own secrets, and the mystery itself kept me up past my bedtime. The next book, A Drop of Corruption, won’t be published until 2025. In the meantime I’m planning to check out Bennett’s other series, The Divine Cities and The Founders Trilogy.
If you found Babel disappointing (like I did), The Tainted Cup may be just what you’re looking for. Read it if you like excellent fantasy world building, complex and intriguing magic systems, and Sherlock-and-Watson vibes.
Of Manners and Murder (A Dear Miss Hermione Mystery #1)
Anastasia Hastings
“What good did it do me when the men I met took two minutes to consider my financial prospects (limited), my inclination to speak my mind (unlimited), and my height (honestly, I believe they found it intimidating) and instantly decided to look elsewhere for companionship?”
The last thing Violet imagined when her aunt goes out of town is that she would also be in charge of writing as Miss Hermione, London’s famous dispenser of advice to Society women. That is, until one of the women who writes to her winds up dead. This turn of events leads Violet again and again to Willingdale, a quiet English village where everyone is hiding secrets. She must rely on her wits and a clandestine diary to unmask the killer — before it’s too late.
Will this book win a Pulitzer? No. Is Violet’s younger sister the dumbest and most annoying person in the world (especially in audio form)? I’d say she’s a contender. I’m a sucker for strong female leads like Violet, particularly in settings where she flummoxes society by having a brain. This would have been a 4-star read for me if it hadn’t been quite so predictable, and if the last few chapters weren’t quite so obvious a setup for the next book in the series. But it was interesting and fun so I enjoyed the experience.
Add this to your TBR if you like Victorian period pieces, strong heroines, and prefer your murder stories genteel rather than gory.
The Last House on Needless Street
Catriona Ward
“How many times can someone bend before they break forever? You have to take care, dealing with broken things; sometimes they give way, and break others in their turn.”
The house at the end of the street has been boarded up for years. Ted used to live there with his parents, but now it’s just him and his cat. He ignores the gaps in his memory by filling them with booze and bad television. But the arrival of a new neighbor threatens the secrets he’s desperate to hide. “The truth will out,” as the saying goes — but are some truths better left buried?
Have you seen clips from Antiques Roadshow where someone is struck dumb when they learn that the random thing that’s been sitting in their attic is actually a priceless treasure? That’s how I feel about The House on Needless Street. I picked it up on sale and the premise was intriguing; I had no idea how bananapants insane a ride it was going to take me on. Catriona Ward has crafted a nearly perfect book that kept me guessing and gasping until the very last page. I gobbled it down in a single evening, staying up two hours past my bedtime because I needed to know the ending. The story was heartbreaking, terrifying, and totally unexpected. Definitely check out the afterward, just wait until you’ve finished so you don’t spoil this spellbinding read.
Pick this up if you love mysteries but want something totally unpredictable that will have you wound up tight as a spring — and pay close attention to trigger warnings.
Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash
