The Long Way Home by Louise Penny

First Sentence:  As Clara Morrow approached, she wondered if he’d repeat the same small gesture he’d done every morning.     

      

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has retired and moved, with his wife Reine-Marie, to the village of Three Pines.  There he is seeking peace and recovery from recent events.  However, he can’t ignore the plea from one of his neighbors and friends.  Clara and her husband Peter decided to separate for one year.  That year has now passed, but Peter has neither returned nor contacted Clara.  The search for Peter sends Gamache, his former second-in-command, Jean-Guy, and other residents, to Montreal and into isolated regions of Quebec.

      

From the very first, we are as intrigued by the actions of one of the characters as are other characters in the story.  We, too, want an explanation.  At the same time, we are brought into the beauty and seeming tranquility of the Village of Three Pines…”The village had the rhythm, the cadence, of a piece of music.  Perhaps that’s what Henri heard. The music of Three Pines.  It was like a hum, a hymn, a comforting ritual.”           

      

The reader learns of the characters through their personalities, rather than their backstories. It is particularly clear how close are Gamache and Reine-Marie, and how solid is their marriage. 

      

One of the many wonderful things about Penny’s writing is that she makes you stop and think, even when it’s a simple phrase easily passed over; ”Surprised by joy.”  There are so many small truths in Penny’s writing; lines and passages that make you stop, think and read again and again.  They don’t interrupt the flow of the story, but enhance it and cause one to savour it.  Yet only Penny could so effectively use a German Shepherd as a vehicle to convey loss and healing.  She puts emotions into words.  And then, she throws you a plot twist.

      

Penny’s descriptions are so evocative, one can not only envision the scene, place or object, but you yearn to physically be there.  She takes you places you’ve never been and of which you’ve never heard.  This is a story that makes you want to travel; to see and experience places for yourself.  But, at the very least, you find yourself running to the internet.

      

The characters are wonderful.  They are people you want to know; what to have as friends and neighbors.  You find yourself both wanting to know these people and, in some cases, wanting to be them.  The dialogue is so well done, with an easy, natural flow and, occasionally, delightful humour.

      

Ms. Penny is an intelligent author who includes poetry, literature, art, mythology and psychology into the story, yet she doesn’t, in any way, write above her readers or seek to demean them.

To say “The Long Way Home” is an excellent book is almost an understatement.  The book certainly has all the elements of a mystery are there, including a plot which is unusual in its structure, but it is also so much more than that that.  It is a journey that keeps drawing us down the road.

If you've not read any of the books in this series, please do start at the beginning with "Still Life."  It is hard for me to restrain myself when talking about the quality of Ms. Penny's writing.  She is an author whose work will stand the test of time.

THE LONG WAY HOME (Trad Mys-Armand Gamache-Canada-Contemp) – Ex

Penny, Louise – 10^th in series

Minotaur Books, 2014

The Rest is Silence by James R. Benn

First Sentence:  I knew I was in trouble when the corner wheeled in the body, encased in a rubber sack, on a wobbly gurney with one wheel that wanted to go in any direction but straight.

      

It is April 1944; plans for D-Day have been made and the different branches of service and nationalities of military are rehearsing for the critical day.  However, an unidentified body has washed up on Slapton Sands, the beach replicating the landing site of Normandy Beach.  General Eisenhower sends Captain Billy Boyle and his partner, Lt. Kaz Kazimierz to investigate.

      

There are few authors whose voice is such that you aren’t so much reading a story but make you feel as though it is personally being told to you.  Benn has just such a voice.  Add to that his wonderful descriptions…”…Whitewashed stone cottages with thatched roofs sat close to the road, stark and bright beneath the slanting rays of the morning sun.  A pub, a couple of shops, and then we were back in the midst of green fields.” and you become part of the story.

      

Billy is a great character and one whose history and backstory you learn as a material part of the story.  The author does not assume readers have read previous books in the series, but those who have won’t find it something which slows down the pace of the story.

      

Although one appreciates the author including an actual historical even within the plot, what happened in this instance was horrible beyond words.  However, Benn is very good at conveying the magnitude of the tragedy without needing to include graphic details.  

      

Benn writes excellent, and occasionally poignant, dialogue…””Are you sure?” Kaz said,” t could be dangerous.  This man has killed before.”  “So have I, Piotr,” David said. “I have sent men crashing down from the sky in a ball of fire. I am the very fact of death.”  And yet, Benn’s wry humor does, occasionally, shine through…”Captain Boyle, although we are an informal household, that does not mean I make it a practice to socialize with staff.  It simply isn’t done, not in England.  Is it commonplace wherever you come from?”  “That would be Boston, ma’am, and I guess not.”  “Ah, Boston.  And there I thought you had a speech impediment….”

      

Benn’s character take life under his deft hand—not only Billy and Kaz, but David, the severely wounded pilot; Sir Rupert and Edgar, members of the family at whose house Billy and Kaz are staying, and Peter Wiley, the possible by-blow of Sir Rupert.  All this matters as herein lies the mystery within the mystery.  Benn also does an excellent job of incorporating real historical characters--Yogi Berra and Agatha Christie, including a wonderful scene of Billy discussing the situation with her—who are employed in an historically accurate manner.  He also, sadly, does an excellent job of conveying the staggeringly tragic results of a breakdown in communication. 

      

“The Rest is Silence” is an excellent book, albeit painful to read at times.  Please don’t let that stop you from getting to know this book and series.  Not only are they great mysteries with wonderful characters, but good history lessons as well. 

THE REST IS SILENCE (Hist Mys-Cpt. Billy Boyle-England-1944) – Ex

Benn, James R. – 9^th in series

Soho Crime, 2014

A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths

First Sentence: At first he isn’t even scared.         

Forensic archeologist Ruth Galloway is shocked to learn that a friend has died in a house fire. Things take on an eerie quality when she receives a letter from him, written days before he died. He talks about an historic archeological discovery but also that he is afraid. With her daughter Katy and Druid friend Cathbad, Kate heads north to Lancashire. What she doesn’t plan on is that DCI Nelson, father to Katy, will also be there, in his former hometown, with his wife and family.       

If a completely compelling, albeit somewhat horrific, hook is what captures your attention; you can’t do better than here. Griffiths immediately draws you into the story and makes you want to keep reading by making each chapter more intriguing than the last. This is not a book you’ll put down.     

Griffiths is very good at creating complicated relationships wherein you have sympathy for each of the characters involved. That takes real skill, and she has it. She also introduces characters very well and If you’ve read previous books, you become reacquainted; if you’re new to the series, you never feel lost wondering who they are and how they fit together. Sadly, not all authors are good at this. There are the favorites, of course; Ruth and Cathbad in particular. Children can be awkward, yet Katy is neither precocious nor annoying, but very realistic. One of the most appealing new characters is Sandy, Nelson’s friend and fellow DCI.       

The atmosphere and tension created are excellent. The history related to the story is fascinating. I’ve always been a fan of Griffiths’ ear for dialogue and her occasional subtle humor.      

“A Dying Fall” is a book which broad appeal as it works on so many levels. It may just be my favorite or second favorite, book in this series so far. What most pleases me is to know that there will be more books coming.

 

A DYING FALL (Trad. Myst-Ruth Galloway-England-Contemp) – VG+
Griffiths, Elly – 5th in series
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013

The Golden Mile to Murder by Sally Spencer (aka Alan Rustage)

First Sentence:  Behind them shone the bright lights of Blackpool, ahead of them lay the darkness of the Irish Sea.

DCI Charlie Woodend is out of Scotland Yard and banished by his new boss, SD Ainsworth to Blackpool—without his right arm, Bob Rutter, to investigate the murder of a Blackpool policeman.  There, he is assigned DS Monika Paniatowski, who has issues of her own, not the least of which is being the first female sergeant in Blackpool.  They are also up against a squad determined to prevent Woodend from finding out too much.

      

The book opens with a classic scene of a young couple at the beach, but the scene has a very non-classic ending.  At the end of the first chapter, there’s no question that you’ll go on to read the rest.

      

Spencer provides wonderful descriptions of Woodend’s return to the town in which he grew up and that feeling of both familiarity and foreignness one can have…”So perhaps you never really could go back, he thought—because back wasn’t there any longer.”

      

The best description of Woodend is given by an officer who’d worked with him previously…”You don’t really know the meaning of the term “bloody-minded” until you’ve worked the Cloggin’-it Charlie.  He’s stubborn, unreasonable, relentless, and possibly the best policeman it’s ever been my privilege to work with.”  He is also a fan of Dickens, hard, but fair and, it turns out, a very good team leader and boss to the young, female, D.S.  Monika’s background is very much incorporated into the story.  Spencer’s representation of a woman who has experienced that which Monika has done, is painfully accurate. 

      

Spencer’s descriptions can be delightful, particularly that of Woodend’s landlady…”She was a real dragon, Woodend thought admiringly. If Saint George had had to face a creature like Mrs. Bowyer in this quest to free the maiden, he would have abandoned the girl to her fate and gone off in search of the nearest pub.” He also provide an excellent sense of time by including references to books, television shows—Bonanza--and movies—The Guns of Navarone—of the time.

     

“TheGolden Mile to Murder” is an excellent mystery that is so well plotted.  Not only did I not identify the killer, but the epilogue provides a wonderful “WOW” moment.

THE GOLDEN MILE TO MURDER (Pol Proc-DCI Charlie Woodend-Blackpool, England-1960s/Contemp) - Ex

Sally Spencer (aka Alan Rustage) – 5^th in series

Severn House, 2001

Silent Voices by Ann Cleeves

First Sentence:  Vera swam slowly.

      

It’s not every day a police inspector finds a dead body sharing a sauna with her in a hotel health club, especially when that body is of a murder victim.  Vera and her team work to find a killer in a village filled with people, and their secrets.

     

 From the very first paragraph, one is caught up in the author’s voice; her dry humor and the character.  By the end of the first chapter, on is also caught up in the story.

      

There is so much one could say about the characters, particularly Vera.  How nice it is to have a female protagonist such as Vera. She’s a mature woman, overweight and unconcerned about her appearance—except, not totally unconcerned.  She does care about being fair to her team, knows what motivates each of them, and is a very good leader; even though she drives them hard.  She’s respected by her colleagues, even when they frustrate her.  The relationship she has with Joe, her sergeant, is an interesting one…”Sometimes Vera though he represented her feminine side.  He had the empathy, she had the muscle.  Well, the bulk.”  Even with the suspects, she doesn’t just investigate clues, but motivations; what makes people do what they do, what drives them.
     

Cleeves has a very interesting style.  Although the story is told in 3^rd person, when she focuses on Vera, it switches somewhat to first person as we gain insight on her life and character through an internal monologue and her observations…”These days, people expected senior female officers to walk straight out of “Prime Suspect.”
     

There is a very strong sense of place and wonderful descriptions.  Particularly appealing is the contrast between the town and the desolation of Vera’s home.  It’s very much part of her character.

      

Although the story is character driven, it certainly doesn’t lack for plot or suspense.  We’re given plenty of characters with motives, nice red herrings and plot twists.  “Vera” is currently a television series done by British ITV, and very well done it is.  The only way I knew the villain in the book was having seen the episode.  Otherwise, it really wasn’t obvious.

      

“SilentVoices” is a thoroughly engrossing read.  It’s not a book you’ll put down and come back to later.  Cleeves is a wonderful author who should be much better known to American readers.

SILENT VOICES (Pol. Proc-Det. Insp. Vera Stanhope-England-Contemp) – VG+

Cleeves, Ann – 1^st in series

A Thomas Dunne Book for Minotaur Books, 2011