Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

First Sentence:  Marsh is not swamp.

Kya Clark, aka Marsh Girl, virtually raised herself.  Her ability to watch and learn, and to depend on her North Carolina marsh allowed her to survive. When the handsome son of a prominent family is found dead, Kya is accused of his murder.  But was it an accident? Did she kill him?  Only with the help of others might Kya survive this, too.

      

An author who paints pictures with words is one to be savored.  Owens does just that and does it beautifully.  There is a strong, lyrical quality to the writing—"Kya laid her hand upon the breathing, wet earth, and the marsh became her mother."

      

The author does employ devices one may find annoying: multiple POVs and time fluctuations. Give it a chance, however. Before long, one may find oneself thoroughly captivated and willing to overlook those things.  Instead, one becomes immersed in a wonderful story filled with interesting characters, a setting which engages all the senses and emotions, and a desire for some real Southern cooking—"The aroma of sausage and biscuits, boiled turnip greens, and fried chicken thankfully overtook the high smell of fish barrels lining the dock. … Behind the counter, owner-cook Jim Bo Sweeny darted from flipping crab cakes on the griddle to stirring a pot of creamed corn on the burner to poking chicken thighs in the deep fryer…"

      

Owens' descriptions are magnetic. She knows how to engage the reader—"There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot."  It is not all description.  The author creates interesting, strong secondary characters, including Jumpin', his wife Mabel, and particularly Tate—"His dad had told him many times that the definition of a real man is one who cries without shame, reads poetry with his heart, feels opera in his soul, and does what's necessary to defend a woman." One also learns the meaning of the title, and celebrate Kya's successes—"I wadn't aware that words could hold so much.  I didn't know a sentence could be so full."  Wouldn't one love to remember when one had made that discovery?

      

Although there is a slight sense of fantasy about the plot, one can't help but be entranced by Kya's strength, courage, and perseverance—"I have to do life alone.  But I knew this."  But it's not all misty light.  Owen's takes us into Kya's feelings of being confined and through the trial, which was well done. 

      

The book isn't perfect.  The actions of one character don't always ring true and one may start to feel a bit manipulated. However, there is no question but that one's emotions become completely engaged to the point of possibly shedding tears at the finale; not a sad cry, but a lovely-ending cry.

      
"Where the Crawdads Sing" is a very good book.  It may not be the best book ever written or that one has ever read, but it is one of those rare books which will stay with one a long time. It will be interesting to see what Owen's writes next.

WHERE THE CRAWDAD SINGS (Myst/Novel-Kya-North Carolina-Contemp) – VG

      Owens, Delia – 1^st book

      G.P. Putnam's Sons – Aug 2018

A Better Man by Louise Penny

First Sentence: "Merde."

      

Inspector Armand Gamache may be bruised by the events of the past, but he is not beaten.  He may no longer have the authority he once did, as evidenced by those in charge ignoring his recommendation to keep citizens safe from the rising river waters due to torrential rains, but he still has the respect of the team who once reported to him, and of his son-in-law and temporary superior, Jean-Guy Beauvoir.  A fellow officer is concerned about the disappearance of her close friend's daughter who, she suspects, is in an abusive relationship.  Being assigned to lead the investigation brings Armand into the triple dangers of an angry man, his father-in-law, and nature.

      

Let's get this out of the way; the book begins with profanity.  However, considering the situation for both artist Clara, whose career is at a crossroads, and the team in the Serious Crimes Unit, it is well justified and nothing more than most of us have said.

      

Whether it's a bistro in Three Pines, a conference room in the Sûreté du Québec, or standing by a raging river, Penny draws one in and makes one feel present in the environment and in the community of people associated with each. Even for those who may be discovering Penny with this book, her writing, and inclusion of just enough back story, makes one feel welcome and up to date with the people and situations.

      

Penny's descriptions aren't merely visual, they are emotional and anthropomorphic—"The waters were rising up, not in protest but in revenge."  Yet in the midst of danger, there is humor such as that inspired by an old dog—"'Your dog shook,' explained Beauvoir.  'Oh, dear.' 'Yes.  That's pretty much what I said as I washed myself off and scraped down my desk.  Gosh, I said, Bit of a mess.' His eyes widened in a crazed look, and Lacoste laughed."--and Gamache's complete inability to understand anything said by Billy Williams with his thick, regional accent.  For those who live in areas affected by natural disasters, it is poignant to see the characters contemplate what things they'd take were they being evacuated and faced with the loss of everything else they own.

      

While the plot is strong, compelling and deals with difficult issues, it is the characters which keep readers engaged. None of Penny's characters are stereotypical or unimportant.  Each is fully developed and complex.  Each has a purpose in the story. Gamache is the depiction of a person one should aspire to be.  Through him, Penny gifts the reader with the four statements that lead one to wisdom—"I was wrong. I'm sorry. I don't know. I need help."--and the admonition of poet Seamus Heaney Noli timere, "Be not afraid."  However, it is somewhat reassuring that even the best people have weaknesses. 

      

Circumstances, pain, grace and self-awareness have matured Jean-Guy. His relationship with Gamache is complex, deep and abiding, one which has survived many conflicts and internal struggles.  What is interesting is that Penny uses the character of Billy as the eyes to see the true strength of the relationship, understanding, and love that Gamache has for Jean-Guy.  It is also the communities of Three Pines and of the team at the Sûreté which demonstrate the solidity of the wider circle. 

      

There is wisdom to be found within the story—"Before speaking…you might want to ask yourself three questions…Is it true? Is it kind? Does it need to be said?"--followed by a very human reaction to fear—"Don't pee, don't pee, don't pee."  There is also well-done forensic information which is interesting and informative. However, there is also a very good plot twist and a very dramatic climax.

        

The book is a mystery and a very good one.  One may not figure out what had happened until the reveal.  And there's suspense and twists which cause one to catch one's breath.  But as always with Penny's books, it is about the characters; about relationships; strong, toxic, messy, or just forming.  It is about compassion and conscience, growth and change.  It is about us; we complicated humans. Penny's ability to describe emotions is unmatched.

      
"A Better Man" is an excellent book in an outstanding series.  It presents one with a lot of here, here.  There is suspense, humor, and things which make one think—"Things are strongest where they are broken." The ending touches the heart and may bring tears to one's eyes.  Most of all, it leaves one wanting to re-read the series from the beginning while wanting the next book right now. 

A BETTER MAN (PolProc-Armand Gamache-Canada-Contemp) - Ex

      Penny, Louise – 15^th in series

      Minotaur Books, Aug 2019

Bark of the Night by David Rosenfelt

First Sentence:  Frank Salvio checked into the hotel under an assumed name, using fake identification.

      

Truman, a healthy French bulldog, was left to be euthanized at the veterinary office where attorney and rescuer Andy Carpenter takes his dog. Truman is chipped, but the man who dropped him off is not his apparent owner. When Andy finds the owner has been murdered, it sets him off on an interstate investigation involving far more than one bulldog.

      

The first thing to know is that, in spite of the cute dog on the cover, this is no cozy.  Dead bodies abound.  The other thing to know is that, in spite of their number, the murders aren't described in gruesome detail.

      

From the very beginning, the case is delightfully twisty, almost a bit too much so.  Rosenfelt engages the reader and ensures one wants to know what happened as much as do the characters, and there are a lot of characters.  This is one time when a cast of characters might have been helpful.

      

It is those on Andy's team, of which there is a good, succinct introduction. who are quirky and enjoyable.  Everyone should have a Marcus in their life—or maybe not.  Most of all, there's Andy.  There's something rather delightful about having a protagonist who is a picky eater, not a crack shot, or a boxing/martial arts expert but is, in fact, a bit inept, and admits it.  Even when he tries to lose at a game, he accidentally wins.

      

Andy's, and Rosenfelt's, expertise is the law.  It is interesting learning how an investigation team goes through a location of interest and it is those details which provide veracity to the plot.  A well-written courtroom scene can provide tension.  What is nice is that he explains the process and legalities along the way and that he writes very good dialogue—"Am I doing down for this?" he asks, the fear evident in his voice.  "You're sitting here in handcuffs, Joey.  You're already down.  We're about to start digging you out."

      

The explanation of what is behind all the deaths is a terrifying one, all the more because of its believability.  The escalation of the plot's timetable makes things exciting and tense.  The only slight complaint might be that after everything which has occurred, the ending seemed too quick and the subsequent actions of the person behind it all seemed unlikely. 

      
"Bark of the Night" has more bodies than some small towns, yet very little actual violence.  No, it's not the best of the series, but Andy Carpenter fans will still find it an enjoyable read as much because the proceeds help support the Tara Foundation.  

BARK OF NIGHT (LegalMys-Andy Carpenter-New Jersey-Contemp) – Good

      Rosenfelt, David – 19^th in series

      Minotaur Books – July 2019

The Truth Behind the Lie by Sara Lövestam

First Sentence:  The rain was so strange the day they took Julia.
      

Kouplan is a young, very young, Iranian refugee who needs to stay in the shadows.  To earn money, he works as a Private Investigator to those who can't involve the police.  Pernilla, a single mother recently split from her husband, desperately seeks Kouplan's help.  Her daughter has disappeared and, for reasons of her own, fears going to the police.  The deeper Kouplan digs into the case, the more he questions whether things are as he has been told.

      

Lövestam has created a very intriguing opening.  Both the protagonist and the client are as mysterious as is the case.  The author does a very good job of making one want to know more about who these characters are.  Due to Kouplan's background, Iranian proverbs are included which injects realism into the character—Cho istadei, daste oftade gir … As long as you are standing, hold out a hand to those who have fallen." There is also interesting imagery—"As she gets up, she's dizzy and the pajamas fall to the floor.  Janus [her dog] picks them up with his teeth and as she stumbles into the kitchen, he follows her. The pajamas hang from his muzzle like a lifeless, extremely thin child."  One can be secure in the knowledge that no animals are harmed in the story.

      

The descriptions of Kouplans' overwhelming fear of being stopped by the police is almost palpable and it makes the story extremely relevant to today also giving it a universality.  One realizes the issue of refugees and their fears are common to many countries. However, though Lövestam, one is given a view of that country contrary to the idyllic version most hold as being true. 

 Though Lövestam, one is given a view of Sweden which is contrary to the idyllic version most hold as being true.  Both characters are forced to live in the shadows due to the restrictions and rules of governments—"It's unreal how he, born in a hot country to parents with double degrees, is now following a mountain of muscle while avoiding the police like a criminal in this October chill of Stockholm."  There is a lot of focus on food--"There is something special about hunger."  But this isn't the food which comes from indulgence, but from knowing real hunger. 

      

The author provides excellent twists and mysterious trails down which we're led, with a clever and "oh, my" turn of events and realization.  This is not what one usually thinks of as "Scandinavian noir," in that it lacks the usual traits related to some of those characters and contains little violence.  Instead, this is very new and different from what most of us have read before.

      

"The Truth Behind the Lie" is a fascinating book of complex, enigmatic characters where no one and nothing is as it seems. 

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE LIE (Myst-Kouplan-Sweden-Contemp) –VG

      Lövestam, Sara

      Minotaur Books, Aug 2019

This Poison Will Remain by Fred Vargas

First Sentence:  Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, sitting on a rock at the quayside, watched the Grimsey fishermen return with their daily catch as they moored their boats and hauled up their nets.

      

Spider bites can kill.  But three elderly men, living in one area, killed by a small reclusive spider seems more than accidental to a member of Inspector Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg's team.  As information is gathered, Adamsberg decides to investigate, a decision that causes a rift within his team.  Running an unauthorized investigation and possibly losing his best friend and right-hand man is a risk, but seeking justice is worth it.

      

What an interesting opening to have the protagonist, the former commissaire of the Paris Serious Crimes Squad, on a quay in Iceland.  Adamsberg's respite doesn't last long before he is called back to his team who knows him well—"Lieutenant Veyrenc…knew that when the commissaire was in charge, the squad was like a tall sailing ship, sometimes with a brisk wind behind it, other times becalmed and its sails drooping, rather than a powerful speedboat churning up torrents of spray." 

     

For those who have read previous books in the series, there is a feeling of coming home.  For those who have not, Vargas conveys the sense of the team members and their loyalty, from the very start.  And what a quirky team it is, filled with affection and respect, right down to the cat and Mathias, a character from her "The Three Evangelists" series.  It's interesting seeing Adamsberg go through the case and the evidence with the team, which adds veracity to the story.  The verbal exchanges often make one smile—"It's called Le Curé de Tours, The Priest of Tours."  "Thank you,' said Estalère warmly…'Still Balzac didn't bust a gut making up the title, did he?'  'Estalère, one doesn't say of Balzac that "he didn't bust a gut".'

      

As an historian and an eukaryotic archaeologist Vargas wrote a definitive work on the bubonic plague, and her knowledge certainly contributes to the story's plot.  There is certainly nothing usual or ordinary about this case to which Adamsberg is attracted, as well as the realism of having the squad working more than the one case.  There are very good twists and an escalation in the depth of the crimes involved and in the tension within the team. Yet it is all the characters, which are the core of the story, including Louise Chevier and Adamsberg's brother, a revelation in his own life, and the return of the imagery of a ship, which keeps us immersed in the story. Vargas plays fair with the reader.  As Adamsberg begins to put the pieces together, so may we.

      

It is very difficult to quantify Vargas' work.  She takes one into the world of the best, most unique police squad one will ever find although some similarities may be made to Christopher Fowler's "Bryant and May" team. 

      
With "This Poison Will Remain," Vargas has created a story filled with delightful imagery, a unique plot, and a truly touching ending.  For those who like the unusual and quirky, reading Vargas can be addictive.   

THIS POISON WILL REMAIN (PolProc-Comm. Adamsberg-France-Contemp) - Ex

      Vargas, Fred (translator, Siân Reynolds) – 7^th in series

      Harvill Secker – Aug 2019

Almost Midnight by Paul Doiron

First Sentence:  I passed the coroner's meat wagon on the way up the hill to the prison.

      

Maine Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch receives a request from inmate Billy Cronk, a former friend he helped imprison for murder. Billy wants him to investigate a new female prison guard who then suffers a brutal attack.  Another call comes from a mountain community where wolf-hybrid Shadow has been shot by a crossbow and is barely clinging to life. The two investigations endanger Mike's life, as well as his loved ones.

      

Doiron has a wonderful voice—"It was one of those New England hamlets with a full graveyard and an empty schoolhouse.  Half a mile from my place, a crumbling old farm had an actual family plot in its front years. No wonder the dump had scared off potential buyers for the past decade."           
      

One thing which would have helped would be for the author to have explained more about the role of the Maine Warden Investigator, but that could be due to this being the 10^th book in the series.  For those interested, there is a good explanation.  That didn't necessarily detract from the plot, but knowing the role provides a bit of clarity.

      

The change of scene from the prison to the situation with the wolf is very effective.  One almost has a sensory reaction to it.  That takes skill, and Doiron has it.

      

What is nice is that this is not the Maine of tourists. This is the Maine of those who live inland, in the parts of the state tourists don't see where life, and the people, can be hard. It's survival country of hunting, fishing, and now, drugs.

      

Doiron characters are strong and interesting, particularly Mike's girlfriend Maine State Trooper Danielle "Dani" Tate, and Alcohol Mary.  He also has a wonderful way of making one truly care about Shadow, the hybrid wolf, and making one feel Mike's emotions.

      

While the plot is exciting, full of twists and danger, it truly is the author's style which keeps one engaged.  Doiron's humor—"Across the room, I could see her children, the four platinum-blond Cronklets, ages five to ten… Someone had tuned the TV station to a financial news network, and the five backwoods ragamuffins were watching it with the intensity of day traders waiting for the next bit earnings report to drop."—is subtle, but it works.  He has an excellent ear for dialogue—"I am required to ask this, Mrs. Gowdie. …I need to know if you own a crossbow."  "Who do you think I am, Maid Fucking Marian?"--, as well as a sense of insight—"When my own heart started to break, I lifted my face to the sky, letting the flakes melt as they landed on warm skin, admitted my own arrogance and ignorance, and surrendered to the mysteries of a universe I knew I would never comprehend."

      

"Almost Midnight" has very good characters and well-done suspense.  Wonderful dialogue, a great turn of phrase, and a nice touch of emotion may make one decide to read the series from the first book, as well as future books to come.

ALMOST MIDNIGHT (WardenInvest-Mike Bowditch-Maine-Contemp) - VG

      Doiron, Paul – 10^th in series

      Minotaur Books – July 2019