The Girl in the Glass: A McCabe and Savage Thriller

written by James Hayman
reviewed from e-reader

 A naked girl lies at the bottom of a cliff on rocks; crows are circling overhead, is she alive? Possibly, but where is she? Who is watching her? How did she get here?

Yet, here we have the same scenario with different possibilities and yet the same face... is it really so many decades or years later? Or is the timeline reality? This book is sure to take many dark twists and turns in the hands of James Hayman. Even the title is a trick of the eye and must be glimpsed quickly.

The author has given us a conundrum, or has he? Something just doesn't compute and yet.... It's graduation, the elite members of family at the university are all on hand for their graduates and valedictorian to go through the process and the altruistic speeches. Two sisters sharing their day, but not really together. Has the green-eyed dragon of jealousy lifted his head?

The second body is found by a hospital intern when his dog obviously has picked up a scent, causing what is almost a humor break within the seriousness of the crime. Something totally unexpected which is bound to cause problems in solving the case! Crows and dogs, what else could mess up the crime scene?

These two crimes, so very close to identical but over a century apart, one wonders what ties them, if anything. Both girls were alive when discovered, but died before police arrived. Both suffered identical injuries. This is a very unique thriller, two cases, one definitely a very cold case. It's enough to make one think of ghosts or vampires, except that both are dead. I was really deep into the story line as I read. Thrilling, convoluted, brilliant and fit for a movie, at least that's how it played out in my mind as I read. Expect the unexpected. A book that cries out for an all-night read, no stopping.

The Long Way Home by Louise Penny

  

Published by Minotaur Books

When Louise Penny writes a book, I always find it comforting. This may seem a strange word to use in light of the fact that her novels feature Chief Inspector Gamache and therefore feature a crime of some sort; murder, loss, injury, death. The author paints a picture as clearly as if she has been the artist. The fact that this book in particular features art does not detract from her word pictures. The Long Way Home is the 10th Inspector Gamache book with more to come.

At this time of his life, Armand Gamache is recovering from severe injuries to body and mind, as is his son-in-law and former deputy Jean-Guy. Both are no longer working for the Sûreté du Québec, but duty calls to them regardless. Armand Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie have found the perfect healing village of Three Pines, bi-lingual and calming, they purchased their home there a few years ago. This very small village might more easily be referred to as a neighbourhood, so close and welcoming the residents are. One would think that crime would never attempt to touch such a place, but no place is devoid of such things. But has a crime actually been committed? That is the question. Clara, what some might call a spontaneous artist, slapping paint on canvas with happy abandonment, is worried. She asked her husband to leave for one year and it is now past the time he should have returned. They are both artists, but with entirely different methodology. Why has he not come home? Is he dead or alive?

This book takes us inside the minds of several people, as most if not all the books in this series do. Louise Penny treats her creations as individuals she knows personally and that is what makes her books so comforting yet brilliant. We know these people. They are complete, flawed, righteous, giving, loving, supportive, in other words, they are Everyone in Anytown. As this story takes us through the growing pains of art and love, new discoveries about the population of these people are made. I love a book that teaches me something new, and this one teaches me a lot about art and its connection to heart and soul. It teaches me how to see into a painting.

Why can this group of friends not find Peter? It's almost as though he has stepped into a painting and disappeared. Yet, they are able to track his journey, but where will it take them in the end and what will they find? Clara, his wife, is sure she will find him but even the former Chief Inspector has little idea where and how to look. The journey takes this odd bunch of friends halfway 'round the globe and back. Though their journey has been extensive, it has been fruitful in an unusual way. Sometimes insight comes from surprising places. As some pieces fit together others fall apart. I loved this book for its depth of perception, its humour, its colour, its mystery, the many surprises, and the opportunity to get to know these characters and their village.

Monet's Palette by Jean Sheldon

 Published by Bast Press

This was a wonderful read! Even without the mystery, sleuthing and unique manner of deaths and attempted murders, I was fascinated by what I learned about oil paintings, by newbies and the old masters alike ... how paints were made, detecting forgeries, techniques, styles and more. Jean Sheldon's research into all types of subjects never fails to amaze me.

On the other hand, the crimes committed and how they were carried out are compelling and complicated. It seems like what could be described as a relatively straightforward mystery becomes a full-blown investigation that takes many twists and turns. Rayna Hunt, a somewhat uncomplicated individual, a brilliant artist who is thwarted by a horrific injury to her hand is the main character. Once she overcomes her frustration, fear, and depression, and finally embraces the use of a prosthesis, she trains to paint again, her character blossoms and she takes on teaching painting. Her class of seniors and troubled teens become the family she misses, with her daughter living in New Mexico. Rayna still has issues with self-esteem though and a very patient Paul, director of the Stratford Art Museum, waits in hope of a return to the relationship they had prior to her accident.

The characterizations in this book are so much fun yet realistic. The unity built between the seniors and the teens is wonderful to watch and they soon become a team with the purpose of keeping Rayna safe when she unknowingly becomes a target while embroiled in a police investigation. As an expert at discovering forgeries, her life is seriously threatened but who is responsible? Is it her beloved friend Paul? Why is she a suspect? How did so many paintings get switched in several different museums? It's not as though you could carry one in under your arm and replace the original hanging on the wall.

I am quickly becoming a huge fan of this author who can write such good mysteries in so many different styles. With several people involved in the crimes, the detective Diane Parker, Rayna and her art class involved in trying to solve the crimes, this book is a great balance of friendship and criminals. Fun and sometimes grisly at the same time. As the only member of my own family who can't even draw, I thoroughly enjoyed my romp in the art world. With Jean Sheldon's ability to bring a feeling of comfort in the midst of chaos, I loved this book.

Bader Field by Carl David

Reviewed for Review The Book
Published by Nightengale Press

This book is biographical although that is not its main purpose. First and foremost, it is a plea to young people primarily, but to anyone, that suicide is not an answer to anyone. With the premature death of his older brother, with whom the author has had an exceptionally close relationship, much of the early part of the book gives an insider look at how this death touches and affects everyone who ever knew him. Bruce had everything to live for to the eye of all beholders, but he failed to let anyone into his inner struggles, whatever they may have been.

Too many who are on the edge of this precipice feel that they cannot burden their families and friends with their existence rather than talking to someone, anyone, no matter how large or small the perceived straw that would break them. They must learn to realize that there will be far more of a burden, and blaming of selves, than could ever crush those same people by sharing their feelings, deeds, or whatever overwhelms them.

The book actually begins with the death of Sam David, Carl's father, which takes us on the journey of memories and hence to the suicide of Bruce as an integral part of the memories. Carl David, through his memories, wounds, and lifelong struggle with "why" and "is it my fault?" demonstrates how much of a burden is placed on those who knew and loved Bruce. Though few families seem to share the closeness and love of the David family, the suicide did happen.  But this is not a sad book, it is meaningful, historical, and brings to mind an age gone by as Carl takes the reader through his memories from the 1950s on. Great memories of days gone by he shared with Bruce, memories of growing up with an amazing bond with his father, a lifetime of good memories.

The sudden death of his father at the age of 58, while on a buying trip in England, once again throws the family in turmoil. This event, as fraught with sorrow and  blame as the death of Bruce, almost puts his mother over the edge, adding to the anxiety. But this also brings a wealth of memories, although always with that sadness that clings. By this time, Carl has been married less than a year. Some people would call it paranormal, others would call it echoes, or a passing thought, but a feeling of the presence of the two departed makes itself known many times, a feeling of connection, and sometimes a warning.

Aside from the fears of mortality and loss, the book is full of the love, and the closeness this family has.  There is a bit of history of how the David David  Gallery, and the gallery is another theme throughout the book. This is where Carl learned the art business, along with his older brother Alan. When their father died so suddenly of a heart attack, the two brothers took over the Gallery.  When Carl's boys were old enough to show interest in the workings of the business, they, too, were eventually running the family business.

Another theme throughout the book is flying. Sam David was an excellent pilot and had his own Aztec plane, teaching the teen-aged Carl how to fly. Carl's memories flow on the hours spent with his Pop in the air. Carl lost his interest in flying when his father died, but after many years of not realizing how much time he spent trying to be like his father to keep his memory alive, he and his wife instead took to boating. This was probably the most major event to change the direction of his dwelling on the past. No longer did he dwell, but enjoyed the memories for what they were.

This book is a testament to handling whatever is thrown at you; not only that, but how to sort out the good from the tragic, incorporate those memories and go on. Carl chose to write the memories as a way for his sons to know their grandfather, who and what he was and the gentle, all-encompassing love and compassion he represented. This is perhaps his greatest gift.

Note: The David David Gallery is still in existence, and some of the works of art that Carl speaks of in his book can be seen on their website and Carl's

Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman

Review based on Advance Reading Copy

A fairytale within a fairytale.  This book was a wonderful surprise to me. The inner fairytale took me back to my childhood, but it did not leave me there once the outer fairytale began.  The Rosenthals had been a very close and loving family, but after the sudden death of her husband Jude, Meg discovers an alarming amount of debt that she will be unable to deal with in present circumstances.  Their teenage daughter Sally is not dealing with the loss of her father well, which is creating a rift between herself and her mother.

Meg is a folklorist and has entertained her daughter with some of her favourite fairytales as she grew up.  In particular, she has followed and studied fairy tales written and illustrated by two women who created a school of fine arts. The school was originally opened in Arcadia Falls to women only at a time when women were expected to marry, have children and stay home.  Meg is thrilled when she is hired to teach at Arcadia, now a co-ed boarding school a few miles from the town of Arcadia Falls. As isolated as the school is, it is here that she feels Sally will finally begin to heal.

Carol Goodman has a wonderful descriptive flow in her writing.  The story of "The Changeling Girl", a favourite tale of both Meg's and Sally's, was written in this location.  On their arrival, they see many parts of that fairy tale in the surroundings, in particular the copper beech tree, central to "The Changeling Girl" tale. Thus begins a new chapter in their lives which quickly takes on the flavor and nuances of a new fairy tale, or perhaps better said, an entwined tale of past and present.  Upon arrival at the school, the reader feels a sudden shift of reality.  Meg has been offered free use of the very cottage the original story-tellers had lived in, but Sally has chosen the dorm, leaving her mother to live in the cottage alone.

In flowing prose, Ms. Goodman has written side by side the original story and the current happenings at the school in parallels. It doesn't take long for Meg to realize that the atmosphere is heavy with strange events and a feeling of evil lurking in the background. There are many secrets, pagan holidays are celebrated by the students and  the woods are said to be haunted by the ghost of Lily, the original partner, who died in a fall... or was she murdered?  Her death left Vera, her partner, devastated.  A brilliant setting for fairy tales and an enjoyable read.  This is a winner, and is the seventh novel by Carol Goodman.  From the description of her previous book, "The Lake of Dead Languages", I will definitely want to read it too. 4 ½ stars.

A Hotel in Paris: a Minola Grey Mystery by Margot Justes

Originally reviewed for Front Page Reviews

Margot Justes’ debut is a lovely light read but a consuming read. I’m happy to learn this is the first of a series. I don’t have anything negative to say about this book. I enjoyed it right through from beginning to end. It opens with a murder on page one, and the story becomes a delightfully interwoven mystery and romance. The main character, Minola, is a passionate innocent, an artist of great talent and the story is told with detail only an artist would see. Although not mentioned in her bio, Margot Justes must be an artist, or at the very least has the eye of an artist or photographer, one thing is certain she has an eye for detail that brings everything to life and colour. I do not mean by this that the book is overloaded with detail, it is all very much a part of the flow. The detail is essential to the story, and also gives the reader the feeling they are involved somehow.

The romance flows through the book weaving in and out of the murder investigation, one genre playing out smoothly with the second genre. A fascinating blend and dealt with a light touch. As first in a proposed series (the second book is in progress), there are some well established characters, building from their early entry in the book to the final page. Other lesser characters add colour and interest to the story. The character of Minola is someone I would enjoy a cup of coffee with, and I would love to visit an art gallery with her. You can not help but feel attached to her and she seems to attract people with her personality and conviction. Peter, the Chief Inspector from Interpol, must consider Minola as a suspect, but also a witness as the person who was first on the scene of the murder. He must learn patience in his meetings with her and also learn to believe a person can be totally honest, not a trait he is used to. He is working on the case with the French police solely because the murder victim was already being investigated by Interpol for his international financial affairs.

I will be watching for the next episode in this series and look forward to it with pleasure. Thanks to Margot for an entertaining and suspenseful book. I recommend this book for its flow, research, interesting characters and a story that builds from start to finish.