A Better Man - Louise Penny

A Better Man is the newly released fifteenth entry in Louise Penny's absolutely wonderful Chief Inspector Gamache series.

A Better Man picks up where the last book left us - Gamache has been removed as Head of the Sûreté du Quebec. The higher ups offered him the position of head of the homicide department, working under his former second in command. They hoped he would not take the position, but he won't give them that satisfaction and takes the job.

The case of a missing woman is the first case that Gamache takes on - as a favour to another agent......and it seems there is indeed more to the case. At the same time, devastating floods are threatening the province. And Gamache is facing harsh criticism online and in house from both the public and co-workers.

Oh, what's not to love about Louise Penny's books. Gamache is one of the most well drawn characters I've ever read. His quiet intelligence, calm manner, strength of character and unerring moral compass have endeared him to me. The challenges he faces in The Better Man had me wondering what the outcome would be.

The supporting (and recurring) cast feel like old friends. Well, mostly. There are those in the Sûreté that have their own agendas. But, I am always happy to reconnect with the residents of the village of Three Pines. The villagers are people you would like to know in real life - even Ruth the poet and her duck. And who wouldn't want to live in this picturesque, off the map village? ( I do!)

Penny's plotting is just as well done. The cases are believable and engaging and take inspiration from current headlines. Judging and sentencing through social media, the reality of flooding in Quebec and the nature of the crime against the missing woman. Nuanced and a joy to read alongside Gamache as he endeavors to solve the whodunit. The question 'how would you feel…' is used more than once as the search for answers continues.

I love the continuity and am very much looking forward to the next entry in this series. There are imminent changes hinted at. I hope they don't transpire, but we shall see. Read an excerpt of A Better Man.

And if you've not read Penny before, do yourself a favour and start with the first book (Still Life).

Hideaway - Nicole Lundrigan

Oh Nicole Lundrigan, you have a frightening imagination! I simply could not put down your latest release, Hideaway! Start to finish on a recent day off.

Gloria is a devoted wife to her husband Telly and mother to her teenaged son Rowan and young daughter Maisy. That's what you would see from the outside looking in. But inside it's a different matter. Gloria's moods swing from high to low with little warning. She either loves her children or 'disappears' them by banishing them to a room or a place and not speaking to them. When Telly leaves Glow for another woman, it tips her over the edge. One night Rowan has had enough and runs into the woods. And there, under a bridge, he meets Carl - a kind man who is battling his own demons - and Rowan decides to stay. And Gloria? I just don't want to say any more and spoil your discovery of the lengths a jilted (and unstable)  woman will go to to get her husband back. (But he too is, as my gran used to say, a piece of work) Yep, this is where things get downright terrifying.......

Lundrigan's character building is so very good. I don't even know how to describe Gloria. She's a master manipulator, devious, cunning and cruel. We see her actions, but don't really get a look at her inner thought processes. Instead we see them - and the aftermath - through the eyes of Rowan and Maisy. And yes, these are heartbreaking to read. It was the 'what is going to happen to Rowan and Maisy ?' that kept me reading for the whole day. Lundrigan takes her story places I couldn't have imagined .The tension was unbearable in parts and I really had to fight myself to not skip to the last chapter to make sure things turned out the way I needed them to.

It seems a little off for me to say how much I enjoyed this book given the darkness it explores. But there are patches of light as well. An easy five stars and one of my most addictive reads this year. See for yourself - here's an excerpt. This was a first read of Lundrigan for me - and it won't be the last.

Cr: AnnaLena Seemann

"Nicole Lundrigan is the author of six critically acclaimed novels, including The Substitute and Glass Boys. Her work has appeared on best of the year selections of The Globe and Mail, Amazon.ca, and Now magazine. She grew up in Newfoundland, and now lives in Toronto." You can connect with Nicole on her website and like her on Facebook.

Someone We Know - Shari Lapena

I read Shari Lapena's first thriller, The Couple Next Door, in 2016 and loved it. I promptly added Lapena to my 'must read' list. Her latest suspense novel is Someone We Know.

Okay, here's the premise - and it's a really good one!

A quiet suburb. A bored teenager who has decided to break into his neighbour's homes and have a look around. Maybe check out what's on their computers, send some emails and see what happens. It might have gone unnoticed had the teenager's mom not left an 'I'm sorry' note at the houses for the break-ins she knows about. Not a good idea at all - there is someone who has a very dark secret in the quiet neighbourhood. And truly, almost every household has secrets they would prefer not to see the light of day.

Great set-up and excellent execution! One action leads to another action and so on, changing the direction of what is going to happen with each new development. (and for many of them, I was mentally yelling no, don't do that!) Lapena kept me guessing - it was impossible to predict what happen next. I quite enjoyed trying to solve the whodunit - yes, there is murderous intent within! And many suspects to choose from.

Suspense and mystery woven together in a very readable, fast paced package. Someone We Know was an excellent read, one I had a hard time putting down. And one that might have you wondering about that neighbour at the end of the street.......read an excerpt of Someone We Know.

This Little Light - Lori Lansens

Lori Lansens is one of my favorite writers. (Rush Home Road will always be near and dear to me) Each of her books has brought something different to the page - and her latest - This Little Light - is no exception

This Little Light is set in the near future - 2023. The most frightening thing about this book? It's happening here and now. Abortion has been re-criminalized, as has birth control, 'Virtue Balls' where a teenage girl pledges chastity with a ring (to her father) are the norm, unwanted babies are being sold. And women are being 'kept in line.' Lansens weaves current issues - women's rights, the have and the have nots in terms of money and resources, religion and politics, immigration and more into this latest novel.

This Little Light is told by sixteen year old Rory Miller. Rory is (reluctantly) at her Purity Ball when a bomb goes off. And she and her best friend are now 'the most famous girls in America.' But for all the wrong reasons. They are being accused of being the bombers - and are now on the run. Through her blog over the course of forty eight hours, we get a bigger picture of what is going on - and who might be pulling strings. Why is she being targeted?

Rory questions the way things are, she's a square peg who refuses to go along with the crowd and accept the edicts being given to women. "I never shut up. I never give up. I ask too many questions I'm a contrarian. So I stared my blog, This Little Light." I loved her, I loved her voice and most of all - her courage in questioning.

Lansens has done a good job of finding the voice of a teenager. The dialogue, interior thoughts and actions all ring true. The stream of consciousness as she posts to her blog draws the reader into the action and tension. I was completely caught up in the who and the why. And as the number of pages left to read grew smaller, I couldn't put it down. What would the ending bring? I must admit - I was caught unawares and was gutted. It's right but wrong.

Bottom line? Couldn't put it down. Another great read from Lori Lansens. Who would like this book? If you like The Handmaid's Tale, pick up This Little Light. Here's an excerpt.

The Ghost Garden - Susan Doherty

Susan Doherty's recently released book, The Ghost Garden, is hands down one of the best non-fiction books I've read. And it is one of my favourite reads of 2019.

I work in the public sector, often waiting on those who have some form of mental illness, some more visible than others. The Ghost Garden has given me a different perspective - more understanding of those living with mental illness as well as those who love and care for them. And a renewed sense of empathy and awareness for carers, families and sufferers.

Susan Doherty has volunteered at the Douglas Institute in Montreal, Canada for over ten years. The Douglas houses those with severe mental illness - psychosis and schizophrenia. She has come to know many of the patients well and has continued those relationships outside the hospital. A childhood friend asked Doherty if she could write the life story of her sister, a woman who has struggled for decades with severe mental illness.

The family gave Doherty full access to their family history, dynamics and struggle to help their sister. And the result is a fascinating, gut-wrenching book that is hard to read, but hard to put down. Interspersed between chapters of Caroline's life are short vignettes of other patients Doherty has come to know. Their stories were all told with their or their family's permission.

"My hope is that this book will help family members and others pinpoint warning signs and thereby, perhaps, be in a position to identify incipient mental illness - thus preventing the harrowing lives experienced by the people I have written about.....And if that lofty goal proves hard to reach, at least I can tear down some of the fences that prevent us from seeing those with schizophrenia as intelligent, productive, engaged, hilarious, beautiful, poetic, insightful, maternal, responsible human beings - and above all, worth of love."

The Ghost Garden is so well written and the subject matter is handled with honesty and compassion. A must read book for everyone in my opinion - have a look- here's an excerpt.

"Susan Doherty is a Montreal writer whose award-winning debut novel, A Secret Music, was published in 2015. She worked on staff for Maclean's, and freelanced for The International Herald Tribune, La Tribune de Genève, and The Independent in London, and for eighteen years ran her own advertising production company. She has served on the boards of the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Quebec Writers' Federation and Nazareth House, a home for those afflicted by addiction and homelessness. Since 2009, she has volunteered at the Douglas Institute, a psychiatric hospital, working with people living with severe mental illness. She is married to the educator Hal Hannaford, and has two children." You can connect with Susan Doherty on her website, and follow her on Twitter.