A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #2) by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache solves more murders while surrounded by the sparkling personalities that compose the small town of Three Pines in Canada.

Nobody likes the victim of the murder, which makes the job harder for Gamache. As a reader, I was cheering for Gamache to solve the crime, but not because of the unlikeable CC de Poiters. She was as different a character from the victim of the first book, Jane, as you could possibly be.

I wonder if Louise Penny’s editors said, ‘Give us another cozy murder, but different.’ Well, she delivered.

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“Anything CC didn’t like didn’t exist. That included her husband and daughter. It included any unpleasantness, any criticism, any harsh words not her own, any emotions. CC lived, Saul knew, in her own world, where she was perfect, where she could hide her feelings and hide her failings. He wondered how long before that world would explode.” pg 11, ebook

Meanwhile, a storm is brewing at Gamache’s headquarters because of fall out from the mysterious Arnot case (which the reader first read about in the last book and finally gets to learn about in this one).

“Only fools underestimated (Gamache), but Brault knew the service was full of fools. Fools with power, fools with guns. The Arnot case had proved that beyond a doubt. And had almost destroyed the large, thoughtful man in front of him.” pg 57, ebook

We are also treated to more background on some of my favorite characters from the last book, Clara and Myrna, plus poetry from the irascible Ruth.

Well, all children are sad
but some get over it.
Count your blessings. Better than that,
buy a hat. Buy a coat or pet.
Take up dancing to forget. pg 39, ebook.

I like that Penny is developing these characters. They’re not just stuck in a time or place, unmoving and stiff. For example, Clara and Peter, her husband, are still fighting, but about different subjects now than from the last book. How very realistic for a married couple.

“When my death us do part
Then shall forgiven and forgiving meet again,
Or will it be, as always was, too late?” pg 61, ebook.

And it’s simply a treat to follow Gamache around and listen to his inner voice. He’s sensitive and kind, smart and intuitive. He also likes good food and drink. It makes him so relatable. He’s one of those characters that I’d like to meet for a drink sometime, if he were real. Or I’d want him in my book club.

“Gamache’s job was to collect the evidence, but also to collect the emotions. And the only way he knew to do that was to get the know the people. To watch and listen. To pay attention. And the best way to do that was in a deceptively casual manner in a deceptively casual setting. Like the bistro.” pg 142, ebook.

The only part of this book that I found a bit off-key was a moment between Gamache and one of the town’s oldest residents, Em. They talk about moments from their past when something inexplicable caused them to behave in a certain way. That conversation comes back to haunt Gamache later in the book, and it almost has an air of magical realism to it.

There’s nothing wrong with magical realism, but I felt like Three Pines and its residents had enough every day magic without resorting to the truly far out there. I’d be curious as to what other readers thought of that moment — I won’t say any more because I don’t want to spoil it. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you get there.

Highly recommended for readers with a hankering for cozy mysteries. Thanks for reading!

The Waking Land by Callie Bates

A fantasy novel about a young woman who was raised away from her home who is destined to become something greater than anyone ever imagined she could be.

There were shades of Irish mythology in this story with magic surrounding standing stones and a midnight ritual about “marrying the land”.

Overall, I just felt like I had read this book before in some form or another. It stuck to so many forms — heroine who doesn’t know her own strength, falls in love with a man who may help her or betray her, trusts everyone she shouldn’t and doesn’t trust everyone she should.

There were so few unexpected moments. Even the big stuff is heavily foreshadowed. Take this passage:

“I can do nothing. I am a botanist, not a sorcerer. Botanists have a place in this world — a respectable place. As the emperor of Paladis likes to remind us, sorcerers are worse than nothing — their impious actions are a mockery of the gods, and their historical conviction that they could rule kingdoms presented a threat to civilization itself, a danger that had to be exterminated.” pg 22

Ok, now guess what is going to happen in this book… you’re probably right. And that blurb is from the first chapter.

I’m on to the next book… and thanks for reading!

Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #1) by Louise Penny

Still Life is a satisfying start to a cozy mystery series. It has a diverse and quirky cast of characters and it kept me guessing as to what was coming next.

“Miss Jane Neal met her maker in the early morning mist of Thanksgiving Sunday. It was pretty much a surprise all around.”pg 6, ebook

The small town of Three Pines, Canada, is the kind of place where people don’t lock their doors. Or, it used to be that way.

Now, one of their kindest citizens is dead and a killer walks among them.

“Her name’s Jane Neal. Aged seventy-six. Never been married. We got this information from Mr. Hadley who says she was the same age as his mother who died a month ago.” pg 29, ebook

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is one of the top of his field. He knows how to listen and he’s a keen observer — of people, of scenes, of everything. He’s a dazzling main character.

“Ruth Zardo, my job is to find out who killed your friend. And I will do that. I will do it in the manner I see fit. I will not be bullied and I will not be treated with disrespect. pg 41

As for the townsfolk, you’ll enjoy meeting each and every one. We have the owners of the local restaurant and bed & breakfast, local artists, real estate sales people, a book shop owner, an award winning poet and more. The dialogue between all of them is a delight to read. You may find yourself laughing out loud… I did.

Photo by Daniel Joseph Petty on Pexels.com

Also, I’d recommend starting the last chapters of this book either during the day or early in the evening. I thought I’d just read a few pages before bed and found myself finishing the book two hours later. (And far past my bedtime.)

Highly recommended for readers who love mysteries. This is a gem.

For readers interested in page to screen adaptions, this book has been made into a film. It is also slated to become a series for Amazon.

Thanks for reading!

Sandman Slim (Sandman Slim, #1) by Richard Kadrey

Sandman Slim is a dark, urban fantasy read about a magician who was given to demons by people he considered his friends. Now, James Stark’s back for revenge.

Because, what does he have to lose. He’s already been to hell.

“.. I’m lucky that way. Always have been. Otherwise, I might have crawled back into this world and ended up a charcoal briquette in my first five minutes home. And wouldn’t those black-hearted bastards down under have laughed when I ended right back in Hell after slipping so sweetly out the back door? pgs 1-2

James is not just claiming revenge for himself. While he was with the demons, someone killed the love of his life. That someone is going to have to pay.

I’ve been gone eleven years. I was nineteen when I went Downtown. I’m practically an old man now. pgs 11-12

Meanwhile on earth, someone or something has been causing more chaos and destruction than usual. Los Angeles, though never particularly a “city of angels”, seems to be something much worse now. But why should James care — he’s not going to be around long enough to figure out what’s going on anyway.

I really enjoyed Sandman Slim. James Stark is brooding, angry and you can’t help but hope for him to succeed.

Revenge is never what you think it’s going to be. There’s no pleasure or glory, and when you’re done your grief remains. pg 54

The world Richard Kadrey has created has levels and different forms of spirituality and magic. Angels, demons and monsters walk the streets, in plain view but hidden from those who don’t know what they’re looking at.

There’s an alchemist named Vidocq who accidentally made himself immortal. A mysterious doctor who helps those in the magical community but doesn’t charge for his services. And readers are also introduced to Allegra, a beautiful young woman who runs a video shop and wants to learn more about magic.

“Where was God when I was stuck in Hell?” I ask her. …. “Maybe God thought you were where you belonged. pg 228

Recommended for readers who don’t mind their urban fantasy reads filled with some profanity and angry heroes.

Thanks for reading!

Awakened (Awakened #1) by James S. Murray, Darren Wearmouth

A new subway line in New York City is being unveiled with fanfare, press coverage and even a visit from the President of the United States. When something goes terribly wrong, it becomes clear that an unspeakable evil has been released from the depths.

And they all said the devil didn’t actually exist…

Plodding dialogue and clumsy character development clog what otherwise would have been an action-packed science fiction read. The set up was so classic. The line, “the dwarves delved too deep”, kept running through my head.

“The workers shouted and pointed, but the noise of splitting granite drowned out their words. The ground beneath Grady’s feet disintegrated. He lunged for the cable, clutched it in a white-knuckled grip, and dangled over the newly formed black abyss.”pgs 8-9, ebook.

And once the evil emerges, I thought everyone took far too long to figure out what the heck was going on. For goodness sake, the President was right there. I mean, maybe in the face of unexplained phenomena, response times would be slowed down. But I had a hard time believing the incompetence.

“The majority headed to the food court while shooting nervous glances toward the train. Cops, now free from the burden of chaos, helped the injured to their feet and escorted them to triage. The five dead — one from the stampede, another shredded by the cafe window, and three at the hands of the Secret Service — were placed in a line and had jackets draped over their faces.” pg 18, ebook.

On the other hand, I did enjoy some of the tense moments. I liked the way journalists were portrayed, because of course they’d be there. Unless all newspapers go under… which, let me be clear, I don’t think anybody wants. But gosh, that’d make a good horror story, wouldn’t it.

“We’re sealing the second car of the train and taking refuge inside.” “Are you mad?” the Washington Post journalist called out. “There’s not a chance in hell I’m going near that subway train.” pg 37

If you take this story for what it is, like a summer blockbuster of a book rather than a serious work of science fiction, it’s fun enough. There’s thrills, chills and moments of terror.

“He had never subscribed to conspiracy theories or the far-fetched stories about monsters, but he couldn’t deny what he just saw. It hardly seemed believable. … This wasn’t terrorism. It was pure terror.” pg 52

Recommended for readers who are looking for a mildly entertaining book to pass the dark days of winter or the hot days of summer by a pool. This is like a “comfort food” option for horror and science fiction fans.

Thanks for reading!

The God Hunter (Field Ops #1) by Tim Lees

An interesting science fiction novel about a company that captures gods and transforms their energy into a commodity.

“The official view is, all we’re dragging up are imprints. Worship at a certain site for long enough, you charge it up. The power gets compressed, like coal.” pg 11, ebook.

When something goes wrong, as one would expect it to, the results are pretty bad. Chris Copeland is called in to clean it up. But there may be no stopping what happens next…

This book was like the film Ghostbusters, except instead of containing the ghosts like in the movie, they’re transmuting them somehow. Well, and the film has ghosts instead of gods. But, you see the similarities.

It’s an interesting idea. Everyone is looking to develop new, clean and renewable energy. What if we could mine that from emotions or other planes of existence? Would such a thing be possible? And what would be the costs?

“I don’t believe in premonitions. You only see them looking back, once the mind’s had the chance to make up shapes and patterns, and give form to random data. And yet now, in retrospect, it seems those days were full of omens, all trying to tell me something, circling me like softly-whispered threats.” pg 28

Chris is an interesting character. He embodies the “over-worked into absolute nonchalance” type. Chris and his coworkers are literally capturing gods and he’s like “so what?”. I imagine you could get used to anything after awhile, but his attitude was amusing to me.

Especially when you put him next to professional detectives later in the book. They have the exact same attitude except about criminals rather than spirit energy. It makes for a fascinating juxtaposition.

“It’s manna,” Martin Klein announced, matter-of-fact. “The stuff that fed the Israelites.” “Wrong desert,” I said. “You’d have to be a thousand miles east for that.” “Well.” He shrugged. “It gets around.” pg 74

Like any business that can generate enormous profits or be controlled by the government, the god-into-energy racket has attracted some unsavory and cutthroat characters. But the stakes are higher than simple wealth or power. A misstep could mean the end of the world.

I wanted this book to be more mystical, with more conspiracies, and more romance. I enjoyed the premise and the questions the story raised about people being people, no matter their level of technology. I also liked the character of Anna Ganz, the strong female detective.

I did not like how the author Tim Lees gave us very little context. I also didn’t like how he didn’t develop the characters much beyond the main two.

Recommended for science fiction readers who like their stories thick with questions and a bit thin on the answers.

Thanks for reading!

SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki

At the SuperMutant Magic Academy, strange things happen and everyone looks different, but teenage angst and questions about reality remain the same. There is unrequited love, hormones run amok and popularity problems. There is a young man who can’t seem to die, no matter how he tries to end his life. There’s an artist who puts herself into shocking situations to underline the pointlessness of reality.

There’s a young woman with the head of a lizard who just wants to find a boyfriend and a beautiful girl with ears like a fox who occasionally has to change into a fox and hunt prey. There’s drugs and alcohol and a host of other issues, while the poor teachers are simply trying to educate the group.

I didn’t connect well with this graphic novel and question its appropriateness for the younger end of the young adult scale. Older or more mature teens should be ok. There’s moments that make light of self harm without, what I think, is the appropriate context. There’s some sexual content that may be incredibly confusing and inappropriate for 11 and 12 year olds.

When I borrowed this from the library, I was under the impression that I could share this book with my child. After reading it, I realized I was wrong. That may have affected my opinions of SuperMutant Magic Academy. If I had just read it for enjoyment’s sake, maybe I would have thought more of its content.

Or maybe not. Jillian Tamaki gives herself, usually, just six panels to create a narrative and it isn’t enough. The jarring moments of reality left me with more questions than answers. I wanted more of a story and never really got that.

It made me think maybe I was missing out on something. If this is based off of a web comic, maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it in its original medium.

Thanks for reading!

Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15) by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden, wizard-for-hire and Winter Knight, joins a group of unsavory characters to pay off a debt owed by Mab and to steal something incredibly valuable from a god. And he thought he had bad days before this. At least he still has a way with words.

“… Nicodemus is a murderous murdering murderer,” I said. “And if he’s picking a crew, they’re going to be just as bad.” pg 26, ebook

Is there anyone he can trust? Can he even trust himself with the strange “parasite”-thing growing in his head?

“Sometimes when you find yourself alone, for whatever reason, you review every little thing you know about someone, searching your memory for small, subtle things that you may have missed about them.”pg 10, ebook.

Any guesses on what they’re going to be stealing?

“My sources say he’s the collector of the supernatural world. He’s famous for it. Art, treasure, gems, jewels, antiques, you name.” pg 37, ebook.

Skin Game is a clever mix of heist and The Dresden Files. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And now my heart is broken because the next book isn’t written yet.

We were finally getting somewhere with Harry’s relationships with his friends and a certain someone in particular. (No spoilers!) Harry was learning how to juggle his “mantle of power”. Molly was coming into her own unique situation.

We’ve learned about angels, demons, fairies, pixies, gods and more in this series. I’ve really come to enjoy the world and the strange things that happen in it. I love the shifting balance of power and how when Harry’s up, he’s really up. And when he’s down… well…

“And since when had I become the guy that things happened to ten years ago?” pg 49, ebook.

I think all of the readers are wondering that too. Not that we’re complaining because this series seems to have such staying power. I really wish it would keep going for awhile longer, just spit-balling here, how about another 15 books? 🙂 Or, at least, perhaps we could tie up the loose ends.

“I know that things happen to people,” he said. “And maybe you’ve got excellent and real reasons for doing what you’ve done. But… at the end of the day, there’s just no replacement for being here.” pg 84, ebook.

I like being in this world and I think plenty of other readers do too. Jim Butcher, give the people what they want. Write, please. Write now!

Thanks for reading.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Big Little Lies follows three different women who all have children starting kindergarten. It is a mystery, drama and satire about the pressures of parenthood, modern motherhood especially, all rolled into one.

“Should I call the police?” wondered Mrs. Ponder out loud, but then she heard the wail of a siren in the distance, at the same time as a woman on the balcony began to scream and scream. pg 19, ebook.

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I couldn’t put the book down. I don’t know people who are as intense as the parents are in this book, but with a little push, I could see some of the PTO members making that leap and fitting right in. You know they care about their kids, but it makes them a bit competitive and unapproachable. This book made me wonder what may be going on at home if that’s the face they choose to display in public…

My favorite character in Big Little Lies was Jane, the youngest of the mothers and one who is carrying a devastating secret. She allows her intense love for her son, Ziggy, to keep her going through her anxiety.

If it weren’t for Ziggy she would have driven off. She would have been so focused on her goal of getting him to his kindergarten orientation that she would have left a woman sitting on the road, writhing in pain. pg 28, ebook.

But a close second for favorite character was Madeline, a fiery mother of three children, one from her first marriage and two from her second. She doesn’t let anybody push her around and she stands up for those she takes under her wing. It’s nice to have friends like that.

Madeline saw Celeste and her face lit up. One of the nicest things about Madeline was the way her face transformed when she saw you, as if there were no one else in the world she’d rather see. pg 40, ebook.

Madeline is also the cause of much of the drama in this story. She has a tendency to cause trouble when she’s upset rather than back away from it. Also, gossip seems to follow her around.

Madeline, she realized, was one of those slightly dangerous people who jumped right in defending their friends and stirred up far bigger waves than the first tiny ripple. pg 90, ebook.

Mysterious and beautiful Celeste is the last of the main characters in this story. She’s so easy to love, but, like Jane, also has a terrible secret. And while all of this drama is going on in their personal lives, their children are trying to make it through kindergarten in one piece.

Highly recommended for readers who like their mysteries interlaced with some backstabbing parents and heartbreaking secrets. I’m interested to see the HBO series now and see how true they were to the book.

Thanks for reading!

The Help Desk Book Blog

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Tag: Fiction

A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #2) by Louise Penny

The Waking Land by Callie Bates

Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #1) by Louise Penny

Sandman Slim (Sandman Slim, #1) by Richard Kadrey

Awakened (Awakened #1) by James S. Murray, Darren Wearmouth

The God Hunter (Field Ops #1) by Tim Lees

SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki

Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15) by Jim Butcher

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

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