Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

“I have begun a Catalogue in which I intend to record the Position, Size and Subject of each Statue, and any other points of interest.” pg 6, ebook.

Piranesi is an explorer of a strange world in which water runs through the ruins of Grecian-esque temples filled with statues both beautiful and grotesque. He calls this place: the House.

“Outside the House there are only the Celestial Objects: Sun, Moon and Stars.” pg 6, ebook

He doesn’t remember how he got there or a life prior to entering the House. The reader gets to discover his forgotten past along with him in this mystery/fantasy novel.

His only point of contact with a living, breathing person is a man Piranesi has nicknamed, ‘the Other’. He meets with the Other about twice a week. Despite this lack of community, Piranesi manages to survive and soldier forward with his explorations.

Photo by George Shervashidze on Pexels.com

“Perhaps even people you like and admire immensely can make you see the World in ways you would rather not.” pg 227, ebook

In that way, Piranesi is somewhat like an ode to introverts- a whole world to explore by yourself. In other ways, it feels like a nod to a lost world of crowded museums and libraries.

The recent pandemic has twisted the ideas of community and togetherness- sometimes I feel like Piranesi as I wander through stacks of books that people aren’t perusing as much anymore. Or hosting library events where no one shows.

Author Susanna Clarke has put her finger on a sore spot in the zeitgeist and the result is a compulsively readable book.

I was also pleased to observe she wrote a slightly shorter novel. After the brick that is Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, I was expecting this to be another 1000 page tale. Clarke tells her story, and tells it well.

Recommended for readers who love portal fantasies or any reader who dreams about worlds beyond the day-to-day. Thanks for reading!

Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3) by Tana French

Faithful Place is a mystery and the backstory of Frank Mackey, the undercover agent readers first met in The Likeness.

Honestly, I didn’t like him, as a character, very much in the last book. This installment gave me understanding about why he’s so gruff and generally unkind. A difficult and abusive childhood has taken its toll on him.

There’s also the small matter of a broken heart over his teenage sweetheart, who never showed up the night they were going to run away together.

“The night faded to a thin sad gray and round the corner a milk cart clattered over cobblestones towards the dairy, and I was still waiting for Rosie Daly at the top of Faithful Place.” pg 13, ebook

But it turns out, Frank’s past isn’t as straight forward as all that. And that’s what he discovers in this book.

“No matter how good you are, this world is always going to be better at this game. It’s more cunning than you are, it’s faster and it’s a whole lot more ruthless. All you can do is try to keep up, know your weak spots and never stop expecting the sucker punch.” pg 14, ebook

The Dublin Murder Squad series continues to surprise me with how much I enjoy it. Tana French is a master at building suspense throughout the stories. Her world doesn’t get stale because you (at least so far) follow a different character in each tale, learning a bit more about them, and then moving on to the next character.

“I was right to enjoy the normal world while I had it. Deep down, even while I was shaking my fist at the sky and vowing never to darken the cobbles of that hellhole again, I must have known the Place was going to take that as a challenge.” pg 141, ebook

French manages to convey visceral and surprising emotions in her stories, which I love. It makes the hair raise on my arms and gives me goosebumps. I find myself thinking about key plot points when I wake up in the middle of the night, wondering what’s going to happen next. Not many books have that effect on me.

Her characters are complex. They’re not angels, but they’re not demons. They’re something in between, very human, and they feel completely real.

“If you don’t know this by now, mate, you’d better write it down and learn it by heart: the right thing is not always the same as what’s in your pretty little rule book.” pg 158, ebook

And there’s always a moment in her novels, or sometimes two moments, that flips the story on its head. In this one, when that moment came, I had to read the passage twice and I even said aloud, “You’re kidding, right?”

Now, you don’t know this about me, but I am a completely silent reader. I never talk to the books. French has made me into one of “those” readers — a talking reader. That’s a pretty big deal.

Recommended for readers who like their mysteries to be thrilling and books that draw you in so much that you forget the real world for a time.

Thanks for reading!

Machine (White Space, #2) by Elizabeth Bear

Dr. Jens, a rescue specialist for a medical group composed of different species from across the galaxy, is on a mission to save the lives of thousands of humans on an ancient ship, stranded among the stars. Something has gone terribly wrong with their computer system.

In addition, there’s a strange, and dangerous looking, machine in the hold of another, far more modern ship, that is attached to the archaic ship. Could it be the genesis of everything that went wrong or something more sinister?

“There could be people alive in there. We had to proceed as if there were, until we had proven otherwise.”

Elizabeth Bear has created a fantastical, possible future in Machine where humanity has learned to manage some of our more troublesome brain chemistry through the use of sophisticated machines implanted in our heads.

I loved her imagining of what aliens (she calls them ‘systers’) may look like and how thousands of different people from worlds separated by both time and space would be able to come together and create something resembling a community.

It leads to some particularly interesting questions in this story as Dr. Jens is concerned primarily with the physical, and occasionally emotional, health of the beings, both flesh-bound and digital, whom she encounters.

“An AI couldn’t suffer a psychotic break, exactly. But they had their own varieties of sophipathology, and dissociation of their various subroutines into disparate personalities was definitely one that had been well-testified in the literature.”

I liked those aspects of the story- the exploration of a universe so far removed from my own.

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com

Unfortunately, I felt that this exploration was bogged down by long and meandering self reflection at key moments in the story. I realize that much of the development of the plot is an emotional journey for the characters, but it’s not fun to read about and occasionally comes off as a little preachy.

“We had to learn that there were more important things than being ‘right.’ Brilliant people are sometimes terrible at being people.”

And, as I said, it slowed the story down to a painful crawl through neurosis and the perpetual struggle Dr. Jens has between allowing her emotions or handling them through her technologically advanced and chemically-altering brain tech.

All that being said, Machine was an enjoyable sci-fi adventure and mystery, and I look forward to reading more from Elizabeth Bear in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book for review purposes.

The Story of the Stone (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, #2) by Barry Hughart

“Ox,” he said, “the writing of your memoirs is doing wonders for your calligraphy, but I must question the content. Why do you choose the rare cases in which matters run melodramatically amok?” I heroically refrained from saying, “They always do.”
The Story of Stone, Barry Hughart

Master Li and Number Ten Ox are at it again.

There’s an unexplained murder, puzzling fragment of a poorly-finished forgery, and nature herself is leaving clues behind with whole swathes of plants dying in a strange pattern.

“I wasn’t sure that any autopsy could be delightful, but I didn’t care. The old fire had returned to Master Li’s eyes, and I felt like a warhorse who was being called back into battle.”

In the course of solving the mystery, Li and Ox encounter ghosts, hidden torture chambers, and make a journey down to the depths of hell. It is one of the finest homages to Dante’s Inferno that I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.

“Ox, what do you smell in the air?” he asked. “Wet earth, pine needles, pork fat, donkey manure, and perfume from Mother Ho’s House of Joy,” I said. “Wrong. You smell destiny,” Master Li said happily.

And, as usual, readers get to enjoy the sometimes hilarious, and always entertaining, interplay between a brilliant scholar and his surprisingly strong sidekick.

Recommended for readers who enjoy a blend of fantasy, mystery and historical fiction.

In a Cottage In a Wood by Cass Green

Neve’s life is a mess. She recently broke up with her boyfriend, has no place to go and an unfortunate drinking habit. Perpetually hung over and disappointed in her job, friends, and family, Neve experiences a shocking event on a London bridge that changes her life forever.

Now the proud owner of a cottage in the woods, Neve can hardly believe her good fortune. But when unexplained events begin to haunt her waking hours, she begins to question whether it was luck that led her to the bridge or something else entirely.

“This really is happening quite legally, Neve,” she says in a gentle voice. “You own Petty Whin Cottage and everything in it. It’s all yours now.” pg 48, ebook

Cass Green has crafted a suspenseful mystery with an unreliable narrator that holds your attention but doesn’t necessarily deliver on the thrills. But it is enjoyable enough for what it is.

I read In a Cottage In a Wood in just a few sittings with a mug of hot chocolate in my hand while a winter storm raged outside. I think the book is a good choice to pass a few hours and I could also see it being an interesting pick for book clubs.

Green is at her best when building a growing sense of isolation and Neve’s teeth-on-edge feelings at the cottage, all while utilizing every day events that could be completely innocuous. What’s so scary about power outages, a dead bird and a dog getting outside the fence? It’s in the timing and the incremental increase in emotional tension, which Green has down perfectly.

Neve is a relatable character even while making poor choices. I found myself cheering her on, hoping she finds whatever it is she’s looking for to bring some peace to her soul. But the unreliable narrator bit has been used a great deal lately, hasn’t it?

Recommended for readers who like to use suspenseful thrillers as a brief escape from reality.

Thanks for reading!

A Rule Against Murder (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #4) by Louise Penny

When a body is discovered near a retreat in the woods, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache happens to be staying at the Manoir Bellechasse, the lodge, with his lovely wife, Reine-Marie. Now, their peaceful get-away has devolved into a murder investigation. Someone at the hotel is a killer.

Can Gamache figure out who before it’s too late?

“But just as their waffles arrived they heard a faraway sound, something so unexpected it took Gamache a moment to recognize it. It was a scream.” pg 84

As delightful as this entry is in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, I had trouble getting into the story. It has Louise Penny’s usual eccentric characters and thoughtful insights into universal emotions like love and despair.

And, as usual, I guessed completely wrong on the resolution and enjoyed the nail-biting conclusion.

“His team had a near perfect record, and they did it by sorting facts from fancy from wishful thinking. They did it by collecting clues and evidence. And emotions.” pg 95

I think what I was missing from the mystery was the setting of Three Pines itself. Honestly, it was nice to branch out a little and see many of Penny’s beloved characters in a different place, but Three Pines is so delightful that I missed it.

To be fair, it does make a bit of a cameo with a village festival, but it wasn’t the same. The irascable poet, Ruth Zardo, is almost completely absent, except for a one-liner, and I missed her. I’m also inordinately fond of the bed and breakfast owners, Oliver and Gabri. But we didn’t see much of them because the action was taking place at a different hotel.

Here’s hoping the next book takes place back in Three Pines. I’d still recommend this one to readers who love cozy mysteries. Louise Penny has a gift for writing them.

Thanks for reading!

The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad #6) by Tana French

“The case comes in, or anyway it comes in to us, on a frozen dawn in the kind of closed-down January that makes you think the sun’s never going to drag itself back above the horizon.” pg 1, ebook.

Photo by Alexandr Podvalny on Pexels.com

And so begins the final book (so far) in Tana French’s masterful Dublin Murder Squad series. This entry follows Detectives Antoinette Conway and Steve Moran, the duo readers met in the last book, as they try to solve, what at first appears to be, a simple domestic disturbance. Little do they know, what they discover will challenge all of their assumptions about their roles in the Murder Squad and their own investigative skills.

“Before we check out the rest of the cottage, I squat down by the body and carefully, one-fingered, hook back her hair from her face. Steve moves in beside me. Every Murder D I’ve ever known does it: takes one long look at the victim’s face.” pg 24

The investigation, especially the interrogation scenes, are intense and what I’ve come to expect from this series. It’s a thrilling who-done-it with complex characters and relationships. I really enjoyed it.

“The pressure level means Murder is balanced so finely that it only takes a few new heads to shift the whole feel of the squad: turn that big cat rogue and edgy, set that rifle warping towards its moment to blow up in your face.” pg 23, ebook

Conway, the only woman on the murder squad, feels as if she has been singled out and shut out of the camaraderie of the rest of the group. So, she feels like she has more to prove when the investigation becomes more complex than she expected.

Conway, the narrator this time around (they change in each book), isn’t my favorite character, but she’s someone I’d respect and give plenty of space so I didn’t come into her crosshairs.

“Unless I missed your promotion, we’re on the same squad, and this is my investigation. Which means you’re the cheeky little bollix who’s getting above himself, and you’re the one who needs to bear in mind who’s who here.” pg 138, ebook.

Frankly, I’m sorry I’ve read the final book French has written for the murder squad. However, in a May 2019 interview, she didn’t dismiss the idea of writing another book for the series at some point in the future. So, readers can rejoice!

It’s just not written yet. Sigh.

Highly recommended for fans of thrillers and mysteries. Thanks for reading!

The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad #5) by Tana French

Tana French writes another suspenseful mystery about a school full of girls, a murder and, of course, the Dublin Murder Squad.

“Detective Moran, there’s someone to see you,” pen pointing at the sofa. “Miss Holly Mackey.” pg 15, ebook.

We’re reintroduced to Stephen Moran and Holly Mackey, whom readers of the series will remember from Faithful Place. I highly suggest reading that book before this. The context is part of what makes The Secret Place so powerful.

Like in her previous books, French builds the suspense through in-depth characters and internal monologues. They carry an intensity that I’ve come to expect from her novels. Reading her stories straight through honestly gives me a bit of a headache. They’re so complex and she brings in small details that give you these “aha” moments.

Despite those potential headaches, I love it.

I said, “You came here because there’s something you want me to know. I’m not going to play guessing games I can’t win. If you’re not sure you want to tell me, then go away and have a think till you are. If you’re sure now, then spit it out.” Holly approved of that. Almost smiled again; nodded instead. pg 18, ebook

She’s also a master at building relationships, not just between the investigating detectives, but between the readers and the story. There’s a trust there — that she’s not just leading you down this path to distract you. There’s something important you’re supposed to realize.

In The Secret Place, readers are asked to contemplate the unknowable reality of young adult friendships. We wade right in to passionate, explosive moments that aren’t that big of a deal, if you’re not the right age. The feeling, no the knowing, that magic is real is a large part of this story. Also, that friendships define you somehow and are more real than your grades or your family or your name even.

Friends delineate the boundaries of your world at that age. And, together, you can literally make magic happen, if they’re the right kind of friends and if you do the right mystical things together like, for example, sneaking outside of a locked, private school to sit in a wooded glade and gaze at the stars.

“Girls need a safety valve, Detective Conway. Do you recall, a week or so after the incident” — small snort of laughter from Conway: incident —”a group of students claimed to have seen Christopher Harper’s ghost? pg 59

As much as I loved this book, I understand readers who didn’t. It is self indulgent in the sense that you get to know almost everything about everyone and when you’re dealing with a dozen main characters, that’s a lot.

I got the feeling, when Moran was on his eighth interview, that there had been a lot of talk about editing that section down, but it wasn’t. As I said, this story hinges on the characters, why they feel the way they feel and why they acted the way they did. If you don’t get to know those minutiae, then the story isn’t as intense.

But, admittedly, it does slow the pace waaaaay down.

There’s also the “living in a teenager wasteland” feeling of the story. Who cares about who’s dating who and who’s wearing what. To get through some of it, I put myself into the mindset of the detectives. It was important to understand because murder was on the line. Someone killed someone else and was walking around like nothing happened, while his victim was forever buried in the ground. There’s your motivation.

Photo by Du01b0u01a1ng Nhu00e2n on Pexels.com

I think I could listen to a lot of gum-chewing nonsense to solve something that important.

My favorite character? Detective Stephen Moran. He has so much to lose and so much to prove. All he wants is to do a good job on this case. And that seems so impossible at times. I was cheering for him all the way.

“For the first time, she smiled. Little crunch of a grin, the same one I remembered. It had had something pathetic in it, back then, it had caught at me every time. It did again.” pg 17, ebook.

Recommended for readers who have enjoyed French’s work in the past. This murder-mystery may not appeal to everybody, but it did to me.

Thanks for reading!

The Cruelest Month (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #3) by Louise Penny

“But Three Pines itself was a village forgotten. Time eddied and swirled and sometimes bumped into it, but never stayed long and never left much of an impression. For hundreds of years the village had nestled in the palm of the rugged Canadian mountains, protected and hidden and rarely found except by accident.” pg 10, ebook

Readers are back with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache for another unlikely murder in the village of Three Pines. This time, it appears as if someone was scared literally to death.

Photo by Eternal Happiness on Pexels.com

“Eight of them had gathered in the cozy back room of the bistro to raise the dead this Good Friday, and the only question seemed to be, who would do it.” pg 17, ebook.

Why is it that such a lovely place continues to experience such horrors?

“Was it possible the old Hadley house was full of their anger and sorrow? Was that why it attracted murderers? And ghosts?” pg 26, ebook.

Meanwhile, Gamache is haunted by a ghost from his past, the Arnot case. Claire continues to work on her painting while Peter tries not to be jealous of her talent. And for fans of the irascible poet, Ruth has a special role in this story.

I think what sets Louise Penny apart from other mystery authors is that she has created an entire community full of humorous and welcoming characters that I find myself wanting to return to. That’s not as simple as she makes it seem.

“One by one they entered the old Hadley house. It was colder inside than out and smell of mold. The electricity had long since been turned off and now the circles of torchlight played on the peeling floral wallpaper, stained with damp which they all hoped was water.” pg 35, ebook

My only criticism is that I didn’t enjoy the mystery in this book as much as the previous ones. There was a lot of side drama that did a lot to build the characters but not to advance the plot. Otherwise, highly recommended for readers who enjoy cozy mysteries.

Thanks for reading!

The Help Desk Book Blog

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Tag: Mystery

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3) by Tana French

Machine (White Space, #2) by Elizabeth Bear

The Story of the Stone (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, #2) by Barry Hughart

In a Cottage In a Wood by Cass Green

A Rule Against Murder (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #4) by Louise Penny

The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad #6) by Tana French

The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad #5) by Tana French

The Cruelest Month (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #3) by Louise Penny

Menu

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Share this Blog:

Menu