A Trick Of The Light

"As always, love this series. Although each of her books in the Gamache series has deeper themes beyond just solving a mystery, this novel goes even further in character development and exploring such themes as addiction and recovery, forgiveness, hope, and change. Some character development took surprising turns, whereas others simply progressed further in the direction set out in previous books. Unfortunately, I've now caught up with Penny's writing schedule and have to wait a few weeks for the next book to come out--it'll be a hard few weeks! On the other hand, that will give me time to read some of the other books I've had on my to-read list for awhile that kept getting set aside as I dove back into another of the Gamache series...."

"This book ripped my heart out. I thought the last one was difficult to read, but this one was even more so, mostly because I have a giant soft spot the size of my heart for Jean-Guy Beauvoir. What can I say, I love difficult men (in literature...I could never deal with this stuff in real life, but if it’s fiction I pretend I can fix them). I love how each book keeps building on the previous ones, and I also love when I’m right, and I totally nailed this one. It did take me a while but for once I figured out the person and the right motive, which is more than I can say for most mysteries I read (I found I’m remarkably good at guessing the person but it’s usually a shot in the dark since I never have a motive for anybody). I already peeked at the next book since there was a little baby cliffhanger about something I’m very invested in, and needless to say I’m excited for the next book."

"I love Louise Penny! It is part of a series and I recommend reading in order...her first few books set the scene and introduce you to the characters. I did think she hit her stride after the first few in the series. They are cozy, snuggle in books. I enjoyed them."