Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series

Loved Miss Louise Penny's latest, How the Light Gets In, named one of the best mystery/thriller novels of 2013 by NPR. Absolutely loved it. All the pieces of the puzzle from past books in the series seemed to have been resolved at the end of this story.  It felt as if  this was the last of the Inspector Gamache series.  The series started in the small Canadian village of Three Pines and feels like it has ended in Three Pines. Even Yvette Nichol, the socially inept officer, turned up in this book. The last time this character was mentioned was in the sixth book in the series, Bury Your Dead.  I liked the back and forth conversation as Team Gamache tried to hack into the computer that held the secrets of Team Francoeur; it added excitement to the story.  I also enjoyed the humorous tone in the story.  I finished this book in two days could not bear to put this book down and I am glad I read the series in order.

What are you reading?

I just finished reading an interesting historical fiction. T.K. Welsh (pseudonym for J. G. Sandom) took me on a rough journey with young Victor from Modena, Italy in 1830 to a vastly different world in Surrey, England in 1852.  The title of the book is Resurrection Men, the name given to those who practiced body snatching and sold the bodies to Physicians. Twelve year old Victor went from orphan to cabin boy then later evolved from beggar to Physician's Assistant.  He went from one horror to another every step of the way. Victor's "rag to riches" story is narrated by a Dr. Lambro who is treating a young boy who reminds him of a boy he once knew.  This is worth reading for young adults but the horror is very graphic.

I have started the murder mystery,  How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny, the ninth book in the Inspector Gamache series. As I read, I feel as if I am reuniting with my old friends from Three Pines.   I am reuniting with the quirky residents in the town such as the book store owner, Myrna Landers;  the angry poet Ruth; the artist, Clara Morrow; and the Bistro owners, Oliver and Gabri. In this book Clara and her husband are separated and I can't remember the marital issues between them because the previous book in the series, Beautiful Mystery, was not set in Three Pines. I searched and found a post dating from March 2012 that should refresh my memory about this couple.

I am only on page 75 but I am expecting three things by the end of this story. I am expecting the work-related issues at the Surete that have divided Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his old friend Jean -Guy to be resolved. I am expecting to find out what is the connection between the suicide of Audrey Villeneuve and the murder of Myra's old friend, Constance Oeullet also known as Constance Pineault. I am expecting to find out  who murdered Constance and why.

Best Books of 2013

Just look at this Best Books of 2013 on NPR! I can't keep up. I see Louise Penny's book on the list of Mysteries and Thrillers, How the Light Gets In, from the Chief Inspector Gamache series. Remember I first came across Penny because her first book in the series was a book club pick? I have that book at home to read during the month of December. I also have these books that I intend to read: John Grisham's Racketeer,  Jan-Phillip Sendker's Art of Hearing Heartbeats, JD Robbs' Promises in Death, and Susan Gregory's The Daniel Fast.  

I just finished reading The Mercy Prayer by Robert Gelinas and enjoyed it so much I bought copies as gifts for my friends. I have a testimony. Bring out the tambourine. Have you ever worked with a narcissist? Someone who constantly talks about himself or herself day in and day out? The talk varies. In my situation, sometimes the husband, the son, the mother in law, the sister in law, the siblings were all portrayed as awful people and she was a victim of some awful thing done to her.  Another time these same people were all wonderful and gifted with high IQs. Then the stories took a different turn. I became a target of the lies. Eventually we had creative story about a strange smelly man entering the workplace while she was alone and who made uncomfortable comments except after investigation the man turned out to be invisible to security cameras.  Praying, "Lord, have mercy on me" took on a whole new meaning. It is a prayer described as a raw plea for intervention. After reading Daily Word on September 9th, Isaiah 57 verse 14 also became a prayer: "Prepare my path and remove every obstacle from my way". Shake the tambourine. The narcissist resigned yesterday.