February 1, 2023

A World of Curiosities

 

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #18
Mystery
2022 Minotaur Books
Finished on January 30, 2023
Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding)

Publisher's Blurb:

It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge.

But something has.

As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines.

But to what end?

Gamache and Beauvoir’s memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back. Did their mother’s murder hurt these children beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered, and are they now about to erupt?

As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long-dead stonemason is discovered. In it, the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up.

As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir, and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there’s more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge.

In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache’s home.

Another winner from Louise Penny! Looking back on my previous reviews of her books, I notice that most of her more recent installments in the series have been much more suspenseful than her earlier works. A World of Curiosities is no exception. As Gamache and Beauvoir learn the terrifying news about a notorious serial killer, the tension increases, and I struggled to put the book down at night. I was reminded of the powerful sense of foreboding while watching The Silence of the Lambs, and like Hannibal Lecter, Gamache's sinister nemesis is what nightmares are made of. It's no exaggeration that I was holding my breath while reading the final pages. 

The mystery is well-paced, and the characters (new and recurring) are fully realized. Penny does an excellent job leading her readers down one path, only to turn in a completely different direction, revealing what in reality transpired when one was ready to assume the opposite. While not for the faint of heart, this is an exceptional thriller and one which I'm tempted to quickly read again. (Who isn't tempted to revisit a mystery to see if they missed the obvious clues?)

Highly recommend!

14 comments:

  1. I've not read Penny! This sounds very good.

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    1. Ti, I'm a stickler when it comes to reading a series in order, but this could almost work as a stand-alone.

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  2. I think I told you that I have this one (of course), but I haven't read it yet. I've been waiting until my reading life is more normal. Especially after I struggled with the previous book in the series a bit. Sounds like this one will work well though. Soon, I'll be reading it soon...

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    1. Kay, it's one of the darkest installments in her series, so be prepared!

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  3. I haven't read a thriller in a while, this sounds good.

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    1. Vicki, it's not a stand-alone, but if you don't mind reading a series out of order, there aren't too many details that would spoil the earlier installments.It will probably get you hooked on the books!

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  4. I have only read the first book in the series, but really liked it. I need to read more of them.

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    1. Helen, they have gotten so much better over the years! Still Life (the first in the series) is my least favorite.

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  5. I enjoyed this one as I did many others in the series, though I didn't think it was the best so far as others do.

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    1. Harvee, I'm tempted to put together a list of the books, in the order of ratings. I know there are several that were 5-star reads.

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  6. I've never tried this author but several people who have suggested the series. I like a series and I have read all the Inspector Banks books, that must be why Penny was recommended.

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    1. Tina, she's quite a remakable writer. I've really enjoyed the series. I'll have to look into the DCI Banks books. 28 books in all! Wow. My mom has read and enjoyed those a lot, I think.

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  7. It does sound like the books have a bit more thrills in them than before. Not that I thought these were cozies but sounds like things are getting a bit darker in Three Pines! Really love this series and need to get back to it.

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    1. Iliana, I'm hoping to reread the entire series someday. Probably on audio since I haven't listened to any since the early installments.

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