A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny: A review

 

It is always a pleasure to spend time in the cozy little village of Three Pines and that continues to be true in Louise Penny's latest addition to her Inspector Gamache series. This is the eighteenth in the series and the stories have lost none of their freshness.

In this entry, we find two young people, a brother and sister, who had entered Gamache's and Jean-Claude Beauvoir's lives several years earlier when they were children. Their mother had been murdered, shattering her children's lives. And now they have returned to the village but the question is why? This is a complicated tale that has its roots in that long-ago tragic event.

Of the two, the brother and sister, the sister seems to have survived the tragedy with greater resilience. Her name is Fiona and she has lived with the Gamaches and now is graduating from school. Her brother, Sam, also attends the ceremony and seems determined to stay in Three Pines. This concerns Inspector Gamache because Sam is a very disturbed individual, possibly even psychopathic.

In another offshoot of the story, a historical letter written by a long-dead stonemason leads to the discovery of a walled-in attic space that contains some hidden treasures including a grimoire (which I learned is a book of spells and invocations) and a version of a famous painting called the Paston Treasure with its illustration of "a world of curiosities." The painting contains hidden messages and puzzles that alarm Gamache, alerting him to a possible danger to the village which he holds dear.

This was another entertaining read in this long and much-loved series about ordinary people living their lives in an ordinary village. All the beloved residents of that village are present once again to entertain the reader with their interactions, including my favorite, the prickly poet, Ruth Zardo, and her duck, Rosa. Everyone should have a Ruth and Rosa in their life. 

Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,December 30, 2022 at 6:31 AM

    Miriam is a dedicated Louise Penny fan and I am sure she will be reading this book. Friends of ours recently went on a tour of the Eastern Townships region of Québec, billed as a "Journey through Louise Penny country." I used to live in Québec City and visited the area frequently, long before Louise Penny was a household name. It is a beautiful part of a very beautiful province.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersDecember 30, 2022 at 9:40 AM

      I've never been to Quebec but as Penny describes it, it is certainly a beautiful and interesting place. With a lot of murderers!

      Delete
  2. Phillip OliverDecember 30, 2022 at 10:57 AM

    I listened to this on audio and liked it, just thought it was far-fetched. Have you watched the series (it is on Prime)? They did a pretty decent job although the setting they used doesn't have the coziness factor that is so enjoyable in her books.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersDecember 30, 2022 at 11:05 AM

      I've not watched the series, but I will look for it and add it to my long list of things to watch.

      Delete
  3. Lark December 30, 2022 at 12:15 PM

    I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series in 2023. Three Pines is a very fun setting with some very endearing characters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersDecember 30, 2022 at 1:41 PM

      It is one of my favorite mystery series. The characters are wonderful.

      Delete
  4. Sarah @ All The Book Blog Names Are TakenDecember 30, 2022 at 8:07 PM

    It's always great to find a series that doesn't lose steam. I feel that way about Mercy Watts. Here's to many more!

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersDecember 31, 2022 at 9:54 AM

      There's a definite art to being able to keep a series fresh, especially when it has been going for years like this one.

      Delete
  5. thecuecardDecember 31, 2022 at 3:30 PM

    I look forward to reading my first Penny in 2023. Perhaps I will start at the beginning to get acquainted with Three Pines.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersDecember 31, 2022 at 5:26 PM

      Definitely start at the beginning because each book in the series to some extent builds on past events.

      Delete

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