Series Catch Up

Over the last several months during the time of my move and my break from blogging, I did continue to read and listen to audiobooks. A few of the books were from mystery series that I've been enjoying for awhile now. I thought I would use today's post to do mini reviews of these installments.Each of these series have been around awhile, so they're very well established and one of them is the conclusion of its series. Another interesting fact about these three books I'm going to talk about is that each one takes place in a different country. We go from the United States, to Canada and finally, to the United Kingdom

The first stop in our series catch-up is the town of Painters Mill, Ohio, where both Amish and English citizens reside, and where Kate Burkholder is the Police Chief. HER LAST BREATH is the fifth book in this series of nine, currently. What makes this series interesting is that Kate grew up Amish with her family until the age of fourteen, when after being raped by an Amish man, she couldn't continue to live the Amish lifestyle and pretend nothing had happened to her. so she made the decision to leave the Amish way of life.  As a result, she is now shunned by her former family and friends.  But when there's a crime, Kate does whatever it takes to bring the perpetrators to justice, no matter what. In this installment, Kate is investigating the gruesome collision between an Amish buggy carrying a father and three children and a 4 x 4 truck. The driver of the truck did not stop and three of the Amish died at the scene. The case hits home because the mother in this family was Kate's best friend growing up, though she hasn't seen her in years and now she has to go tell her that her husband and two children are dead.

My Thoughts:  This book was a departure from the others in the series, because it didn't involve a serial killer but someone who used to be close to her.  I enjoyed the personal aspect involving Kate's childhood and liked glimpsing back into that time. While Kate is investigating this crash, remains have been found in the next county over. Kate knows exactly whose remains they are because she put them there. This multi-plot story is one of my favorites of the series and the reader learns more about Kate from each of the investigations. Linda Castillo is a great mystery writer who reminds me a bit of Karin Slaughter, who I really enjoy. Castillo writes with grit and leaves you clinging to the edge of your seat. I'm planning to read the sixth book very soon. 

THE BRUTEL TELLING by Louise Penny is the 5th book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series. There are currently  13 books in this series that takes place in the fictitious village of Three Pines, outside of Montreal. Over the last few years, the chief inspector has come to this quaint village while investigators deaths and he has forged friendships with some of the residents. When a stranger's body is discovered in the village bistro belonging to Gamache's friend, Olivier, he is forced to separate his friendship from his job and find out the truth, even if it costs him personal relationships he values.

My Thoughts: I absolutely love this series! Louise Penny has a different kind of writing style than most mystery writers. I've said before that this is not an edge-of-your-seat series. It's not fast-paced or even all that suspenseful. It's more of a thinkers mystery. She delves into the minds of the villagers and sometimes it's what they don't say more than what they do say that reveals the answers. Penny's love of food and art also comes out in these books through the characters. This turned out to be one of my favorites in the series, leaving me anxious to find out what's next for these somewhat odd villagers and the inspector they've grown to appreciate. By the way, a few weeks back CBS Sunday Morning did a piece on Louise Penny that was terrific. If you can, I recommend pulling it up - it's worth watching.

I hope you enjoyed my brief comments on these three books and I encourage you to check them out. I believe they are three of the best ones out there!

THIS WAS A MAN by Jeffrey Archer is the 7th and final installment of the Clifton Chronicles Series taking place in the United Kingdom.  This family drama started back in the 1920's when Harry Clifton and Giles Barrington met at primary school in Bristol. Harry is the son of a poor, single mother and a dock worker while Giles came from the prestigious Barrington shipping family. In this last book, which covers 1980 through 1992, where the story has its final ending. This edition, no different than the others, has it all: business, family drama, politics, and even murder. Jeffrey Archer is a great storyteller who can go from frightening suspense to laugh out loud hilarity seamlessly. As Harry and Emma Clifton and Giles Barrington grow older, they watch as their offspring are making their own ways in the world, following the examples all three have set forth. Old rivalries find closure as the new modern world takes over. Harry, a successful mystery writer finally fulfills the dream his mother had for him and Emma reaches the pinnacle of her political and humanitarian ambitions.

My Thoughts; This was the perfect ending to a wonderful series that I am so grateful to have read. I can honestly admit that if I hadn't won the first book (audio CD) from Anna, a fellow blogger, I probably would have never read these books. I was totally unfamiliar with Jeffrey Archer. But that fist sudiobook was such a joy to listen to that I was hooked from the get-go. With only 7 books in the series, it wouldn't be an overwhelming task to start reading it now. For me, it was time well spent and a totally entertaining experience. Archer incorporated certain historical events into the story as well, so that gave it an realistic feel. Though I'm sorry to have this series come to an end, it was done gracefully with a wholly satisfying finale.