Still Life by Louise Penny

     Jane Neal, retired teacher, private artist, and loving friend, is not the type of woman to be murdered, even an accidental hunting death seems unlikely, but murder in the form of a hunting arrow straight through the chest is exactly how she dies.  The quiet village of Three Pines simply can't imagine anyone wanting to harm Miss Neal and believing it is someone they know in the village is beyond acknowledgement, until Chief Inspector Armand Gamache begins to pry into their lives and their secrets.
     Loaded with suspense, Still Life, oozes tension.  The depth of the forest, the inflection of each voice, and the potential significance of a scrap of conversation, infuse the novel, teasing the perfect puzzle piece forward.  One, that  in the end, does not fit. 
    Crafted so carefully and perfectly, it is hard to imagine the possibility of future Armand Gamache novels measuring up. 

Mr. Darcy's Secret by Jane Odiwe

Elizabeth Bennet, blissfully married to Mr. Darcy, arrives at Pemberley confident that she will manage her new home and husband with aplomb.  Then her sister-in-law falls for the wrong man, Lady Catherine de Bourgh arrives unannounced and secret, passionate love letters apparently from Mr. Darcy to a mysterious Viola are discovered. Suddenly, she realizes that she truly knows very little about her proud and prejudiced husband.


Odiwe captures the essence of Austen, which means one must slow down and enjoy the complexity of the society, the details of the setting, and the pace of a story that unfolds more through its characters than its plot.  Mr. Dary's Secret is perhaps one of the best "sequels" to Pride and Prejudice that I have read.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Diagnosed with a rare disease, Madeline lives in her home and only her home to protect her from everything because everything will make her sick.  The only people she ever sees are her nurse, Carla and her mom, who is also her doctor.  Then one day, a moving truck shows up across the street and she falls in love.  Olly is tall, dark and handsome, and falling in love with Olly dramatically changes her life.  She will risk everything, including her life, to be with him.


Everything, Everything is a dynamic story of self discovery and the power of love, both good and bad.  Maddy and Olly are well developed characters with authentic voices and complex issues that mirror much of what teens feel and experience.  Tragic, yet resilient, these young people forge forward, true to who they are, supportive of one another even as they discover truths that are increasingly difficult and painful.


Love, love, love this story and the end was not only completely surprising, but perfectly matched to essence of the book.

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

Julia Grey's husband Edward, collapses and dies at a dinner party they are hosting.  While she is ready to accept his death because of an ongoing family physical infirmity, she is outraged when Nicholas Brisbane introduces the possibility of murder.  Brisbane, a detective to the wealthy Victorian class, claims to have been working for Edward, employed to discover the author of some very frightening letters.  Having no physical proof, Julia dismisses the charge completely, until she finds the proof in the form of a letter, and sets off determined to find Edward's killer placing herself in the path of a murderer.     

To try and delineate the good and evil or right and wrong in this novel is difficult.  Love and lust mingle with revenge and tolerance creating quite a surprising ending.    Definitely a murder mystery over a romance, readers need to be prepared for just about anything.  Even though it was bit slow to start, I really liked Rybourn's style including the mix of suspense and drama as well as the exquisite atmosphere.  Occasionally, the characters come off a bit modern, but overall they are complex personalities that progress and develop throughout the story.                                                    

Readers should be aware that the complexity of relationships include all aspects of sexual preferences dealt with in a very Victorian manner.