A World of Curiosities

The title of Louise Penny's most recent addition(the 18th) to the "Gamache" series is loosely based on an actual Flemish painting ( by Frans Francken II) from the early 17th C called "A Cabinet of Curiosities," which is supposed to represent artifacts from various cultures/ countries around the world. Only in this case, the painting also contains lots of hidden clues to the identity of a serial killer. How it came to be in a hidden room above Myrna's bookshop strains credibility. While I still love the characters of her books, who grow more richly filled out with each subsequent book, I found this book had too many moving parts and was sometimes hard to follow. What I did enjoy were the flashbacks to the original meeting of Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir. The first case they worked on together involved two children who were subjected to the worst kind of sexual abuse and now those two grown up children have come back into the lives of Gamache and Beauvoir by taking up temporary residence in Three Pines. 

The Washington Post calls this "The eeriest Gamache novel yet, “A World of Curiosities” is also one of Penny’s most intricately plotted and harrowing." The Seattle Times says it is "an irresistible read." Kirkus concludes, "The plotting is complex and the characters as vivid as ever, but the opportunity to watch Gamache and Beauvoir's relationship develop is what makes this book one of Penny's best. Penny will have you turning the pages as fast as you can to see how she'll manage to tie everything together." Finally, Publishers Weekly offers these comments: "Bestseller Penny’s virtuoso 18th novel featuring Chief Insp. Armand Gamache of the Québec Sûreté ...blends nuanced characterization with nail-biting suspense....This tale of forgiveness and redemption will resonate with many." I guess you'll have to decide for yourself.