A world of curiosities by Louise Penny

I remember hearing Louise Penny speak at Adelaide Writers’ Week some years back. Her partner of many years had died and she spoke of how Inspector Gamache displays many of her husband’s fine qualities.  Chief Inspector Gamache, is the protagonist of 18 books set in Three Pines, a cosy village in Quebec, Canada.  Still Life, the first in the series, was published in 2005; it has been followed by some great stories of crime and mystery all with the admirable Gamache at the heart of the story, the same setting, and with Penny’s fans waiting with much anticipation for the publication of the next one.  She has a large and enthusiastic readership with her books available in 23 languages.

A World of Curiosities opens with the end of a bitter winter.  A young man and woman appear in the village. It seems that as young children they were here and their mother had been murdered.

The case reopened, is tragic and disturbing and new puzzles are there to be discovered and solved now.  With a great sense of place, and a satisfying mystery, this book has plenty of appeal for crime/mystery readers.  Apparently, it is to be made into a television series. 

Well-recommended.

Julie Wells