Louise Penny: The Grey Wolf, 9781399730525, hardback, pub date Oct 31, 2024, Hodder & Stoughton

For fans of the formidable Louise Penny the waiting is soon over, another Amande Gamache novel "The Grey Wolf" is out Oct. 31st! 

Thanks to an early netgalley, I could escape into the world of Three Pines which this time is not at the center of the plot.

 Amande Gamache and his team are on the chase of a threat that could effect the lives of millions sending them all over the place trying to stop the inevitable.  I will not say more, but the plot is so embroiled with a string of possibilities and developements which  had me retracing characters and connections several times to pick up the thread again.   

It is perhaps not my favorite Penny mystery but a great escape into the world of crime with Amande Gamache  The cover of  " The Grey Wolf" by the way is really strong.

 Tana French: The Hunter, Penguin UK, 9780241684306, C format paperback

Tana French returns with " The Hunter" to the village of Ardnakelty/ Ireland,  where Cal Hooper, a retired Chicago cop, has settled and semi adopted Trey who was running wild in a very troubled disfunctional family. When her crook of a father returns with another friend and a money making scheme, the whole village is thrown into chaos with Trey heading for serious trouble.

What I love about French is her skill to describe so vividly every character in the novel, that I had a complete picture of everyone in my  head and they are still there!  Add to that a complex, slowly building plot where the crime is a minor factor making place for colorful protagonists  and you are set up for a great read. 5 stars! 

 Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Until August, 9780241686355, Viking, Penguin Random House, small hardback 

Gabriel Garcia Marquez next to John Steinbeck is probably my favourite writer. When I heard the news that Marquez's  sons and editor had decided to publish the last novella he had been working on before losing the battle to dementia, despite his wish to have it destroyed, I was very eager to form my own opinion.

"Until August" is tale of Ana Magdalena Bach who takes a ferry every year in August to an island where her mother is buried to commemorate her death. One year she takes a lover during that visit spending a passionate night,  a habit she continues annually despite being in a happy marriage. Typical Marquez material, one can feel the former brilliance of a master storyteller but it lacks the shine of his old magic, at least in my view. Still a Marquez despite its weekness and I am grateful his sons and editor added their story why they decided to forgo his wish... 

  "Love in the time of Cholera" remains my all time favorite,  with all its magic.