Barbara M. reviewed on 12/12/2019 + 147 more book reviews

I have been reading this series in order. Penny is a good writer but I thought it was about 100 pages too long. I found myself becoming impatient to get to the end--not because I was really into the book and wanted to see how it wrapped up; rather, I was sick of reading it because it seemed to drag on. I also found some things either implausible or not really adding to the story. The whole idea of the terrifying myth seemed a stretch. I finally started skipping over the italicized segments which was the tale that apparently terrified the hermit so much. Then when the carvings were discovered, they also portrayed certain emotions, including fear. Since the people in the carvings were described as being "tiny," I am skeptical that the faces could portray much emotion.

As a long-time horse owner (45 years), I also thought the vet's advice about the malnourished horses that Dominique had bought (oh, they just need to be ridden and they'll be fine) was ludicrous. It was clear that Penny didn't bother consulting with a vet to learn what is the recommeended course of treatment for emaciated horses. Malnourished horses need to be medically evaluated and treated and they need a nutritious diet to get them back to a healthy weight. THEN they can be ridden.

As some Amazon reviewers have mentioned, the whole thing with "woo" also seemed farfetched. Ditto for Gamache's trip to the Charlotte Islands. I was skeptical that no one had ever come across the hermit's cabin before, either. He supposedly lived about a 30-minute or so hike from the village and had been there for several years. The Peter character has become unlikeable (his true character started to show in one of the previous books) and I wish he'd get bumped off or that Clara would dump him. Speaking of Clara, I get tired of hearing about all the food that ends up in her wild hair.
At one point she had toast in her hair! I can understand crumbs in a moustache or a smear of catsup or mustard on someone's lip but toast (or any other food) in someone's hair would be only believable if a person had been in a food fight. The revelation of who was the murderer also was unsatisfying.

I will continue to read the series and hope the next book is better. Since I get them through paperbackswap.com, I don't have to pay for them.

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