Ron K. (WhidbeyIslander) - , reviewed on 2/19/2022 + 715 more book reviews

This outing emphasizes something I always had a slight issue with: are the characters speaking English or French? In Canada it was sort of logical they were speaking both, and English especially in Three Pines (I assume Ruth speaks English since her poems are in that language â although they aren't that great since they don't rhyme. And her duck uses the English expletive.) But in Paris, they have to be speaking French, yet every so often a word in that language is thrown in (âmerci,â âdesole,â âmerde.â) Which is it? If they are speaking French why use the French words here and there?

Well written for the most part, but it eventually devolves into a tiresome Corporate Conspiracy plot that involves the Gamache's Paris-based banker son â a stretch of the suspend-disbelief requirement. Surely Armand's godfather would have just told him what was going on rather than leave obscure clues for his godson to infer later on to unravel the whole ridiculous plot. And the old man helps Jean-Guy (who has no official police cred any longer yet still becomes involved in solving the crimes) get his job that begins to unravel the dastardly plot. The drawn out ending where people's loyalties and motives keep shifting and the heroes are in mortal danger was tiresome and the whole book was too long and convoluted and missing what the series used to excel in.

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