The Grey Wolf

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny (2024), 414 pgs.

A few years ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache stood on the shore by Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups and watched his best friend ride away from him, possibly forever. The Abbot of the monastery then told him the story of the place's name--the story of the grey wolf, representing the good inside all of us, and the black wolf, representing the darkness. The Abbot left Gamache with the message that the wolf that wins within us is the one that we feed. 
Now, although Gamache has done his best to feed his grey wolf, to do good in his position in the Surete, there are those who have fed their own black wolves. After a series of peculiar events culminate in the death of a suspect, Gamache must figure out who he can trust as he solves the mystery of a case which seems to be much bigger than originally expected. 

The Grey Wolf, Louise Penny's nineteenth novel in the Three Pines series, includes one of her most ambitious plots yet. It is so big that it spans into the next one, The Black Wolf. Some of this big plot works well and creates for very exciting moments. For example, the final showdown is very interesting. Other aspects, however, feel a bit drawn out. At times, Penny relies too heavily on explicitly written phrases to manufacture tension, rather than letting the story do that on its own. Throughout the novel, chapters end in phrases like, "As it turned out, Chief Inspector Gamache was wrong. Very wrong." (213), but the payoff for those statements often does not come until the end of the book (or it comes and turns out to be not-so-shocking), so readers learn not to trust these mini-cliffhangers. For readers who have already come to know and love these characters, it is always a pleasure to follow Gamache as he untangles a messy mystery, but for those who are new to the series, there are better books with which to begin. 

The Cruelest Month

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (2007), 320 pgs.

It is Easter in Three Pines, and the townspeople are having a seance. Inspector Gamache returns to this place and group of people he has come to know and care deeply for--this time to investigate the mysterious death of one of the seance attendees. While he is able to get away from the bustling city life, searching for answers in this idyllic village, he realizes that he cannot escape the past which rushes toward him, emanating destruction like a wintry storm in spring.

The questions that Penny raises in this novel about psychology and betrayal and kindness are at the heart of why this story works so well. Particularly the idea of the "near enemy" (compassion/pity, love/attachment, equanimity/indifference) changed my perspective on life. The Surete subplot with its devastatingly real connections to recent, real-life Canadian (and US) history steals the show and leaves a lasting impact on both the reader and the series. The narrative does have its faults, namely the final explanation sequence which feels a little clunky and out of place. Despite this issue, I would definitely recommend this book as a solid mystery which leaves you with some interesting ideas to ponder.

Batman: Earth One and Batman '89

 Batman: Earth One, Volume 1 by Geoff Johns (2012) 142 pages and Batman '89 by Sam Hamm (2022) 152 pages

I've read a handful of Batman graphic novels on Hoopla recently. Let me recommend two. The first volume of Batman: Earth One with art by Gary Frank was very good. It takes place in an alternate world where certain characters and events are slightly different than in the regular Batman continuity. We see a bit more of Bruce's boyhood while his parents are still alive. And later when he is putting together his Batman costume/persona, I really appreciated that this version shows him as just a man. His body and his tech are less super. The police are under the thumb of organized crime. It is still a dark criminal world, but very grounded in reality.

Then a newer Batman graphic novel imagines that Tim Burton got to make a third Batman movie. Sam Hamm has a story credit on both of Burton's Batman movies. Joe Quinones illustrates the characters to look like Michael Keaton, Billy Dee Williams, and Michael Gough, etc. The story here provides a lot of things that I liked. We get to know Billy Dee Williams' version of Harvey Dent much more deeply. We witness his transformation into Two-Face. We are also introduced to a brand new character who becomes Batman's sidekick Robin. There were some panels where the action was not quite clear, but it was good to revisit this version of Gotham.

If Beale Street Could Talk

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin, 197 pages.

I read this when the movie came out in early 2019 and then again with our book group when UMSL chose it as their Common Read. We read it, we showed the movie version, there were speakers about the book and about the author at UMSL and at Wash U. Our book group liked it quite a bit. There are very strong characters and the plight of the main characters is upsetting and told in such a way that the novel flows quickly. Fonny and Tish have embarked on a shared life together after having been friends their whole lives. There is a bit of drama from each of their families, but the focus quickly shifts to a racist police officer in the neighborhood who is intent upon ruining Fonny's life. A great novel.

Babylon Berlin

Babylon Berlin by Arne Jysch and Volker Kutscher, 216 pages.

Gereon Rath had to leave the Cologne police after shooting the wrong man in the line of duty. He had to do it, but he was still forced out. Now he's in Berlin, working in Vice, trying to get transferred to Homicide. When a body is found in a car pulled from the river, Rath works with a Homicide clerk Charlotte Ritter on identifying the victim and figuring out the crime (Nazis, it was Nazis). Based on the books (by Kutscher) that inspired the German television series of the same name, the graphic novels are well-executed with some details different from the show.

Down the River unto the Sea

Down the River unto the Sea by Walter Mosley, 322 pages.

Joe King Oliver was railroaded by his fellow police officers years ago. After a harrowing three-month stint in Rikers Island he was able to escape prison with the help of officers he believes are still loyal to him, but his marriage and his career were in ruins. King has been working as a private detective for years now and he has rebuilt a relationship with his daughter.
When King receives a letter from the woman who had been the key part of his downfall asking his forgiveness and expressing a willingness to testify on his behalf, he starts down a path that may lead to his ruin or to his redemption. King lives in a strange world peopled by violent characters with odd, symbolic names and strange, haunted spaces.

Echo Park

Echo Park / Michael Connelly, read by Len Cariou, 405 p.

Harry Bosch and FBI agent Rachel Walling hunt down an active serial killer while Harry also tries to solve an old case, the disappearance of a young woman. 

The Late Show

The Late Show by Michael Connelly, 405 pages.

Crime writer Connelly introduces a new character in this his thirtieth novel. Renee Ballard is working the late show, midnight to eight, as a detective in the Hollywood station. She almost never gets to see a case through to the end, and her partner has no interest in doing police-work. Ballard had been a rising star in Robbery and Homicide before a dispute with her superior officer, couple with a betrayal by her partner led to her exile.
When a big murder case comes her way at the same time as a seemingly unsolvable assault case, Ballard looks for a way to find meaning in her work again.
Tightly written and a lot of fun to read. Fans of Connelly or fans of crime fiction will definitely enjoy this one.

The Black Dahlia

The Black Dahlia / James Ellroy, 325 pp.

After finishing Rick Geary's Black Dahlia I thought I would compare it with the fictional treatment of Elizabeth Short's story, told by the author of L.A. Confidential, Suicide Hill and others.  Short was murdered in particularly gruesome fashion in 1947 Los Angeles; the crime was never solved.  Ellroy tells her tale through the narrative of two fictional detectives, Lee Blanchard and Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert, former boxers who happen to be in love with the same woman.

The novel was first published 30 years ago and its setting takes us back 70 years.  And it sure reads like a trip in a time machine!  There is one heck of a lot of misogyny, racism, and homophobia packed into these pages, most of it a perfectly accurate depiction of the setting, no doubt.  The lingo - a very noir LAPD-ese - is great fun, but it took some getting used to.  And the story?  On that point, I would have to agree with the rave reviews on the jacket.  Detective fiction doesn't get much better than this.  But I think my next LA noir read will be an Easy Rawlins by Walter Mosley.  Same time, same place, but a very different perspective.

The Crossing

The Crossing by Micahel Connelly, 388 pages.
Harry Bosch, who had been working as an LAPD Detective since the time of the Vietnam war, has retired. His half-brother, defense attorney Mickey Haller, wants to hire him as an investigator to help defend a man accused of murder. This pretty much goes against everything that Bosch has ever stood for, and he is a little reluctant to help out someone he is convinced is a murdering scumbag. He does agree to look at the casefile, and as his brother knew he would, Bosch finds several discrepancies when he compares the file to the locations, witness statements, and physical evidence. As Bosch anticipated, just working for a defense attorney draws the wrath of many of his former LAPD coworkers, but since Bosch has always chosen to speak for the murder victim, those who can no longer speak for themselves, this bothers him less than he thought it might. A solid part of a great series.

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The Whites / Richard Price writing as Harry Brandt, 333 pp.

Billy Graves and his former colleagues on a special anti-crime unit have 'Whites;' that is, they each have a horrible criminal who got away and whose freedom eats away at them.  But suddenly the Whites are turning up dead, and Billy needs to figure out why.  Meanwhile a secret from his wife Carmen's past threatens Billy's family.

If you like 'em hard-boiled this is the book for you.  Extremely dark and violent, this is a well-constructed and paced thriller.  Price/Brandt clearly knows his milieu, and he writes excellent dialogue.  I just can't enjoy stories quite so dark as this; it's so noir it's almost purple.