After her husband's death, Inspector Agnes Luthi wanted a new environment with fewer reminders so she transferred from financial crimes to the violent crimes unit. Her first case commences as a blizzard sets in, and Luthi finds the drive to even reach the historic Valloton chateau harrowing.
The blizzard turns into be an epic event and the chateau and its inhabitants are snowed in and without power.
The Valloton family has generations of wealth and breeding in their past; part of the privileged order both past and present, they are unaccustomed to sharing their space or their thoughts. The enormous chateau is beautiful, but has an eery atmosphere which is emphasized by the power outage and the isolation enforced by the storm. Aside from the inhabitants of the chateau, there is an elderly WWII survivor living in a neighboring mansion. Some of the plot elements have seeds in the war.
De Hahn's characters and setting make this one a strong start to a new series.
Read in Oct.; blog review scheduled for Jan. 30, 2017.
NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Mystery/Police Procedural. Feb. 7, 2017. Print length: 368 pages.
I actually liked this one better than City of the Lost, the first in this series.
Somewhere in the far north is the small community of Rockton where, if you need to escape from your life for a period of time, you may be accepted. What kind of person needs needs this refuge from the rest of the world? People running from their pasts for an assortment of reasons, criminal or not.
Casey Duncan is accepted because of her previous job as a police detective, but she, too, has a compelling reason to need a safe haven. Rockton has, unsurprisingly, a high number of untrustworthy characters so both a sheriff and a detective are needed to keep things in line.
Rockton citizens may be safe from threats in their former lives, but it presents plenty of dangers of its own--from both within and without the community. Disappearances and murders and other weird circumstances.
Read in Oct.; blog review scheduled for Jan. 30, 2017.
NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Mystery/Suspense. Feb. 7, 2017. Print length: 400 pages.
Both of these look good. I have the first book in that Armstrong series, but have not read it yet. The idea of that town is quite interesting. I guess I better move it up the stack (or virtual stack). The other one looks like it might be a good one for summer reading for me (cold books in summer).
ReplyDeleteI didn't love the first in this Armstrong series, but I liked this one better. My favorites by Armstrong tend to be her YA series--I'm an adolescent at heart, I guess. I really liked Swiss Vendetta and look forward to more from De Hahn.
DeleteI like books where people get snowed in by massive snowstorms...even though I'm not really enjoying the huge piles of snow outside my window right now. :)
ReplyDelete:) I tend to like books with snow and especially when there is a sense of being cut off and isolated from normal conveniences. Not to say that I'd appreciate it in real life. I imagine the beauty of a heavy snowfall fades when it is really outside your window for a while!
DeleteI like the sound of both of these but in particular Swiss Vendetta! I've not been to Switzerland (aside from their train station) but it's a place I'd love to visit so armchair reading it is for now at least :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard about the beauty of Switzerland from a friend who couldn't emphasize it enough. She was enchanted. I'd love to visit, but had to make do with my armchair. :)
DeleteBoth of these sound good, Jenclair. Financial crimes to violent ones is quite a jump. So, it sounds like The Inspector definitely got the change she was looking for. And Rockton sounds like an interesting place. I haven't tried this new series by Armstrong yet.
ReplyDeleteThe Swiss Vendetta was really interesting. I didn't care much for Armstrong's first book in the Rockton series, but the second entry was better.
DeleteI have A Darkness Absolute preordered. Glad you liked it better than book 1!
ReplyDeleteThe first in this series didn't work all that well for me, but I did find this one more interesting.
DeleteBoth sounds good. I've City of the Lost in my pile; I love most Kelley Armstrong's books and I'm looking forward to reading this series.
ReplyDeleteI'm an Armstrong fan, but didn't love City of the Lost. I did like Darkness Absolute better because the situation and characters seem to gel in a way that was missing in the first one.
DeleteSwiss Vendetta sounds like one I would like to read. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd like it!
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