Review: Great music, mystery, characters and suspense
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 10, 2014
I’m already hooked on author Aaron Paul Lazar’s Gus LeGarde mysteries, and this one is another great addition to the series. As always, music plays its role in the story, and plays it most evocatively, as an elderly Alzheimer’s patient exhibits that quirk of memory whereby past music is more real than present pain. But octogenarian Kip's present pain is soon being alleviated by a new drug. Gus is privy to his delightful awakening, with memories of World War II and Bella and the Blues. Could this man’s past even hold the key to answering a long-studied mystery?The Genesee valley is beautifully described, with evocative scenery, and an honest sense of friction between Gus’s feelings for his well-tended garden, and the stark failed landscaping of cheap business practices. But business practice will affect more than the landscape in this tale. Small-town disaster leaves a quiet woman homeless. Small-business troubles leave an old man sliding back into forgetfulness. And small tendrils of concern grow into serious investigation and serious danger as Gus takes charge.I love the characters of these stories, drawn with enough depth that they can change and grow from novel to novel while still feeling like well-remembered friends. But there’s no need to read the earlier novels before enjoying this one. Start wherever you choose, wander in the valley’s sunshine and scenery, rest in its small-town homeliness, meet Gus, make friends with Sig and co, and watch love grow.Disclosure: I was delighted to read a copy of this novel before its release, and again afterward.