Review: Spirited mystery imbued with music of the Sixties
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 23, 2014
I’ve already enjoyed several Gus LeGarde mysteries by Aaron Paul Lazar. Spirit Me Away gives me a chance to bridge that gap between young Gus’s adventures and those of Gus the grandfather in later books. Here Gus is newly and very happily married to his childhood sweetheart, living near Cambridge Commons, and listening to the music of the sixties.Gus, of course, is more into classical refrains. But even he can’t resist the siren call, especially when Elsbeth “rescues” a lost flower child, and Woodstock promises an age of Aquarius.Students still, evoking vivid memories of my student days, Gus and Elsbeth share a small apartment with a wonderfully unexpected English tenor and the annoying, but likeable Lana Juarez. When a helpless flower child lands on their doorstep, they walk with her to find her memories. But a dark truth hides behind this forgetfulness, with ensuing chases, terrors, and complex mystery. Meanwhile all the characters of the sixties play their part. Vietnam vets, health food freaks, cops and robbers, and more... plus the music of course.Evocative, exciting and fun, Spirit Me Away replays the sixties spirit, fills in the gaps of much-loved characters from a series, and stands alone as a good, fast-flowing mystery with pleasing relationships, enjoyable music, and a perfect sense of time, timing and fun.Disclosure: I was lucky enough to read a prerelease version and I loved it.