Year: 2025

Artistic murder

A Good Reed Review Book Review , , , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

A Trick of the Light is the seventh full-length mystery in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (of the Sûreté du Québec) series, first released in 2011. This time, Clara Marrow has finally made it as an artist, as she has her solo show at the famed Musée d’Art Contemporain in Montreal. Unfortunately, her night of celebration ends with a tragic murder that isn’t discovered until the next morning. No, Clara isn’t the one murdered, but her one-time friend turned arch enemy is, and Three Pines is again on edge as there are too many suspects that Armand and his team must sort through to find the why and how and identify the real killer. Continue reading →

History, mystery, and beyond

A Good Reed Review Book Review , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Bury Your Dead is the sixth book in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (of the Sûreté du Québec) series, first released in 2010. This time, there are three separate, yet strangely related cases at hand. One is a case that happened between books and has caused Armand’s team serious harm. The details in the aftermath seep out throughout the book, bringing to light more of Armand’s and Jean-Guy’s inner fears and strengths. One is the case from the previous book, The Brutal Telling. Armand, never satisfied with the outcome of their last Three Pines murder asks Jean-Guy to return to Three Pines to re-investigate quietly to see what they might have missed. The third and primary case is a new mystery that brings into question aspects of Canadian history. Penny did a great deal of research for the main story this time delving much deeper into her nation’s history and various assumptions about the clashes between the Francophones and Anglophones who live side-by-side in Québec. Continue reading →

Tax time choices

A Good Reed Review Commentary & Pubs , , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

For close to 30 years or so, I’ve been a faithful TurboTax user. Prior to that I still did my own taxes, but I did them the really old fashioned way – i.e., I got my forms from the library, wrote everything by hand and mailed them in. Although TurboTax has been around since 1984, I finally got around to trying it in the late 1990s. The software made filing my taxes easy and was initially pretty inexpensive. As time went on the software evolved to a very robust package. Also over time, it got more expensive, especially after Intuit segregated which forms were available through the interview in each version. The more complicated the return, the more expensive the package became. The H&R Block software, TaxCut, is much the same thing, although since I was in the TurboTax realm I never explored that one. Still, I’ve been considering looking for a less expensive option for some time. We have to file our taxes, but we shouldn’t have to pay an exorbitant fee to do so if we choose to do them ourselves. Continue reading →

Why is the question

A Good Reed Review Book Review , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

The Brutal Telling is book five of Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (of the Sûreté du Quebec) series, first released in 2010. Inspector Gamache and his team are back in Three Pines investigating a strange murder. This time, a body is found on the floor of the bistro owned by Olivier Brulé and Gabri Dubeau, and nobody appears to know who the victim was. Through the investigation, Gamache finds numerous inconsistencies, uncovers some deep seated animosities, and finds a cabin in the woods with treasures beyond comprehension. The murder victim apparently lived in the cabin, and as the investigation proceeds, it seems that despite his protestations to the contrary, Olivier knew him. Continue reading →

On the edge

A Good Reed Review Commentary & Pubs , , ,

By Ande Jacobson

Here I sit at my computer at the start of a very consequential week. I have much to be thankful for in my life, and I try to focus on the good things. My friends. My family. Even the state where I live. I have challenges as most of us do. In my case, I’ve been dealing with some serious medical issues all of my life, and they’ve gotten worse over the last several years. Even so, I’m still able to take care of myself and even provide an ear to my friends and family to discuss the things that concern us. Continue reading →