The Nesting Dolls [Paperback]

Murders seem to find Joanne Kilbourn regardless of what career she's pursuing at the moment. An unlikely detective, she'd rather spend time with her grandchildren or make porridge, but duty calls.

I have mixed feelings about Gale Bowen's latest book, The Nesting Dolls. I've become pickier over the years about the fiction I read and if I am not hooked by page twenty or so, I don't see much reason to continue the book. Since we discovered Gale Bowen's books on a trip to Vancouver years ago, we have hunted down and read every one of her mysteries. The Nesting Dolls kept me reading eagerly to the very end.

On the other hand, I have become less picky about endings. If questions were left unanswered or the main plot points weren't resolved, then I felt my time had been wasted and I would be annoyed with the author. These days though, if a novel keeps me reading to the end, I am willing to overlook a few loose ends.

The appeal of the Bowen books is the political nature of the mysteries, and the Canadian-ness of the stories. The books are aimed at a Canadian audience, so there are no explanations of the Canadian legal system or education system. It's assumed that you are familiar with them. It's a fun way for someone in the US to learn a little about Canada. It's not just big topics like law and politics that are different north of the border - even little things like Timbits and toques and poutine are mysterious at first.

The books have become less political over the years, but they still work somehow. The Nesting Dolls is about a child given up for adoption twenty-seven years ago and what happens when she discovers who her biological parents are. There's a death, apparently a murder, and a ton of questions that can only be answered with some real detective work. Or luck. It seems that Joanne's investigative talent is often just being in the right place at the right time.

I thought I had figured out what the big secret was about halfway through the book, and since I never guess correctly in murder mysteries, I was quite astounded to find I was right. That would be okay - figuring out the end of a murder mystery is not necessarily a spoiler. But there were a couple of unanswered questions at the end and in a strange move, Bowen seemed to try to undo the big twist.

Joanne Kilbourn fans will enjoy catching up with the family and riding shotgun with Joanne on another mystery. New readers might be better off starting the series with an earlier novel, such as Verdict in Blood or A Killing Spring.

Christmas in Regina, Saskatchewan, takes a sinister turn that involves academic Joanne Kilbourn (married to successful lawyer Zach Shreve) in a mystery surrounding a baby and his missing mother.

Delia Wainberg, one Zack's law partners, gave up a child for adoption at the beginning of her career. When her adopted parents die, Delia's daughter Abigail, a new mother herself, decides to find her biological mother. At first she only asks for medical information that might someday be necessary for her and her baby, Jacob.

Later she gives Jacob to Delia's teenage daughter Isobel and disappears. The next day, Abigail's murdered body is found in her car. Delia's lover Nadine refuses to believe Abigail didn't want her to raise Jacob and prepares to bring a lawsuit against Delia for custody.

Reading a new book in this long running series is like visiting a friend. This is one of my favorite series and I recommend it to mystery lovers.

Fantastic, intriguing mystery, further fleshing out the lives and characters in Joanne Kilbourn's lives, with the local touches for Regina/Saskatchewan residents. Can't wait for the next one!