The Unlocking Season: A Joanne Kilbourn Mystery

A Joanne Kilbourn Mystery #19

by Gail Bowen

Arthur Ellis Award-winning author Grand Master Award of Crime Writers of Canada (2018) The “queen of Canadian crime fiction” ( Winnipeg Free Press ) returns with the 19th installment in the Joanne Kilbourn series that is perfect for readers of Louise Penny, Ruth Rendell, and Peter Robinson. On a Saturday bright with harbingers of spring, Joanne Kilbourn-Shreve, her husband, Zack, and their family prepare to celebrate the season. Joanne’s life is full, and at 60, she has been given the chance to understand a part of her history that for years was shrouded in secrecy. Living Skies is producing Sisters and Strangers , a six-part TV series about the tangled relationships between the families of Douglas Ellard, the father who raised Joanne, and Desmond Love, her biological father. Joanne is working on the script with Roy Brodnitz, a brilliant writer and friend. The project’s future seems assured, but before the script is completed, Brodnitz disappears while scouting locations in northern Saskatchewan. Hours later, he’s found ― sweat-drenched, clawing at the ground, and muttering gibberish. He dies in a state of mortal terror.  Heartsick and perplexed, Joanne resolves to learn what happened in the last hours of Roy’s life. What Joanne discovers threatens Brodnitz’s legacy, and the decision about whether or not to reveal the truth is hers to make. The Unlocking Season is another deeply satisfying and thought-provoking novel from one of Canada’s finest crime writers.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Canada, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Adult Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2020

About the author

Gail Dianne Bowen (née Bartholomew) is a Canadian playwright and writer of mystery novels. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bowen was educated at the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo and the University of Saskatchewan. She subsequently taught English in Saskatchewan, and is currently a professor of English at First Nations University of Canada. Bowen's mystery novels feature Joanne Kilbourn, a widowed mother, political analyst and university professor who finds herself occasionally involved in criminal investigations in various parts of Saskatchewan. Many have been adapted as Canadian television movies by Shaftesbury Films.

Series:
* Joanne Kilbourn Mystery

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Novel (1995): A Colder Kind of Death

Reviews

[Nicola Stevenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this hard to read & review. I was at a disadvantage as this is the 14th book in this series & I found the list of characters and their relationships hard to keep track of. While it was well-written, I found it slow moving & boring. If you are are a fan of this series, I think you will enjoy it, but it was just not for me.

Thanks to ECW Press & NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with the many other reviewers who didn't care for this book. I found this book on the Libby app, and nowhere does it mention that it is part of a series. Having not read the other books, I struggled to understand who the characters were and how they fit into the story. The sheer number of characters was also a problem. Most of the time, I struggled to keep them straight, and often, the characters weren't all that important and could have been left out.

The premise of the story, the development of a limited TV series about the main character Joanne's life, showed promise. But the parts that interested me appeared to have happened in a previous book and therefore were not fully explained.

I will say kudos to the author for portraying a woman at 60 who has a full and interesting life. Women in this age range are often stuck in the kitchen washing dishes for the entire story. If they have a plotline at all, it tends to center around their foolishness, and they are rarely main characters.

I'm open to trying another story by this author, but I think I will start with book #1.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. This is, quite possibly, the largest load of self-righteous b*llsh*t I have ever seen an author try to pack into one novel.

The main two characters, the writer and her lawyer husband, are so completely perfect, that despite their perfectly crafted flaws, they react perfectly when faced with every single adversity. They are surrounded by a perfect family, who despite their own perfect flaws and adversities, worship the couple as the perfect pillars of the community they believe themselves to be.

Which is why it's so baffling when an employee commits an act of violence against another employee, but is not immediately terminated? Since the lawyer husband has annointed himself as the interim manager of the company, (because, apparently he's the best person for the job?) you would think ridding the company of a violent employee would be first on the list. Nope. I laughed out loud when, near the end, the lawyer gives a self-righteous speech on the cause & effect of this violent employee's actions. I kept thinking "This lawyer may want to stop talking and get himself a lawyer for the wrongful death lawsuit he is about to face." Instead, his perfect family gifts him a perfect piece of expensive art, because he is such a perfect, upstanding father and leader. (Did I mention he also retains an employee who drugged another employee?) Unbelievable.
I also kept thinking "They can forget about this TV show being made, because no one will ever want work with this group of bumbling idiots, and their mismanaged production company, ever again."

It was also quite vomit-inducing to hear the author continuously describe the relationship between a 40-year-old pedophile and his 14-year-old victim as "lovers". Disgusting and, in my opinion, unforgivable.

This author does a very poor job of trying to push her characters as admirable, while continuously shrugging off their offensive actions.

Finally, there are so many unnecessary characters in this novel, they are practically coming out of the (perfect shade of) woodwork. It got to the point where I started to laugh out loud whenever a new, unnecessary character would pop up. Why is the author, literally, introducing at least four new characters in the very last chapter of the book? It's simply maddening!

Overall, this is an just an absolute hot mess of a novel. I couldn't wait for it to end.

[Beverly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a disappointment. The writing was stilted and padded. If you give characters double barrelled surnames and then use those names every time you refer to the characters you can fill up a lot of space without adding anything to the mystery or the story. This is part of a series, and does not easily read as a stand-alone. The first chunk of the book is taken up reviewing the history and the characters before anything much happens, and then the story plods along. With the last two books I read I had enjoyed the locations - this time around, even that couldn't save things.

[Sherry Monger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am disappointed in this Gail Bowen offering....and I am a fan. The first chapter was mired in the introduction of too many characters and the remaining chapters were clogged in historical references and in reviewing past relationships. In my opinion, the storyline could have been cleaner...it should not have relied so heavily on catching the reader up on the constellation of characters.

[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was such a thrown together mess. You could tell even the editor was bored because it was full of typos and errors.

[Cmw · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for the nostalgia I have for Saskatchewan and enjoyed the Ernie Lindner references immensely. However the book was like a high school party where everyone knew each other and I didn’t know a soul, so I felt confused and left out of so much of the plot and story I really didn’t enjoy it. I guess if I’d read each of her books in order, I would belong, but I haven’t so most of the drama and angst and numerous character and past references were lost on me.

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most disappointing installment in this series yet. Good for so long, I’m afraid Joanna Kilbourne’s adventures have run their course for me. Less than a third of the way in I was already at a point where I could care less about the characters, about the plot and about coming to the solution of a very underwhelming mystery.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't expect to understand this book! Too much back story. It appears one has to read them in order!

[Kimberly-Dawn Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read this author and was left thinking how did I miss such a great and prolific author? This is a very good murder mystery with well developed characters, family and friends with a history and a mystery storyline that keeps you guessing without giving you whiplash.

It stood up well on its own although I may have rewound once or twice but was never floundering or lost in this book that is placed far into a long running series. I still became very invested in the characters without reading the previous books. It is such a well written mystery with excellent character development that I do however recommend reading at least most of the 18 books in this series.
There are A LOT of characters in this book so it took me a minute to get them straight. At no time was that ever the Narrators fault who did an outstanding job. It was more of me playing catch-up, like being introduced to a lot of people at party all at once. I requested a copy of the book and freely recommend it. It could also fit well under the sub-genre “Women’s Mystery”. #NetGalley

[Marianne Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book in this wonderful series. Once again, Bowen makes us feel as if Joanne is our dear friend. In framing the action around routine scenes such as breakfast with her husband, Easter egg-painting with her grandchildren or taking her dogs for walks, we develop a warm relationship with this woman. The story is complicated but the resolution she slowly presents pulls everything together. I enjoyed the way Bowen explained the many roles in the production of the TV series. Gained a deeper understanding of the complexity. Also appreciated the artistic references to Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. The significance of the title as explained in Chapter 10 was noteworthy. Once again, thank you Gail Bowen. A great read.

[Janet Dunkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I have enjoyed reading many of Ms Bowen’ either books, I didn’t really dig this one, for two reasons. One, it needed too much explanation of past people and issues, making it confusing to read. And two, the author seems to have a constant hate on for Christians. They are always “unctuous” or “oily” and either are the bad guy or enable them in some way.
I won’t be reading any more of her novels.

[Lisa Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

So boring! I can’t believe I read the whole thing. Takes place in Canada where a movie series is being shot. People associated with the project start dying. No who dunnit. You are told immediately it’s a rival producer behind the trouble and he winds up killed on the end. Just awful

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book and author because it was available while I was waiting on other holds to release.
Even though it's a story that is part of a series, I was able to jump in and have no questions. I understood the characters right away. The plot right away. And really enjoyed the twists and turns of this story. I also like how it was set on a tv series production set, something that I never knew much about. I'm happy with this little stumble into Gail Bowen. Perhaps I'll see what else she has in store.

[Gloria VanDyke-Dean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can add no additional negative comments to what has already been said. I also can't get back the time I wasted reading this hot mess!

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love this book. I’ve read every one in the series and the last couple didn’t win my heart. In this volume, there was too much going on and I couldn’t follow all the characters clearly. Plus, there were so many references to characters and events in previous books, I felt like I needed to refer back to them for clarification. I suspect I will always read the latest book in this series, but I’m less enchanted with each one.

[J.E. Barnard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canadian Grand Master of Crime Gail Bowen turns in a tour-de-force with The Unlocking Season, the nineteenth entry in her Joanne Kilbourn series.

'Unlocking' here refers not only to solving the crimes both large and small that occur, but to unlocking long-buried memories and emotions from Joanne's youth. She's acting as a script consultant for a documentary series about the decades-long intertwining of her family’s superficially serene life with the decidedly un-peaceful life of that notorious artistic dynasty, the Love family.

The documentary opens on a flashback, a young Joanne and her best friend Sally Love, on a raft at a lake where they'd spent so many golden summers. Longtime series fans will recall what happened during that last idyllic summer: an event that changed all their lives forever, and built relationships between the characters that endure, deepen, and sometimes tragically end during succeeding novels.

As the documentary script comes together, much is revealed or revisited from the earliest books, arising gracefully in conversation and inner monologues, punctuated by the sights, sounds, and aromas of life in a large, loving, multi-generational family. Series regulars make appearances, catching the longtime fan up on developments in the lives of family members and friends. For new readers, trying to keep track of all the characters mentioned in the early chapters could be challenging, however Bowen does her usual exemplary quick sketches delineating the family connections and their historical significance, and as rapidly lets us know which characters are leaving the stage and which will be key players in this particular volume.

The plot kicks into high gear once the chief scriptwriter is found wandering, dazed and delusional, after a location-scouting trip to a renowned photographer's island cabin. More troubles pile up, pointing to larger issues in the writer'slife, and soon the whole show is in jeopardy.
The efforts of Joanne and the production people to get the documentary back on track are a jointly a foray into the mysteries of television production and a slow-build corkscrew penetratingthe messy personal and business relationships of cast members and production crew. Tempers flare. Disagreements spiral into destruction. Nobody knows who to trust as the tension thickens on-set and off. The stage is set for a conflagration that may destroy the production as well as the people.

As a longtime reader of the series, I'm easily drawn back into worrying for my favourite characters, especially Taylor Love, daughter of the ill-fated Sally, whose life I have followed with a whole heart for nearly two decades now. I also particularly enjoy the author's attention to sensory details: the repeat appearances of forsythia outside the window where Joanne rests her eyes and mind, The swath of Prussian Blue silk enfolding us in Joanne’s memories of a woman she both adored and feared. The meals that tantalize your tastebuds. Most particularly the paintings done by Sally Love and her father Desmond; these fictional images form the backbone of many scenes in the series. In this book they are deliberately placed to inspire, reflect, and add layers of meaning for both characters and readers as the complex plot yields up its secrets one shattered lock at a time.

A word about the narration: at first the narrator seems too young for Joanne at sixty, but her characterization grew on me and the female characters were easy to distinguish from each other. The masculine voices were less successfully differentiated and somewhat flat-sounding in terms of emotional tone.

This novel is highly recommended as either a fitting continuance or an introduction to this long-running series.

[Kristyn Schrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of Gail Bowen's book I have read however, this is book #19 in the Joanne Kilbourne Mysteries. I actually really enjoyed this mystery, it had some good twists and turns and had me wanting more. What was interesting was the mix of family drama and mystery as Joanne was helping write a screen-play based on her life and her friend's when they were young. There were a lot of characters to keep track of but if you've read some of the other novels I feel like you wouldn't be as lost sometimes. However, I feel like you can read this as a standalone story as the mystery was presented and solved within the book.

I love that this book was written by a Canadian Author and was set in Canada, it is always fun being able to recognize places and support local!

I will definetly be keeping my eyes out for others in the series to get to know Joanne and her family so much better!

Thank you ECW Press for this review copy, all opinions are my own.

[Anneb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me - I realised when I walked out of the room to attend to something and didn't pause. Narrators should also understand they don't have to put on a lower voice to sound male; it just makes them sound like a comedian sending up stupid youths.

[Nowhere Ma'am · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook. I had never heard of this series before and it was the only one available through my library's Libby app. I had thought that if I liked it, I would go back and try to find the others. I will not be going back to try and find the others.

After reading Sarah's review, I decided to join goodreads because pretty much everything she said about this book was exactly how I felt about it. But I was unable to add a comment to her review, so go and read what she said if you're curious.

If this is a mystery, there is none. I had figured out who did it and why by the halfway point because the "clues" were so bloody obvious it was like being hit upside the head with a dead fish.

I can't remember at what point it was, but it was pretty early on, that I twigged on to the fact that main characters are all perfect. No matter what happens, they have the perfect answer for everything. Nothing truly upsets them or unsettles them or even makes them need to pause and take a breath to collect themselves for a moment. They never yell or swear or well... anything. Your 18 year old daughter (who is apparently an amazing artist and has been selling her work professionally in galleries for years, what?) is moving in with her semi-famous also teenaged actress girlfriend? Well, must be time to give them their own apartment! Of course. As the main character says "it will be the perfect first home for you both." Right. Because all parents everywhere do exactly that for their children and all teenage relationships last forever.

Aside from just how perfectly the main characters behave, which was seriously nauseating, the language the characters use had me saying out loud "no one talks like this." I may have even shouted it at one point I was so fed up.

I was thisclose to starting a "said" count because despite using the weirdest polysyllabic words at the strangest times as dialogue, the author apparently needs a thesaurus for the word "said." I said, he said, she said. Couldn't you use a few "he replied" or "she asked" or "I agreed" just to break up the monotony? Apparently not.

There was so much detail about interior decoration and farms and relationships and dog walking and completely irrelevant stuff that often got repeated (most of which I found boring) that did not add to the main narrative. It's like the author knew on some level that there was no mystery to this mystery and decided to try and hide that fact with pointless rambling.

Maybe the first book in this series is amazing because there are 19 of them and that doesn't just happen. But I have no desire to find out.

[Indydriven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joanne Kilbourn-Shreve is now 60 years old and a television series is being filmed in her home city, Regina, Saskatchewan. It will chronicle the life of the Ellard family (Joanne’s family tree) and the Love family, in particular, Joanne’s half sister, Sally Love. Before the scripts are completed however, the writer dies in an unnerving manner. The plot focuses on what happened to the writer and what will happen to the television series – is it now in jeopardy? As always, the author pays a special emphasis on Joanne’s relationships with her husband, children and grandchildren.

Something readers should keep in mind is that this is the 19th book in the Kilbourn series and while some books in long-running series can be read as standalones, in my opinion, this is not one of them. This series is not only very character driven, but in particular, this book contains many characters and at times a score card would come in handy. If you are not familiar with Gail Bowen’s writing, I believe that this book would prove to be frustrating for readers new to the series.

One of the many things I admire about Bowen’s writing is her ability to move the protagonist forward. She has Joanne age naturally and the reader has been along on Joanne’s life progression from a widow with young children, to being married again, to grandmother and now empty nester.

As long as Gail wants to keep writing this series, I am interested in reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy.

[Virginia Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although happy with her life at 60, Joanne Kilbourn-Shreve finds herself caught up in the production of a six-part TV series based on the complex and tragic life of artist Sally Love, Joanne's childhood friend and the mother of her adopted daughter Taylor. Joanne is involved in writing the script in partnership with Roy Brodnitz, a brilliant and creative friend. Then, after a trip to scout locations in northern Saskatchewan, Brodnitz is hallucinating and muttering gibberish, dying of what appears to be mortal terror. Joanne is determined to find out what happened to Roy before he died and to prevent the take over of the show by an unscrupulous New York producer.

This is a gentle book full of details of the life of Joanne and her family. However, while this richly imagined life is the strength of the series, it is also starting to become a liability as Joanne's family life is now so complex that much of the book is spent recapping and updating the background. To be really enjoyed, this series must be read in chronological order.

[Pietavandyke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish the book. I wanted to like it, as I've enjoyed earlier books in the series. With this one, there are a lot of characters introduced at the beginning of the book. Many of them were, I guess, introduced in earlier books and I had to figure out how they fit in. The premise of the book is that Joanne is consulting with the makers of a TV documentary series about her life. It just didn't seem plausible to me that she would be so immersed in the production. There is a mystery about the death of one of the characters, and a suspicious fire, but it got to the point that I just didn't care what happened to any of them. So its going back to the library.

[Jeanne Thompson]

I was very disappointed in this book. I had read several Gail Bowen (Joanne Kilbourn novels) many years ago and, because this was recently written, assumed that it would be even better than the earlier ones. Unfortunately I found that I didn't care at all about the great number of family members and others described in too much detail. I only read about half of the book and put it aside and it didn't bother me a bit not knowing what had happened to the person who died early in the novel.

[Cybercrone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good read from Canada's Agatha Christie.
This one featured conspiracy and corruption in the film industry.
This is not really a book that would do well without some prior reading of the series - preferably the whole series. Even just since I read the previous book it took me a while to get caught up and remember who certain characters were, as there are a lot of them.

[Petra Willemse · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you write a series, then the books have to either be clearly not related to each other or you need to have a clear way to recap. Unfortunately this was not the case here. The "filling in" sections were bizarrely expository and didactic and removed me from the story. The mystery was also not all that mysterious. Bleh.

[Not Even A Mouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the story through the Libby app. Maybe because I was listening while doing other things, it made it very complicated to keep up with all the many different people and their drama. I ended up fasting forwarding through the last half of the story to get to the conclusion…. which was not exciting.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book irritated me so much that when I got to the resolution I just stopped listening (audiobook) even though there were 2 chapters left. Constant literary and historical quotes and extravagant ways of speaking, it was so hard to connect with the story and the characters.

[Rachel Holierhoek · Rating 1 out of 5]

Excruciating pace. Vapid. Insipid.

[VP · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 is pretty generous.

I read the first book a couple of months ago, and just listened to this one now. Both were Available Now options from my library.

In both, there are too many people. I don't normally mind a large cast of characters, but in the first book and this one (20 years after the first) they're written like I am supposed to know them already. Is it to demonstrate that Joanne is very popular?

I don't think I even like Joanne. To me she's like Scarpetta, written as too good to be true. And a busy body.

I recently tried (and DNFed) Tom Hanks' book about making a movie, as it turns out I am not at all interested in movie-making. Alas, it turns out I care even less about TV series-making.

I have no idea of the story between Joanne and her sister, and why she is raising the child. Is (? I've blanked on her name) Zach's kid, as ? Calls Joanne 'Jo' and Zach 'Dad'. Even in book one it felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story.

In book 1, Meike (sp?) goes off to college at 18, and shares a rented place with her boyfriend. This time, ? (Taylor?) shares a place with her girlfriend, but instead they're gifted a spectacular loft that they almost turn down. 'Our first home' it is said, as if 18 year olds stay together forever. Gag.

Obviously I didn't like this book. I understand why others have.

For the audiobook, the narrators voice was too young. And all the other sounds she made, men, younger people, were jsut terrible. The mature-enough-to-live-together 18 years olds were made to sound like 7 yo kids. The men, terrible. I want these book just to be read. No extra voices please.