Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to review The Unlocking Season by Gail Bowen. I had not previously read her work, and despite this book being a part of a series, I did appreciate it. There were a lot of characters with history, so it did take me some time to understand who everyone was. Joanne was the FMC, a 60 year-old woman working on a script. Her brilliant writer friend died suddenly and appeared to be terrified, and Joanne was determined to solve the mystery. Twisty and interesting. Excellent narration!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and ECW Press for my copy of The Unlocking Season by Gail Bowen Narrated by Athena Karkanis in exchange for an honest review. It published September 1, 2020.
Although I jumped into this book so far into the series, the author did a pretty good job of giving enough context and background information to carry the story.
The narrator did a great job!

I went into this book not knowing it was part of a very long series. I was wondering why it was a little confusing and there were so many characters that Iwasn't sure about. I ended up DNFing it around 56%, but not because I wasn't enjoying it. They story itself was good and the narration was great. I only stopped because I know I can't give this story all the love and attention it deserves and Idon't have time to read the 13 or so prior books the understand all that is happening in this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review, I just wish I could better review it. I apologize for not realizing beforehand that it was a new addition to such a long series.

I found it a bit harder than usual to get into this book- mainly because it was the 14th (?i think 14th.... could be a few more or less) book in the series. So many characters with backstories it made it a bit difficult to follow. I enjoyed the narrator and all her tone inflections, was a nice touch for a change per character. This was a well written book & I'm going to have to track down some of her other work.
Thank you NetGalley for the audio book! :)

In my opinion, audiobooks can be very hot and cold. Not only does the story have to be solid but the narrator has to pull you into it just as your own imagination would if you were reading it in physical form. The narrator of The Unlocking Season fit the characters and kept me pulled into the story as it unfolded.

Book Review for The Unlocking Season by Gail Bowen
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

This is my first read of Gail Bowen's, and what a great introduction it was! I listened to the book via audiobook, and I really think the narration was great and added to the interpretation of the book greatly. This murder mystery-esque book had me hooked. I was both spooked and compelled. My only con is that I think this book would have been more special if I had read the previous in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press Audio for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book, I absolutely loved it. It really keeps you at the edge of your seat. I would recommend this book

I had never read anything by Gail Bowen before, including the previous 18 books in this series, so I feel like I was missing out on a lot of relevant backstory of these characters. I keep making this mistake, where I don't realize that a book is #10+ in a series! I found the characters and their relationships difficult to keep track of, but obviously, this would have been clarified had I read the rest of the series.

Lack of background aside, I found The Unlocking Season to be quite a compelling little murder mystery. I'm sure that fans of the Joanne Kilbourn series will love it. I am definitely interested in the storyline and have added the rest of the series to my TBR. Typically I would read the preceding books before writing a review, but 19 books is a pretty big time commitment! When I finally make my way through the series, I will update my review with a more relevant perspective.

I apologize that my review is not relevant to fans of the series, but it is always important to let new readers know that this book is just okay and a bit confusing as a standalone novel.

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

There was so much here. I think it was a good addition to the long running series. I don't know if it added much more. If you are a fan of the series, this is a must read. If you are a casual or new reader, that may be less so.

This is a very well-written and nicely narrated audiobook by a famous Canadian mystery author I had not yet tried. I really enjoy her writing and plotting, and the Canadian setting and history.

In this story, an unusual manner of death is presented (death from fear, basically) in the context of a television production. Its a really great hook and very nicely executed by both narrator and writer. I learned belatedly that this is book 19 of the Joanne Kilbourn series. I got the impression that a familiarity with the many characters from previous books would have helped a lot in following the plot along. I think I would have preferred to read the first book first (which I may still do - because I really like how Bowen writes) for this reason. As the plot unfolds and grows more complicated, it's a bit difficult for a first-time reader of the series to keep the many characters and their backstories straight. It would also have been nice to know more about Kilbourn going into this book. I did love the ideas addressed by the book, which covered not only murder and a potentially cursed TV production but also writer's block and a lot of interesting plot points if you are a creative type. (This book takes the idea of the "tortured artist" to the extreme, I'll say!)

In all, I felt this was a nice introduction to a good author I had not read before, but I would probably recommend reading the earlier books first to make it easier to follow the backstory of the characters involved. I glazed over a little bit when we went into storylines of characters I felt we did not get to know well enough in this book (which is a little hard when you are listening to an audiobook), but still enjoyed the story as a whole. Best for folks who like traditional potboilers and procedurals but also fun for people interested in the entertainment business. Very well-written and nice clear and well-acted narration.

3.5, rounded up to 4 because I think if I had read the books in order it would have been a 4.

The Unlocking Season

There is a season for everything. The Unlocking refers to a time of gradual change between the seasons. For example: days getting longer, snowfall lasting only a short period of time, Things most of us look forward to! In this title there is an unlocking of truth that happens before Joe’s dream becomes a reality. What I liked about this book is the rich description it gave to the setting. It takes place in Regina, a small town in Canada but much description is given to any new setting introduced in the book. There is a large cast of characters that I actually had to write all of their names down so I could keep them all straight. Especially with an audiobook, this helps me keep the characters and their connections straight. There was a lot of diversity in the book with gay and lesbian relationships, permisuity, drug and addiction issues, and females in important posititons.

In the Unlocking Joe is looking forward to the story of her family’s past being brought to the small screen. Her daughter’s girlfriend is one of the stars and her daughter, a talented young artist, is creating artwork for the series. Someone doesn’t want Sisters and Strangers to be brought to production. First Roy Brodnick, lead writer of the show, ends up dead after a mysterious episode of delirium. His death casts a shadow over the show's production that puts others motives into question. Was his death an accident or did it have anything to do with the producer’s money troubles? Will Joe be able to rest knowing that her family’s story will be brought to the screen with Roy’s vision or will she have to continue to battle more obstacles indefinitely?

This book held my interest but the old adage, don’t judge a book by its cove,r holds true here. I had anticipated something a little more dark and twisty from the title and cover of the book.It had a little bit of everything: mystery, romance, humor, and the entertainment scene. I give the book 3.5 /5 stars.

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 a higher gear quickly enough 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 penetrating the 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.

*Audiobook via NetGalley

(Instagram review soon at @saffron.hemlock )

Gail has written another great Joanne Kilborn mystery. She keeps you guessing the whole time and keeps you wanting to turn the page to find out what will happen next.
I listened to the audiobook of this one and the narrator was amazing with her voice. She changed her voice for all the different characters and did a great job of it.
If you are a fan of the series, you will enjoy this latest instalment. Joanne gives us more insight into her life when she was a teen and we find out more about Taylor’s birth mom, Sally, in this story.
Joanne has agreed to let a mini series about her younger life be filmed, but tragedy strikes when the producer ends up dead. The whole production seems to be cursed. Will they ever get to finish the project and honour Sally’s and Roy, the dead producers, memories?
#theunlockingseason, #netgallyaudio, #indigoemployee

Really enjoyed this sorry. I love Joanne a lot and will definitely be picking up more novels in this series. There’s something about reading books set in Canada that really grabs my attention. The audiobook was super easy to listen to even on 2x speed and the mystery kept me listening and finding things to do that allowed me to listen to audiobook.

The Unlocking Season is a thrilling Canadian mystery about the unexplained fate of the writer of a documentary TV show about the main character Joanne's family.

What drew me into this book is definitely its uniqueness - while mysteries and thrillers are usually my go-to, I've never read one which takes place in such unique Canadian settings. In addition, the main character Joanne is a 60-year-old whose family is the focus of a 6-part TV series, which is quite different from most mysteries these days. Indeed, I thought the author made the characters and settings come to life with her solid writing style which kept me glued to my earphones.

Speaking of which, I got this one as an audiobook which is a great choice with Athena Karkanis's well-paced narration. It kept my interest throughout, and it was definitely one of those books where you just want to get through one more chapter right then.

The one drawback is the complex cast of characters, meaning you sure have to pay attention not to get lost. But it's not a huge deal because the Publisher actually provides a really nice graphic character guide on their website.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Unlocking Season by Gail Bowen was an interesting story. I found the beginning a little slow to start, the overall story kept me engaged, and I thought the ending wrapped up nicely. I think this novel would have been more enjoyable if I had read the rest in the series first but not necessary.

Athena Karkanis had a very easy voice to listen to. I thought some of her voices could be a little more distinctive, but overall, not bad.

I would rate this 3.5 overall. I enjoyed it, but I did not love it. I may or may not pick up other books from the series, in the future.

I received an advanced audiobook from ECW Press Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Unfortunately, I found myself at a disadvantage with this audio. Not realizing it was book 19 of a 19 book series, I found the list of characters and their relationships rather daunting. While well written, the pace was rather slow and I found the narrator to be a bit off putting when she voiced a male character. This book should be read after the others in the series as there is just too much history missed if read as a stand alone.

This was my first introduction to this series. The cover is beautiful and the title was interesting, so I gave it a go.

This book might be fantastic if you’ve read the rest of the series, but unlike a lot of good series (DI Gina Harte, DI Helen Grace, Agent Maggie O’Dell, Rizzoli & Isles, Mike Bowditch....) the books in this series clearly can’t stand alone. There were way to many characters and way too many relationships, way too much backstory, and I struggled because I couldn’t tell how much of would end up actually being relevant.

I have often stumbled upon an interesting looking book that turned out to be the middle or end of a series and loved them enough to go back and read the rest in order, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I would be very interested in reading reviews from long time fans to see if it’s worth starting from Book 1.