I loved this series so much that I immediately dove into the next book! I am so glad I did, these characters are awesome and the writing is amazing. I am going to have to read her entire backlog of books now, without question.

This author gets to the heart of the matter in a way that I really like - it isn't super direct nor is it too circuitous. It's the perfect mix and I am here for it. Again, she really does a great job of dealing with mental illness, emotional trauma, and disability. She normalizes all of it as just a part of the whole but at the same time doesn't trivialize, infantilize, or make you pity the character. Such a refreshing take.

I now have to add ANOTHER series to my list of series I am reading and begin at the start so that I can truly get to know the characters!

#TheWinnersCircle
#GailBowen
#NetGalley

The Winners' Circle by Gail Bowen is a great mystery. I loved the imagery the author wrote, especially of the lake home. I could envision so many details. The characters appealed to me as well. I loved how the story had red herrings. Athena Karkanis did a great job performing the book. She added the right emotions to her voice. Thank you #NetGalley and #Bespeak Audio Editions for letting me review this book. I really enjoyed it.

I found this okay, I struggle a bit with the narration and I am not overly engaged in the story but it was a pleasant enough listen.

I was given an advance copy of the audio by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review ***

The lawyers of Falconer-Shreve and their families are about to have their lives rocked to their core by a triple homicide that will expose secrets and change their lives forever.

The 17th novel in the Joanne Kilbourne series follows the familiar formula, with same cast. Having enjoyed the previous novel greatly, I found this one to be a little lacking. Still a good read/listen but not one of her best.

Again, I will start with saying I have not read all of the previous books in this series, just the last one and I really enjoyed that one. This one is really different from that one. This one concentrates on the law practice of Falconer-Shreve. Joanne and Zack always have all the partners to their cottage for Thanksgiving out to Lawyer Bay and this year was no different, however, now they are making plans for bring on more partners to strengthen their practice. What has been a contentious plan, one of the suggestions was passed over at first but then ultimately rescinds and passes. But wait, there is a triple homicide and the partners, minus Zack who was home sick, and all killed. Twists and turns and this one kept me listening when I should have been working (but I multitask) and I could not put this one down until I was done.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an ARC of The Winners' Circle.

Astonishingly, Ms Bowen manages to combine a Canadian story, handicapped hero, a long series of interesting themes and mysteries, and family stories that, if one reads the series, grow year after year as the members' age.
It's very impressive. I should also say that these people are NICE and there are many nice quotes. One being: "each one of us is better than our worse mistake." I have quoted that to many friends.

I'm not sure where in the series this book is. I've read several. Audiobooks have been recorded of several of the books recently and it's hard to know which order these new recordings are in. However, it doesn't matter. Each one of these is easily stand-alone.

The stories are told from the perspecitive of Joanne (Jo), wife of Zach, the now Mayor of Resida which I believe is a fictional place in Canada. Zach is wheelchair bound, extremely active politcally and every other way, and a loving husband and father. He lends much of the wisdom in the books. He is also a partner in a law firm that has five partners. In this book, we learn that they call themselves The Winners' Circle. This book revolves around the partners, the founding of the law firm, how one can work their way into partnership, and the resentments that have grown over the years. There is indeed a murder or two but, as is usually true of Ms. Bowen's books, it is the relationships that star in this book.

I really like and enjoy this series. I plan to read as many as I can and I recommend them--especially as audio books while walking. The narrator is excellent and a good narrator is a must to enjoy an audio book.

I am afraid that this book didn’t grab me and had I had anything else to listen to I probably wouldn’t have finished it. However, I did listen on and it was ok. I enjoyed the culture mix with the Native American input but found the story slow and shallow. I won’t let this put me off though as I have another book by the same author to try

I have now listened to 5 books in this series and they have definitely grown on me
Normally I love a good psychological thriller and the number of murders that affects this family and the town of Regina in Canada would have me moving towns

That said Book 17 of the Joanne Kilbourn series by Gail Bowen: is full of mystery I don't find these stories gripping but have started to enjoy the stories enough to move through them very quickly

I do find the family life of the Kilbourn's sickly sweet but don't let that deter you as the more I listen to this series I recognise the characters and know so much of the history I look forward to the next book