Harvest of Lies - A Review

 Review

HARVEST OF LIES by Marta Kowal
The Second Paczek Lane Mystery 

It's summertime and the Polish town of Miłosław is gearing up for Dożynki, the harvest festival. Lena Mazur has acclimated to the town she now calls home and is happy running Cukiernia Babci Zosi. Busy baking pączki, she's told that a film crew will be arriving to create an episode of Hidden Poland and her bakery will be featured. Fortunately, the crew is small and the producer charming...too charming. Though he asks about the bakery and food, he proceeds to inquire about the unfortunate events of the fall. Though Lena guides the conversation back to the pączki she's unsettled, especially after learning he's been asking pointed questions to others as well. Is Piotr making a charming film about the delights of Miłosław or is he trying to uncover a sordid past? 

I absolutely love this series and enjoy seeing the seasons change in Miłosław. In the second Paczek Lane Mystery we get to enjoy a late summer festival and the possibility of a television show highlighting the town. What the townsfolk get is subterfuge and someone's downfall. I appreciate the details about Dożynki and I was enthralled by the ancient traditions. I also enjoy seeing Lena and Jakub's relationship grow. 

HARVEST OF LIES shows the complexity that is the Poland. A bucolic countryside has hidden depths including some unpleasant truths. But, no matter the problems, the people gather together in strength and solidarity.  I love the addition of Polish language to the text and smiled when I saw the glossary, something I recommended after I read the first book. If I smiled when I saw that I was grinning when I read the epilogue wherein Pyza, the cat, summarizes the story.

HARVEST OF LIES is more that just a finely crafted mystery, its prose is lyrical in nature capturing the beauty of the country and the importance of relationships. 

Traditions, humor, and plenty of pączki along with a finely wrought mystery make HARVEST OF LIES a captivating story I couldn't put down.