Customer Reviews

The Fifth Season: A Novel of Suspense

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When I can read a novel straight through in one or two sittings, something special is going on. I usually like to savor literature, sleep on it, come back to it. But there are novels that simply demand a lot of attention and are worth of every minute of it. THE FIFTH SEASON is one of those novels.

As other reviewers have pointed out, Hector Bellevance is really the heart and soul of the book, which is great, since he brings a clear, well-defined, and imminently likeable voice to the narrative. Alongside Bellevance is a cast of characters who are at points quirky, caring, brutal and treacherous-but always human. Bredes skillfully weaves the stories of these Vermonters into a tale that, as my bleary eyes can attest to, pulled me along to its powerfully realized, but devastating, conclusion.

That is not to say that FIFTH SEASON is not without its faults. Bellevance at times seems a little too precious, even for a Harvard graduate (did we really need to know about the morning cantaloupe?). Of course, Bredes adds these touches consciously, heightening the tension and contrast between Bellevance and his nemeses, who are decidedly more gritty.

In the end, Bredes is a skilled, canny writer, who has managed the rare feat of crafting a truly literary thriller. I look forward to watching Bellevance develop, and can't wait to see what sleepy Tipton has in store next.

Hector Bellevance is an irresistible hero: he is bright, stoical, and attractive; there is a tragic accident in his past about which he behaved honorably; he is divorced and seeing another woman but may still love his former wife. He was terrific in Cold Comfort; he is even more so in The Fifth Season.

The Fifth Season has a lot going for it. For one thing, it has a riveting plot, clever and suspenseful and thoroughly satisfying. Second, it has real characters who are vital, believable, and unusual. One of particular interest is Marcel Boisvert, descended from the first Abenaki landholders in the valley in northern Vermont where the novel takes place. Third, it gives the reader a wonderful sense of Vermont, the topography, the customs, the way of life. Hector grew up in Vermont and knows everyone in Tipton. Finally, the language is superb--literate, lovely, and lithe.

This is novel everyone will enjoy reading and talking about. In addition to action, it gives the reader lots to think about--and a yen for the next in the series.

This book was hard to put down. There's a special sense of violation when multiple murders blast a peaceful Vermont village, but as the wise and awful depths of this fast-moving story show us, the seeds of angry violence are always there, here, hiding and waiting to bloom.

Constable Hector Bellevance is a big quiet guy who grows organic tomatoes and throws a mean right. He's a one-time Harvard basketball player and short-time Boston cop who just wants to be a nice guy with a pick-up truck and a girlfriend, but he keeps stepping in blood.

Through concise vivid details of daily life, Bredes puts the reader swiftly in his reluctant hero's shoes. A few pages into the book I found myself with a couple of victims on my hands and the threat of being killed by my wife because I couldn't get out of The Fifth Season to do my pruning and window-cleaning. A few pages from the end of the book I was sorry it was going to end. When's volume three in the Bellevance saga coming?

This book should be made into a movie. I've lived in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont (the setting for this story) for the past year, and the cinematography alone would make this explode on the big screen. But the book has so much more: it's entertaining to say the least, but it also gave me pause to think about my own values and how I interact with others. Can't ask much more of a book than that.

Bredes does a terrific job of providing thorough introductions to his many intriguing characters, concurrently giving us an intimate description of each setting - and amazingly, he does this while keeping up the intense pace that kept me glued to each page. And what characters! You don't have to live in the NEK to recognize some of the peculiarities of these folk, but it helps. And if you find yourself wondering how people can behave this way, consider the movie "Fargo" a few years ago - similar setting, similar quirky personalities. And always, something in just about every character that makes you smile and nod.

He does mystery well; things are seldom what we think they are in this story, just as in real life. I frequently found myself identifying with the characters, being drawn down the same paths as they were, and then being as surprised as they were at how events unfolded.

I'm a mystery fan and I read this book in less than 24 hours. I started on a Friday night, and was so into the spookiness of it and so cognizant of the setting, that at one point I did a double take - I thought I saw someone moving past my window!

This book is the second of two (so far) featuring the same setting and characters - the first is "Cold Comfort". But don't feel you have to read that one first - I didn't, and I never had the feeling that I did not have enough information. This story is complete in itself. On the other hand, I'm eager to read the prequel - just because I had such a good time with this one.

Do yourself a favor - wrap yourself around this book ASAP. And write to your favorite producer. This story begs for a film adaptation.

I wish that Don Bredes wrote more frequently. It has been a number of years since his excellent COLD COMFORT was published; the wait between that and THE FIFTH SEASON, his new novel, was almost excruciating. Still, I am reminded while reading THE FIFTH SEASON that good, even wonderful, things come to those who wait, and who wait with patience. Fair enough.

THE FIFTH SEASON heralds the return of Hector Bellevance, ensconced in his job as the town constable of Tipton, Vermont, a post that at times seems to carry more ceremony than actual authority. Bellevance is adjusting to the aftermath of the events in COLD COMFORT, which saw him leave his position as a Boston policeman under a cloud, while his wife left him as well, confessing a longstanding affair and leaving him in doubt of the paternity of the child he thought was his. Bellevance's time since then has been quietly but satisfyingly filled by going about his assigned law enforcement duties, growing vegetables to sell at a farmer's market to supplement his income, and dating Wilma Strong, the star reporter for the local paper.

But this semi-idyllic existence is shattered when Marcel Boisvert, an eccentric and contrary town father, apparently goes berserk when served a peace order sworn out by his wife Shirley. The county sheriff and town clerk are murdered in the aftermath and it is left to Bellevance, with the aid of the county sheriff's department, to find Boisvert and protect Shirley, who seems to be his ultimate target. But Boisvert has seemingly vanished without a trace, and it becomes the opinion of at least some of the investigators that Bellevance, among a literal host of others, should be a suspect in the killings.

Bredes's plotting in this regard, particularly in the final two thirds of the book, is so brilliant that it might well bring tears to your eyes. As law enforcement, including Bellevance, stumble through the possibilities, the reader is left with the sensation that the murderer could well be literally anyone. This creates a level of tension that builds, slowly but surely and exquisitely, throughout THE FIFTH SEASON, without strain or drain. There are legitimate reasons to suspect everyone, and when all is ultimately revealed and long simmering grudges and quiet feuds are revealed to the light of day, the ultimate culprit is a plausible one as well.

Bellevance may not be the smartest cop in fiction, that largest of precincts, but he is certainly one of the most quietly likable and believable. He makes mistakes --- at one point he tromps, albeit unknowingly, in his stocking feet through a pool of blood, and occasionally he is afflicted with tunnel vision --- but his innate and deep sense of decency as well as his doggedness ultimately hold him true. His romantic life is a bit of a mess --- but whose isn't? --- and by the end of THE FIFTH SEASON it appears that more changes are in store for him.

Hopefully we will not have to wait several years for Bredes's next effort. If we do, however, it no doubt will be worth it. This is a highly recommended work by an author who is woefully under-appreciated.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

The story chronicles an extraordinary week in the life of Constable Heck Bellevance, retired Boston cop, now living in the small Vermont town of his childhood. All of our senses are evoked along with Bellevance's as he explores the mystery of multiple murders in a land rich in the heritage of native America. The multi-layered plot is brilliant, and the solution is shocking yet perfectly believable. The unforgettable characters live and breathe long past the last page. If you are looking for a fast-paced formula mystery, this is not the book. If you appreciate savoring the work of a gifted writer, you will enjoy The Fifth Season.

A slow read, but I always enjoy anything written about this area and by this author as he is very acurate in his geography.