After reading Kurt Palka’s The Piano Maker, which was a 5 star rating for me, The Hour of the Fox was disappointing.   Although it was enjoyable and an easy read, it did not keep me engaged.

I did enjoy reading about the Nova Scotia setting which made me want to plan another trip east after our disastrous trip last summer (I should totally write a blog post about that fateful trip but for readers, the vacation did include a vehicle fire, a torrential storm, a 17 hour trip home, squished in a smaller vehicle with a dog lying across 3 laps!  Our tent trailer is still on Cape Breton which likely gives a hint as to the way our trip ended!)

The story details the struggles of a woman after her only son was lost during a peacekeeping mission. As she dealt with her own demons, she physically and mentally distanced herself from her husband by travelling home to a small town in Nova Scotia to provide legal advice for a friend’s son who was implicated in a murder investigation.  As she spent time in her hometown, she reminisced about her own past and weathered a Nova Scotia storm as she tried to put her life back together.

The book was enjoyable but paled in comparison to The Piano Maker. It needed to focus on one story line and seemed a bit scattered at times.  I might have liked to have known more about the struggles of the protagonist’s teenage life which was just mentioned at random times.

If you are looking for a great book, grab a copy of The Piano Maker’s Daughter!