The third volume in the Inspector Gamache series. Once again a murder has happened in the tiny village of Three Pines. This time it is during a seance in the mansion on the hill. Some of the villagers had meant to celebrate the arrival of Spring and hopefully rid the house of its evil reputation. Unfortunately one of the members dies of fright during the ceremony. Gamache and his team is sent to investigate. Story lines left over from the previous two volumes figure into this story. Not only is Gamache trying to ferret out a murderer he is trying to find out who is sabotaging his reputation. Is this the result of an earlier investigation where the highest authority was challenged and found wanting? The cruelest month plays out its reputation!
As mentioned in previous reviews, Gamache's team all have been rescued so to speak by him and they are loyal to a fault. Or is one of his team trying to make him fail? I feel this is one of the best in the series. Yes the debut was awesome but Penny has just ratcheted up the tension to the point you are afraid to start a new chapter (or disc in my case). Is this the end of Gamache? What about his team? And who is the murderer? Louise Penny is a wonderful author who peppers her story with history, humor (the relationship between Gamache and his wife is hilarious) and some not so subtle pokes at today's world. A real twister - thought I had the right person but once again I missed it.
Six degrees of reading: Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside by Martin Walker, Death in a Strange Country: A Commissaro Guido Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon, The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie King.
No comments:
Post a Comment