A Match Made for Thanksgiving/ Jackie Lau/ 101 pgs

This is novella from an author I've never read before. Lily recently broke up with a boyfriend who called her boring so she's trying to step outside of her comfort zone. She decides a one-night stand will do the trick and meets a very willing Nick on her first try. A few days later Nick goes home for Thanksgiving and low and behold his family has comically found dates for him and his three siblings. This backfires, of course, as Lily is the date for Nick's brother Greg. There were cute and funny moments in this story and it was nice to see a Canadian Thanksgiving portrayed instead of an American one, but the plot was very predictable.

A Great Reckoning/ Louise Penny/ 386 pages

A Great Reckoning is the twelfth book in the Inspector Gamache series written by Louise Penny.  All is quiet in Three Pines.  As quiet as it can be with the usual quips an comments between Gabri and Ruth and Myrna.  Inspector Gamache is preparing for his new job, head of the Surete Academy.  As he reviews all the applicants information he comes across a name that jars him.  After a long debate he accepts Amalia Choquet to the academy, tattoos and body piercing and all.  All is well as Gamache works to clean up the academy and prepare the students for life as Surete officers until a professor is murdered.  The crime scene is made to look like a suicide and evidence points to Amalia as the murderer.  All the while the Gamache has tasked four promising cadets with the job of deciphering an old map found in the walls of the Bistro.  This is a well written book and will be enjoyable to those who like mysteries.  The regular fan of  Inspector Gamache will finally learn why Three Pines does not appear on any map.  

Nature of the Beast/ Louise Penny/376 pages

The Nature of the Beast is the eleventh novel in the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny.  Now retired, Inspector Gamache pursues a quite lifestyle in Three Pines.  A young boy with a big imagination goes missing in Three Pines.  This time what sounds imagined is real and does not bode well for the young man.  As physicists and spies descend on Three Pines, Gamache, Beauvouir and LaCoste search for a murderer, a weapons designer all the while trying to figure out how a notorious murder fits in the mix.  While part of the plot is slightly difficult to believe, it was still an interesting read of what could have been.

How the Light Gets In: An Inspector Gamache Mystery/ Louise Penny/ 405 pages

How the Light Gets in is the ninth novel in Louse Penny's Inspector Gamache series.  Gamache's well built department has been disseminated as one after another colleague is transferred to other departments.  Beauvoir has abandoned Gamache and spiraled down in his drug addiction.  When called to help Myrna in Three Pines, Gamache is happy to escape the turmoil.  Myrna's missing friend, at one time of the best know woman in Canada is discovered murdered in her home.  Gamache tries to discover who is responsible for the murder while staying a step ahead of the people trying to bring him down.  Who will win?  For more information and read a likes see the SCCCLD website.
 

Long Way Home/ Louise Penny/ 385 pages

The Long Way Home is number 10 in the Inspector Gamache series written by Louise Penny.  Gamache is now living in Three Pines with his wife.  He has retired from the Surte and enjoying the quite life.  After working up her courage, Clara Morrow asks Gamache to help her track down her husband Peter.  After a falling out, Clara has asked Peter to go away for a year to evaluate what is wrong with their marriage.  The year is up, but now a month later, Peter has not returned.  Gamache enlists the help of Beauvoir in tracking Peter.  Their search takes them, and Clara,  across Canada, interacting with people who have seen Peter during the past year, including his college art teachers.  Inspector Gamache fans will enjoy this novel as it moves along the personal stories of the recurring characters.  For more information check out the SCCCLD website.

Beautiful Mystery/ Louise Penny/ 384 pages

The Beautiful Mystery written by Louise Penny is the eight novel in the Inspector Gamache series.  In this offering, when on of the monks is murdered, Gamache and Beauvoir are the only outsiders allowed into the Monastery of  Saint Gilbert Entre-Les-Loups.  In this isolated setting, one of the monks has murdered the choir master.  Will Gamache and Beauvoir be able to solve the mystery before irreparable damage is done to their friendship?  The unique setting and characters make for an interesting read. The book describes monk-hood in an appealing way that will fascinate the reader.  For more information and read-a-likes, click here to visit the SCCCLD website.

Trick of the Light/ Louise Penny/ 339pages

A Trick of the Light is the seventh book in the Inspector Gamache series written by Louise Penny.  Inspector Gamache is back on the job following injuries that took place between books five and six.  He and others from Three Pines are celebrating Clara's solo showing of her artwork.  The mood takes a sudden plunge when a body is discovered in Clara's garden.  First, the inspector must determine who the victim is and then who committed the crime.  There are many interesting twists and turns along the way with a heavy inclusion of Alcoholics Anonymous and the art world of Montreal.  Fans of Inspector Gamache will enjoy this tale as well as those who like cozy mysteries.  For more information and read a likes check out the SCCCLD website

Bury Your Dead/ Louise Penny/ 371 pages

Bury Your Dead written by Louise Penny is the sixth book in the Inspector Gamache series.  The book opens with a crime in progress.  Something goes terribly wrong.  The story jumps forward to Quebec City during winter carnival.  Gamache is there to rest and recuperate from injuries that have taken 'place off stage'.  Inspector Beauvoir is sent to Three Pines to re-investigate a murder that Gamache had previously solved.  While in Quebec City Gamache lends his assistance to solve the murder of an amateur historian looking for Champlain's body.  Why he was in the English Literary and Historical Society and who murdered him become the puzzle that Gamache solves.  The reader will enjoy the three stories interwoven in this book.  Bit by bit the events in the 'off stage' crime are revealed by Gamache and Beauvoir in flashback and narrative form.  All this takes place while trying to find the body of Champlain and free Olivier.  For more information and read a-likes see the SCCCLD website.

Brutal Telling / Louise Penny/ 372 pages

A Brutal Telling by Louise Penny continues the story of Inspector Gamache and the town of Three Pines.  A dead body, a hermit's cabin and cedar wood carvings create a page turning tale as Inspector Gamache assembles his crew to solve the latest murder in Three Pines.  A new family in the Hadley house and a hermit's cabin filled with a surprise add to the twist and turns of the mystery.  Who is telling the truth and who is lying?  This book will hold the reader's interest on every page.  For more information and read a likes see the SCCCLD website.

Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel/ Louise Penny/ 433 pages

Rule Against Murder is the fourth book in Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series.  This time the inspector and his wife are celebrating their wedding anniversary in the rustic lodge, Manoir Bellechasse.  They have been visiting the lodge annually since their wedding, but this year they share the manor with the Finney Family.  They are arriving en-mass to dedicate a statue memorializing Mrs Finney's first husband, Charles Morrow.  When the statue is found toppled on one of the guest Inspector Gamache interupts his holiday to investigate the death.  For more information and read a likes visit the SCCCLD website

The Cruelest Month: A Three Pines Mystery / Louise Penny / 320 pages / 10 cds

     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.

A Fatal Grace / Louise Penny/ 320 pages / 9 cds

     This is the second volume in the Inspector Gamache/Three Pines series. I am still in awe of the intriguing Gamache. After the spectacular ending in the debut volume we pick up the story a few months later. C.C. de Poitiers has been murdered in the village of Three Pines. Or more specifically in the mansion at the top of the hill. She and her family had moved in the vacant mansion and managed to alienate everyone there. No one was all that upset about her murder. C.C. left behind a daughter named Crie (say it out loud and you will get the hurtfulness of the name) and a burgeoning empire. But when the police begin to delve into C.C.'s past, it turns out not all is on the up and up.
    So again Gamache must approach the village and begin to dig into their lives. Penny has some fun with the clues in this book. I can't give specifics because it would ruin the surprise but here's a hint: know your French history. We meet more of the villagers in this volume and learn more of the Quebecois history. Once again Agent Nicole is present and even more rude than the last volume. You begin to wonder if there is a purpose to why Gamache puts up with her insolence. More of Gamache's past is revealed and the viper's nest that is the Surete hierarchy hurts Gamache where it counts the most. Was totally thrown by the big reveal at the end - bet you won't see it coming either.
   Just a note: if you are interested in reading this series, I would seriously recommend trying the audio books. Ralph Cosham who reads the entire series is beyond awesome. He has the reassurance of Gamache, the over eagerness of Jean Guy Beauvoir, and the pettiness of Nicole. The French phrases trip off his tongue so beautifully. I am amazed by this man. Probably why I am so fond of Gamache.

Six degrees of reading: Hunting Shadows (Ian Rutledge) by Charles Todd, To Dwell in Darkness ( Duncan Kincaid/Gemma Jones) by Deborah Crombie, Blood on the Water (William Monk) by Anne Perry.

Still Life / Louise Penny / 473 pages / 8 cds

     I have a confession to make. I am in love with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Montreal police. He is a man not given to publicity seeking actions but is a quiet man with deep understanding of the human psyche. Armand is older, hair beginning to gray but with the biggest brown eyes that can see through someone's false story. Inspector Gamache is summoned to a tiny village of Three Pines just north of the U.S. border. There has been a murder. He summons his team and as they arrive we meet them one by one. There are four primary detectives: Detective Beauvoir & Agent Lacoste and a new member Yvette Nicole, As they begin their investigation, the reader begins to sense there is a deep undercurrent to everyone's actions.
     A beloved member of the community has been found murdered in the woods. She had been to a dinner party the night before so those 5-6 people are the last to see her alive. How the investigation begins and the directions it takes are like a police procedural but you have the human side of the detectives interfere. Beauvoir takes a dislike to an older woman and those feelings collide with the need to be impartial. Nicole seems to be a thorn in the side of everyone and constantly bungles instructions but is there a purpose to it? Gamache's past comes calling and those decisions begin to taint the investigation in Three Pines. A wonderfully complex debut mystery. I am looking forward to seeing where the rest of the series takes me.
     Louise Penny's novels have been called cozy mysteries and I agree with that descriptions but there is so much more. We learn about Quebecois history, the city politics of Montreal and their police, the history of Three Pines and what is means to the people who live there. The village isn't on any map and the residents had fled the big city in the hopes of starting all over again. We learn about the art world through two rather intriguing characters who I think will be part of a overlying story arc in the continuing novels. I certainly came to feel these people were part of our community and I would see them at any time. I would love to live in the village of Three Pines. Heartily recommended to anyone who lives an intriguing mystery, human nature and a well-plotted novel. Bet you don't figure out the murderer before Gamache does!!

Six degrees of reading: The Secret Place (Dublin Murder squad) by Tana French, Vertigo 42 (Richard Jury mystery) by Martha Grimes, Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal.