Rating: Good
Source: Library (Audio)
Description: Welcome to winter in Three Pines, a picturesque village in Quebec, where the villagers are preparing for a traditional country Christmas, and someone is preparing for murder.
No one liked CC de Poitiers. Not her quiet husband, not her spineless lover, not her pathetic daughter—and certainly none of the residents of Three Pines. CC de Poitiers managed to alienate everyone, right up until the moment of her death.
When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, of the Sûreté du Québec, is called to investigate, he quickly realizes he's dealing with someone quite extraordinary. CC de Poitiers was electrocuted in the middle of a frozen lake, in front of the entire village, as she watched the annual curling tournament. And yet no one saw anything. Who could have been insane enough to try such a macabre method of murder—or brilliant enough to succeed?
With his trademark compassion and courage, Gamache digs beneath the idyllic surface of village life to find the dangerous secrets long buried there. For a Quebec winter is not only staggeringly beautiful but deadly, and the people of Three Pines know better than to reveal too much of themselves. But other dangers are becoming clear to Gamache. As a bitter wind blows into the village, something even more chilling is coming for Gamache himself.
Genre: Mystery
Why I Picked This Book: I enjoyed the first book and have heard so many raves about this series that I just had to continue with it!
My Impression: This was my second Armand Gamache book and I think I can safely say I'm a fan of the series. I found this to be much faster paced than the first book though the fact that I listened to this while I read the first book could have impacted this. I did feel like I knew the residents of Three Pines and Gamache himself so much better and was really curious to see what was happening in the little town.
This isn't one of those mysteries where the murder happens page one. Instead there's a little bit of setup but in the best possible way. We see Clara, Myra, Ruth, as well as Armand and his wife going about their normal life. We meet the victim before she is a victim and while I was not sad to see her go I definitely feel like I got more insight into her character by seeing her in action.
While I really enjoyed the investigation and seeing Inspector Gamache in action once again the full reveal felt a little convoluted. There were so many moving pieces and alternative theories and threads that while it was never confusing and I was always invested it did seem a bit overdone. I did like the Christmas tie-ins with the holiday shopping, concerts and ornament. It felt organic to the story and really added to it.
This is proving to be a series that lives up to the hype surrounding it. I love Gamache and his team and I love the people of Three Pines. I'm already looking forward to the next book!
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Definitely. I've already read/listened to the 3rd and am looking forward to the 4th.
Would I Recommend this Book? If you like mysteries this is a must read series.
Interesting. I too have seen the hype and the love for this series and readers certainly become very much fans for ever more. I am not sure if I will read it as murder mystery isn't top priority for me reading but you never know!
ReplyDeleteI read the first and want to continue but not sure when. I do know I'll listen as I love the narrator.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book, too; I've only read the first three so far, but I plan to read more. Thanks for a great review.
ReplyDeleteI've read this one and it definitely had a surprising, little twist. I can never guess who the murderer is in this series.
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