When I finished this book, I quickly posted on Goodreads my placeholder review, as I do with all books. Usually it is just the star rating and the phrase “full review to follow”. However, that wasn’t enough to wrap up how I was feeling. Instead, I wrote “It is almost unthinkable that a series can be getting better, more nuanced, and satisfying in its seventh installment but that is where we are with Louise Penny and Inspector Gamache” because this might be the best book […]
Into the Ragged Meadow of My Soul
A Louise Penny mystery is a strange thing, where the mystery itself usually takes a backseat to other plotlines and character development. The murders are clean, not gory, and the characters are well-rounded people with rich inner lives and motivations that make sense. It’s so refreshing. The Cruelest Month, the third in the Inspector Armand Gamache series, takes place in the small town of Three Pines, same as the first two books do. Inspector Gamache and his homicide team are called in after town residents […]
It was the sort of little puzzle he enjoyed
What struck me most as I read A Fatal Grace was the compassion of Inspector Armand Gemache. I have only read two of the Inspector Gemache books, but I suspect that Louise Penny puts great value on people who see. People who see more than the surface. Gemache can see into people, and find compassion for them. Clara sees and creates art. Ruth sees and writes poetry. ‘People expect me to be cynical because of my job,’ Gamache found himself saying, ‘but they don’t understand. It’s […]
Ring the Bells that Still Can Ring
The best thing about the Inspector Gamache mysteries is that the mysteries are secondary. There are two stars in these books: Inspector Gamache, and the town of Three Pines. Louise Penny has created a town that is almost magical in its perfection. This tiny town, situated around a lake, with three giant pines at one end, is picturesque, peaceful, and beguiling to read about. The description of the town bookstore made me seriously consider quitting my job and taking out a small business loan so […]
Done. And I miss these guys already….
This series is perfection. It’s pretty much made for curling up with in the middle of winter hibernation. The literary equivalent of comfort food. I read the first six books in the series last year in my pre-CBR days, and am picking up at #7 in 2017. I can’t recommend this series enough- engaging characters, vivid descriptions of French food (omg, the food) and small town living, intriguing murder mysteries, what’s not to love? I especially love that it’s set in Canada. It gives me […]
“Things are strongest where they’re broken.”
Often it can be difficult to review a book in the middle of the series, particularly on the first read through. I don’t know, for example, what will happen to the characters in this story as the next 6 novels progress, I only know that they exist. This means that I can only trace the works as they culminate in this book, Bury Your Dead. Bury Your Dead is, however, not a book which can stand alone: it is inextricably tied to its predecessor The […]
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