Second in Armand Gamache mysteries set in Montreal (have read the first, Still Life 11/16)

The best story in the series (so far). Much to ponder in relation to the storyline.

Not Penny's best work. The final chapter seems like a coda wherein the author tries to convince the reader of the plot conclusion. I found myself as much in disbelief as one of the main characters.

Another great Louise Penny book. Chief Inspector Gamache books are always engrossing. Great character development helps immensely.

Multiple "brutal tellings" drive the characters in the fifth and, so far, best book of the series as Penny continues to develop her writing skills. The scene is shifting in Three Pines; the idyllic pastime of its denizens is perturbed as new inhabitants arrive and a beloved villager departs in shocking disgrace. What do these disquieting changes bode for the next book?!

A story that revolves around the deep troubling secrets of one of the residents of Three Pines. Could Olivier possibly be a murderer? Greed, jealousy and fear of exposure are themes in this novel. Have the characters and lives of the Three Pines residents changed forever?
A bit of a disappointing ending and not my favorite Penny novel but still an entertaining, good read.

I just love Penny's books. The quirky characters, the beautiful (and Canadian!) setting, the numerous red herrings, and the suspenseful and satisfying denouements all make for an addictive mystery series that I always look forward to reading.

A good book with a heartbreaking ending. I'm looking forward to more of the series and wondering if anything else will occur with this case.

Once again Louise Penny explores the dark corners of the bucolic town of Three Pines, where seemingly the only crime that happens is murder. This time a stranger's murdered body is found in the bistro, right in the heart of the town, and the most likely suspect is one of their inner circle. The undercurrents run deep, delving into the little darknesses that can pervade the most upright of lives. I was moved to a moment of tears in this one, and that alone makes it my favourite so far.

No crime seems to happen in bucolic Three Pines--except murder. The body of an apparently homeless man is found in Olivier's bistro, and once again, not all is what it seems. Chief Inspector Gamache is taken far and wide in his efforts to identify the dead man, and whether Olivier really killed him. In the end, he arrests him. But there's more going on under the surface in this latest installment, as we learn more about Gamache, his team, and the people of Three Pines. A reversal at the end caught me by surprise, always a pleasure.