Winner of the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel! 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 … CC de Poitiers managed to alienate everyone, right up until the moment of her death.
When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, of the Sûreté du Quebec, 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.
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While A Fatal Grace did not live up to The Brutal Telling (yes, I’m reading a little out of order), it was entertaining. I am loving Chief Inspector Gamache and the cast of characters from Three Pines. My main quibble with this tale of a selfish and horrid woman who is murdered is that it felt too predictable. There was a clue near the beginning–when a secondary murder case is brought up–that seemed so glaring. It was hard for me to believe that Gamache would miss it. So, for the rest of the story, that clue was shouting like a neon sign, which kind of dampened the whole mystery of everything. I have already started A Rule Against Murder and am completely sucked in. I’m hoping the mystery aspect will be tighter and more devious in this one! Still, I would recommend A Fatal Grace, even though it felt weak in comparison to others.
I had the mystery figured out a little earlier than I would have liked, but the setting of Three Pines and the characters who live there, along with Inspector Gamache and the people who work for him, are what makes me want to keep reading these mysteries by Louise Penny. Really looking forward to the next in the series!
Louise Penny is absolutely the best. I hope to never miss one of her books. Asking for her latest for Christmas.
jjf
This may be the best in this excellent series so far. Louise Penny is a brilliant author, Gamash, her protagonist, a wonderful character and Three Pines, her fictional town, a marvel. Read this. You won’t be disappointed.
Wonderful characters set in a lovely village near Montreal. Great mystery with many twists & turns. Learning much.
When the much despised CC de Poitiers dies on Boxing Day, Chief Inspector Gamache returns to Three Pines to solve the crime. I found the first part of the book very slow and hard to get into. It did get more interesting in the second half, but I’m not sure how excited I am to continue the series.
Intelligent and sensitive.
I enjoyed it very much. I like her books and the settings in Quebec.
Every book by Louise Penny is wonderful. You will feel like the characters become your friends. Penny is my favorite author.