The Cruellest Month (original 2007; edition 2007)

Any time I read one of Louise Penny’s novels set in Three Pines, I fall in love with the village all over again. And then I feel terrible that all of these awful things keep happening there! Despite these murders, it’s the kind of village I’d like to spend some time in, although I’m not quite sure I’d fit in.

This time around, a woman called Madeline, who is adored by pretty much everyone, dies of fright at a séance. Initially, everyone believes it was just a tragic accident, but the arrival of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache gets the villagers to realize that maybe her death was more of an intentional thing after all.

To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog. ( )

Gamache continues to command great loyalty from both his team and his listeners. The plot threads left dangling from the previous book are wrapped up in this one but not before Penny explores themes of parenting and friendship and the "near enemy." Throughout, Penny keeps the tension high as Gamache attempts to solve yet another Three Pines murder while his enemies attack him at his most vulnerable point: his family.

Listened to the Blackstone Audio edition narrated by Ralph Cosham. ( )

Oh, she's good. The friend who lent me this warned it was more village centered than the Beautiful Mystery, and yes, it was, with a slow, cozy sort of start. But believe me, the pace picks up, and when my son woke me at 4 this morning I reached for the book and read till dawn to finish it. ( )

My blog post about this book is at this link. ( )

I really like Louise Penny's writing but it she is one who slows me down, makes me savor the writing as well as the story. This is a good thing for the most part, although I really like to read a book in a day or two and just can't do it with her books, they demand time to be savored.

"April is the cruelest month" is a well known quote by T.S. Elliot, and seems to be coming true in Three Pines. Gamache is still fighting the effects of the Arnot case, Peter is showing his true feelings (as much as he doesn't want to), and a group from the town makes the unwise decision to hold a seance at the old Hadley house. When one of their members is "scared to death", literally, Gamache is back in town to find out who actually killed her.

Its funny but I've never warmed up to Peter as a character but didn't know why. Penny has been slowly revealing more of his character and in this book I found out why I'm not a big Peter fan - a fascinating look into the inner psyche of one of her main characters.

I'll keep reading this series, Penny is an excellent author and I'm still enjoying my time in Three Pines. ( )