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Loading... A Rule Against Murder (An Armand Gamache Novel)by Louise PennySeries: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (4), Three Pines Mysteries (4)
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  tututhefirst | Dec 26, 2009 |  Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec takes his wife of many years, Reine-Marie, to Manior Bellechasse in rural Quebec to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Their peaceful solitude is interrupted by the arrival of a dysfunctional family that includes Peter and Clara Marrow from Three Pines. Murder seems to follow the Inspector since the sister of Peter Marrow is found dead a little later so that the time which should have been peaceful and relaxing has turned deadly. Gamache sends Reine-Marie to Three Pines which is just over the hill while the investigation proceeds. The personal relationship and their family interaction is more prevalent in this book as we learn of Gamache's family history. The story is again intricately woven around the lives of the characters drawing the reader farther and closer with each page trying to determine how the mystery will be resolved and whose demons will be exorcised. Since this book was set outside of Three Pines but incorporated Three Pine residents, the shift didn't bother me as much as I anticipated. However, it does make one stop and think, are Peter and Clara a major reason that we haven't figured out yet for all of these murders? (  ) cyderry | Nov 30, 2009 | This book reads more as a traditional mystery than the others. We learn more about the inspector, and yet I found myself less interested than the rest. I love Clara as a character and all the others of Three Pines. This bookk takes us away from all that to a resort not far from Three pines, but still far enough away. That bias of mine, the love for the other characters in Three pines other than the Inspector, completely influences my feelings towards this book. It was still well written and the dynamics of a not so healthy family relationship is perfectly written. I really enjoy her books and this one was great. We learn more about the main character, but it felt a bit like the editor asked her to write more about the inspector, and to move away from Three Pines. Perhaps it was just my bias, my love for Clara and Three Pines that had just liking this book and not loving it, but it feels more formulaic--more of a traditional mystery. ( ) m4marya | Aug 30, 2009 | Imagine going on a much-anticipated vacation to a remote resort where you can forget all about work -- only you can't, because your work follows you there. That's exactly what happens to Chief Inspector Gamache as he and his wife celebrate their anniversary at the Manoir Bellechasse in rural Quebec. When the body of one of their fellow guests is discovered under circumstances that suggest murder, Gamache becomes both investigator and witness. In a series of strong murder mysteries, this is the best developed to date. The crime is seemingly impossible, yet when the method is finally revealed, the alert reader will remember clues which were woven into the story so naturally that they didn't seem to be clues at all. A Rule Against Murder is equal to Agatha Christie at her best. This book could be enjoyed as a stand-alone, although I would strongly encourage reading the books in this series in the order of their publication. (  )3  cbl_tn | Jul 28, 2009 | Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife are vacationing at the Manoir Bellechasse across the mountains from the village of Three Pines. The "Finney" family is having their annual reunion there. Gamache meets the various members of the family. All of them have a few eccentricities. When the brother "Spot" arrives, Gamache is surprised to discover that he knows him. When one of the siblings turns up dead, Gamache calls in his team to begin the investigation. The biggest question is how the murderer was able to accomplish the act of murder. This is my favorite in the Inspector Gamache series to date. The quirky family and staff of the Manoir was full of suspects. It kept me interested to the very end. (  ) thornton37814 | Jul 23, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
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As one would expect, there is a murder on site, and Gamache (along with his second in command, Jean-Guy Beaumont) goes about the ugly task of interviewing this most unhappy group of visitors and staff to solve the mystery. They are an intriguing group: the chef who looks familiar to Jean Guy, and Reine Marie, the aloof maitre d', the surly summer hire, the shy and nervous gardener, the sons of the deceased (one a total snob, the other --well---), the widow of the deceased (who has re-married) and her husband, the daughter of the deceased and her child (we must question whether a child named "Bean" is male or female--I won't tell) and the proprietess who owns and runs the shop.
Add in the ex-son-in-law (sitting in a Vancouver jail for investment fraud) and Gamache's struggles with his memories of his deceased father and this book becomes one with layer upon layer of complexity. It is frankly magnificent.
Although this is not set in Three Pines, Penny manages to involve the villagers (Peter is the son of the deceased pater who is being memorialized) and she evokes the quiet, beautiful wilderness that is the hallmark of the other books in the series. (