1.66k reviews for:

A Rule Against Murder

Louise Penny

4.03 AVERAGE

dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

Louise Penny delivers on the cozy murder mystery. 
adventurous mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Amazing as always. Although at first the family in question seems stereotypical, in the end she tells you how it is not. It's all about complicated relationships that seem deceptively simple. And of course, a murder is thrown in to advance the plot and so that the detective character can impart his psychological insight to the reader.

3.5
mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

My favorite in the series so far, and Three Pines was barely in it! Chief inspector Gamache and his wife are celebrating their anniversary at Manoir Bellechasse, just over the mountain range from Three Pines. Yearly visitors, this visit coincides with the Morrow family reunion, including the Gamache’s friends from Three Pines, Peter and Clara. The last book hinted at Peter’s dark side. When a Morrow is killed, is Peter to blame or another wretched Morrow? Or does the manoir’s staff have something to hide? An impossible crime to pull off; only the most observant and detail-oriented investigator can pull this one off. And Gamache does so again. The author does struggle in explaining the complexity of the murder but kudos to her for not taking the easy route and giving us an extraordinarily complex murder mystery. 

This series just gets better and better. Loved that they were in a different locale this time!
mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one quite as much, since it's not set in Three Pines. But, for any concerned folks out there, Penny finds a way to tie in the characters we love, and it doesn't disappoint.

Now on to binging book 5.