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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
Firstly, I'm glad I just gave in pretty early on and accepted that Three Pines is the improbable murder capital of the world, and now let's also add on to that hub of weapons of mass destruction (from two books ago) and drug trafficking. If you suspend your disbelief, this series is a lot more fun. Which is really necessary for this book. You've just got to buy in at the beginning, otherwise it's not going to work for you.
Because in this one, Gamache (who is of course now Chief Superintendent of Sûreté du Quebec) takes on ALL OF CRIME AND CORRUPTION. Okay, not really, but it feels like that a little. Also, there is yet another murder in Three Pines, this time of a tourist, one who comes every year with friends on vacation. This is mostly what I mean about suspending disbelief.
This book did two things I thought really interesting, and one that was interesting but could easily lose you. The first interesting thing is that almost the whole book is told via the framing device of Gamache being on the witness stand in a trial six months after the investigation, so we're learning what happened as the judge and jury hear the testimony, but it's immediately apparent that something else is going on under the surface, so there are really two mysteries: who murdered this person and why (and who is murdered is only revealed quite a ways in), and what else is going on at the trial.
The second thing is something that Penny frequently does well, which is bringing in real world elements and twisting them just enough so that they're plausible but amplified. The thing she does that with here is the cobrador del frac, a real thing in Spain where men in coat tails and hats follow around people who owe big debts to shame them into paying. A figure shows up in Three Pines dressed all in black, saying nothing, not moving, for days. This is what instigates the story, and the idea of the cobrador plays into that.
The third thing is a spoiler. Sorry.
I guess I'm all in for this series, warts and all. I liked all three mysteries (or mysteries within mysteries and plots) even as it verged on being too much, it didn't go over the edge for me. This also features the opioid crisis quite heavily, and I thought Penny handled it well, overall, especially as it wasn't the true focus of the story, and some of our main characters have history with substance abuse.
The afterward makes it clear that Penny wrote this book fresh off the death of her husband, so I would probably have cut it some slack anyway, but I honestly didn't even need to. Book fourteen in the winter sometime, and then maybe by the end of 2022 I will be caught up with this series.
Because in this one, Gamache (who is of course now Chief Superintendent of Sûreté du Quebec) takes on ALL OF CRIME AND CORRUPTION. Okay, not really, but it feels like that a little. Also, there is yet another murder in Three Pines, this time of a tourist, one who comes every year with friends on vacation. This is mostly what I mean about suspending disbelief.
This book did two things I thought really interesting, and one that was interesting but could easily lose you. The first interesting thing is that almost the whole book is told via the framing device of Gamache being on the witness stand in a trial six months after the investigation, so we're learning what happened as the judge and jury hear the testimony, but it's immediately apparent that something else is going on under the surface, so there are really two mysteries: who murdered this person and why (and who is murdered is only revealed quite a ways in), and what else is going on at the trial.
The second thing is something that Penny frequently does well, which is bringing in real world elements and twisting them just enough so that they're plausible but amplified. The thing she does that with here is the cobrador del frac, a real thing in Spain where men in coat tails and hats follow around people who owe big debts to shame them into paying. A figure shows up in Three Pines dressed all in black, saying nothing, not moving, for days. This is what instigates the story, and the idea of the cobrador plays into that.
The third thing is a spoiler. Sorry.
Spoiler
I think the plot of Gamache tanking the agency with no arrests to reel in the drug cartels mostly worked for me, but that's because I know nothing about law enforcement or math or anything important, and what worked for me was the characters and the secrets and the machinations. If those things don't outweigh the other stuff for you, and the other stuff doesn't work, I don't know how this plot will play out. I could be a lot!I guess I'm all in for this series, warts and all. I liked all three mysteries (or mysteries within mysteries and plots) even as it verged on being too much, it didn't go over the edge for me. This also features the opioid crisis quite heavily, and I thought Penny handled it well, overall, especially as it wasn't the true focus of the story, and some of our main characters have history with substance abuse.
The afterward makes it clear that Penny wrote this book fresh off the death of her husband, so I would probably have cut it some slack anyway, but I honestly didn't even need to. Book fourteen in the winter sometime, and then maybe by the end of 2022 I will be caught up with this series.
This Three Pines installment was not a favorite - but, as always, I find it a great comfort to be immersed in Penny’s novels. The suspense in this one was almost entirely reliant on Inspector Gamache holding his cards close to the vest in order to fulfill his goal. I just don’t appreciate a plot device wherein the main character knows everything and isn’t telling us, especially when there’s an omniscient narrator. It comes off coy and slightly annoying. I really enjoyed how Penny expanded and extrapolated the lore of cobradors into the story, and the meditation on how much we humans are motivated by conscientiousness. On to the next!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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:
Yes
I loved the way the structure of this novel was written. Most novels miss on how to do "flashbacks" but I kept up with this novel. I'm a big fan of this series and I cannot wait to read the next one. I could not put this down I kept me on my feet guessing what in the world was going on. It was intriguing and very satisfying
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm over the whole Gamache versus the world plot