Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Totes Laub

I put this off for months, being sad that Ralph Cosham died and there was a new narrator for this series. But Robert Bathurst did an excellent job, even with me comparing him to Cosham at every step of the way. I still miss the gruff but soft voice that Cosham gave to Inspector Gamache, but Bathurst does do female voices better. As usual, Penny does a suberb job at giving me a thrilling murder mystery while also giving me a lot to think about. This time, the element of human nature she explores is our need to defend ourselves and the creation of weapons. Penny wove in some true facts about the engineer Gerald Bull, which was both terrifying and fascinating. Bull worked on insanely large long-range artillery, and the “open secret” of his work is wild. So many questions arise for me. Why do we need to create weapons, especially massive “superguns?” What kind of person does it take to work on this project? What if it got in the wrong hands? Which are the right hands anyway?

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book; one of my favourites so far in the Inspector Gamache series. From a slow-paced start it builds to a climax that at one point had me literally holding my breath.
The characters are as well-drawn as always, and I particularly love the relationship between Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir.

the scene where Jean-Guy tells Gamache Annie is pregnant, and calls him "Armand" for the first time and neither of them even notice. Wow. I cried. Just a bit.
Some great backstory for Ruth too.

I love Three Pines, although the lack of internet would bug me. And I guess the murder rate. Oh well, nowhere is perfect.

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