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A review by karenluvstoread
A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
4.0
As the book opens up, it’s now winter in the quaint, picturesque village of Three Pines. The residents are preparing for the traditional celebrations for Christmas. But something menacing is lingering in the air. Someone ends up dead and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache finds himself back at Three Pines. And of course, it becomes clear that it was no accident. It was murder; a unique murder at that. A murder that happens out in the open at a curling tournament; yet no one seemed to have noticed. Will Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team be able to figure out what exactly happened?
I really enjoyed reading Penny’s first novel, Still Life. And I enjoyed this second book just as much as the first one! I love the character of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. He is kind, humble, compassionate, and gentle; yet he’s also firm when needed. He handles people with care, even in the midst of full-on investigations. He is full of wisdom and discernment. He knows how to listen. Really listen.
In this second book, we learn more about Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and those on his team. Penny digs a little deeper into the past as well as fears of some of these characters. And of course, Penny also brings back some of the Three Pine villagers we met in the first book – Clara, Peter, Ruth, Myrna, Gabri, Olivier. These characters feel like a big family, sort of like Stars Hollows feels like a big family. In fact, it feels very similar to Stars Hollows. Gilmore Girl fans will know what I mean. When Gamache returns to Three Pines, he is welcomed back like he never left. I love that Penny is slowly building up characters in this series, helping us learn more and more about them as it goes along.
In this second book, we learn more about Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and those on his team. Penny digs a little deeper into the past as well as fears of some of these characters. And of course, Penny also brings back some of the Three Pine villagers we met in the first book – Clara, Peter, Ruth, Myrna, Gabri, Olivier. These characters feel like a big family, sort of like Stars Hollows feels like a big family. In fact, it feels very similar to Stars Hollows. Gilmore Girl fans will know what I mean. When Gamache returns to Three Pines, he is welcomed back like he never left. I love that Penny is slowly building up characters in this series, helping us learn more and more about them as it goes along.
Just like in the first novel, the writing in this second book was fantastic! It was very atmospheric. The descriptions of winter and Christmas festivities were such that you could just picture them in your mind’s eye. I am thoroughly enjoying this series so far and can’t wait to read the next book!