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A review by jhbandcats
The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I am really enjoying reading about Chief Inspector Gamache and his team, and all the familiar faces of the Three Pines residents.
This book, the third in the series, continued the ongoing backstory of the Arnot case that took place years before we meet Gamache in Still Life. The current mystery is of a woman frightened to death at a seance. Gamache’s team now includes Agent Yvette Nichol, obnoxious and grating, and Agent Robert Lemieux, as amiable as Nichol is repellent.
The convergence of the plot lines at the end didn’t work for me. It shook me out of my suspension of disbelief that’s necessary for any appreciation of a fictional tale. It was too improbable. Aside from that, I enjoyed it and I wanted to see the hand-painted wooden Easter eggs.
This book, the third in the series, continued the ongoing backstory of the Arnot case that took place years before we meet Gamache in Still Life. The current mystery is of a woman frightened to death at a seance. Gamache’s team now includes Agent Yvette Nichol, obnoxious and grating, and Agent Robert Lemieux, as amiable as Nichol is repellent.
The convergence of the plot lines at the end didn’t work for me. It shook me out of my suspension of disbelief that’s necessary for any appreciation of a fictional tale. It was too improbable. Aside from that, I enjoyed it and I wanted to see the hand-painted wooden Easter eggs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, Animal death, Cancer, Eating disorder, and Grief