That would be more than enough to make me annoyed by this book, but its treatment of the 'good' characters is just as bad -- even worse, in a way, because the nastiness of it is so much more covert. As Gamache and the others notice the raw distaste that others had for CC, they cannot help but wonder why much of CC’s life cannot be substantiated. While the deceased CC de Poitiers sounds like a real nasty person but I’m interested in seeing her murderer brought to justice nonetheless. Meanwhile, Gamache is astonished when Clara proudly shows him the Li Bien ornament Peter gave her for Christmas, which is exactly like the ball CC supposedly used as the basis for her garbled philosophy. Having done so, I can stand back and dispassionately appreciate Penny's accomplishment; my problem is that this just isn't the sort of book that appeals to me.

I’m not going to discuss the plot, other than to say that the unpleasant woman who was murdered was mourned by nobody, and her impending doom is mentioned in the first sentence. Not her quiet husband, not her spineless lover, not her pathetic daughter--and certainly none of the residents of Three Pines.To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. So when she was found murdered in the middle of a curling match, it’s no surprise that the townspeople are not mourning her death; rather there is a celebratory air in the village. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (seven times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. Don’t we as human beings naturally associate some homes as either good or bad, depending on who lived (or died) in them?

I’m wondering if you mean that Yvette has somehow become the repository for the fears of her family. Regardless, I did have fun arriving at the solution and there was enough here to keep me interested in continuing. I have finished up my two go to detective series and have been looking for a long running one for awhile now.

I had assumed the quaint and tiny community in the Quebec Eastern Townships would be a one-off setting for Gamache's inaugural adventure, since he is charged with solving crimes all over the province. They were as warm and brilliant and funny as you might imagine from reading Louise’s books, and it’s been a joy to work with her ever since. In this volume I learned more about the personalities of Gamache and his team, about their past and their fears.

Something bigger than just the murder at hand seems to be brewing on the horizon - something with a sinister vibe that does not bode well for Gamache. I preferred this story to the first DCI Gamache book (where I guessed the identity of the murderer) but I was wrong-footed more than once with this particular story and, therefore, enjoyed it all the more. Inspector Gamache is just a bit too perfect and life in the little snow-globe village of Three Pines is just a bit too saccharine for my taste. Gamache tells Lemieux, “All the mistakes I’ve made have been because I’ve assumed something and then acted as though it was fact.

I couldn’t figure out how Elle knew about Clara’s work, to tell Clara, “I’ve always loved your work Clara”. All this and much more as Three Pines envelopes Gamache and the reader for another stunning mystery. CC, who had a "spiritual guidance" business based on eliminating emotion, was hated by seemingly everyone, including her husband, lover, and daughter. A Fatal Grace is the second Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery set in the stunning countryside of Quebec.