The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

The third book in the Inspector Armand Gamache series, The Cruelest Month was a winner. We had originally downloaded this as an audio book for our trip to North Carolina, but with nasty weather, traffic, and all the French names and character iterations, it was hard to follow. After finishing some book club books, I decided to revisit the print version. 

It is hard to summarize an twisted and complex mystery novel. Set in Three Pines, Québec, this book mirrors some of the intricate English mysteries. Over Easter weekend, as villagers are in the midst of holiday preparations, a psychic, Jeanne Chauvet comes to the town and is convinced to conduct a seance. One is held Friday night, basically a dud, and another Saturday evening at the old and deserted Hadley House. On Saturday night one of the attendees, Madeleine Favreau, collapse and dies. Was it fright or was it murder? 

Gamache and the Sûreté du Québec are called in to investigate. His investigation establishes that the death is actually murder and all the séance participants can be considered suspects, with no fewer than 4 or 5 having motive. He adeptly pieces together the case and arranges for another gathering of the group to uncover the murderer. 

In a previous book in the series, Gamache had accused a superior of some very serious crimes and this subplot figures into The Cruelest Month. With stories appearing in the newspapers and circulating in the office, Gamache postulates that there may be a mole within his team. He threatens to resign his position as part of the ploy, but in the end (since we know that there are 15 more Inspector Gamache books) both his name and the murder are solved. 

Louise Penny's books are enjoyable with challenging mysteries to solve and characters that become like old friends. Can't wait to read the next one. 

Still Life by Louise Penny

When three of my friends, two librarians and one lawyer, posted on Facebook that they had attended a book lecture by Louise Penny, I figured that I was missing something. And so, I borrowed the first of her Inspector Gamache novels and read away. Yes, I was definitely missing something, a page turner and absolutely delightful read. 

The action takes place in Three Pines, what seems to be a quaint Quebec village. The town is shocked by the death of one of its most upstanding and lovely residents, Jane Neal. Her body was found in the woods with an arrow piercing her heart by Ben Hadley. For most of the residents, it appeared to be a hunting accident, but the team of investigators led by Armand Gamache doesn't buy into that theory. Jane has just had a painting accepted into the opening of the Arts Williamsburg. Fair Day is a depiction of the annual fair and includes portraits of the villagers. Clara Morrow, Jane's best friend, also reveals that the painted was finished just about the time of another villager, Timmer's death. Add another cause for Gamache's suspicion.  

At this point, no one is about to be left out of the questioning and when Matthew Croft seems anxious during his interview, Gamache and his second in command, Jean Guy Beauvoir, decide to search the Croft home. In the basement they find an arrowhead with Jane's blood and a bow that was about to be burned in the furnace. The Croft's son, Phillip, becomes the leading suspect until his father confesses. But the story doesn't fit and Gamache refuses to arrest him, an action that has him removed from the case. 

Enter Yolande, Jane's money hungry niece. Yolande feels that she is the rightful heir to the home and Jane's belongings and moves right in. There is something quite fishy about this and effort is expended on finding the will that would prove this. Unfortunately, for Yolande, Jane's will was changed and now the house becomes open to the investigating team. They find the reason that no one was ever able to pass from the kitchen into the living area of the house while Jane was alive. It is there that the clue to the real murderer is found. 

This was a fascinating who dun it book and I believe that I have found an author who will help fill the void left by P.D.James in my quest for good mysteries. Penny is a cerebral writer and if her subsequent books are half as good as Still Life, I will be content. She is popular, placing a hold for the next in the series of 16 so far, yields an 8 week wait.