While I enjoyed the first book in the series (Still Life), I found this one more entertaining, at least in the writing. The plot is satisfyingly complex, although I found the solution to the murder a little too much of a stretch. I usually avoid mysteries that are marketed as "laugh out loud" funny, and even though this one isn't like that, some of the dialogue was pretty witty -- maybe Louise Penny needs to write screenplays and infuse some intelligence back into the movie world.

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I'm not sure why I like this new series, but I really do. I like Gamache, who is a very human, accessible cop and I like the recurring residents of Three Pines, a small, rural town outside of Montreal. The stories are not long nor terribly complex but they are entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading more of Penny's work.

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Really enjoyed this book -- interesting locale, and characters you care about in a decent amount of depth.

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Book 2 of the Inspector Gamache Series

I love this series! So many turns and twists, and just when you think you have it figured out, the author throws a new one your way.

Be sure to read Book 1 first as many of the characters reappear in this book with more insights into their lives and personalities.

A great read!

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Number 2 in the Gamache series. Back in Three Pines, Quebec, Gamache and team look into a really strange death: electrocution on the ice. CC de Poitiers, self-promoter and all-around disliked person, is watching a game of curling in the freezing cold when she takes off her gloves and stands up to grab onto a metal chair in front of her. And is electrocuted.

The chances of this happening accidentally are very small. The complexity of the act mystifies Gamache. It isn't an accident.

Again, Gamache moves into the B&B along with Beauvoir, his second-in-command, and tackles a really cold winter while solving the case. He encounters most of the same friendly (and not-so-friendly) residents as in the first in the series, and is welcomed by them. He also gets to know CC's husband and his very large preteen child, Crie. His heart goes out to the child, having known only criticism her whole life.

CC was such a force for no-good that there are many possible candidates for her murderer. While he and team are able to solve it, there is more than a hint of difficulty to come, from within the ranks. Someone is out to get Gamache and knows how to do it.

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Masterfully plotted and full of heart.

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I just finished this, the 2nd in the series, and liked it just as much, if not more than Still Life. I found it more difficult to figure out who the killer was early on, which I like. And even after I HAD figured it out, there came a moment or two at the end when I no longer felt so sure. Very satisfying! However, I am wondering where all of the mystery about Gamache and his underlings is headed. Is he about to be demoted from his position as Chief Inspector? If so, why?? Who exactly is it that is conspiring against him, and does it relate to his oft hinted at past when he went against police tradition to bring some dirty cops to justice? All of this happened off-stage so to speak, before the series began. Not all of it has been explained or told of, just yet. And, most vexing of all, what is Yvette Nichol up to, the nasty little creature? I hate being left with more questions than answers, but so it goes. I guess I'll just have to read the next in line. Oh dear, more very late nights.

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I really enjoyed this novel. Again, Penny paints the art, and the scenes, right in front of your eyes. The characters are interesting and dimensional and human.

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CC de Poitiers managed to alienate everyone in the hamlet of Three Pines, right up to the moment she died. When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache begins his investigation, it seems like an impossible murder: CC was electrocuted on a frozen lake, in front of the entire town, during the annual curling tournament. With compassion and courage, Gamache digs beneath the idyllic surface of village life to find long buried secrets, while his own enemies threaten to bring something even more chilling than the bitter winter winds to Three Pines.

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Very enjoyable fun reading. I highly recommend this for a relaxing pleasurable experience with a book.

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Interesting and a bit different than some mysteries.

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Louise Penny's "Three Pines" series never fails to be a good read. I have not read the books in order but her ability to thoroughly invest in her characters in each book does not make this a problem. This is the second in the series and I now have the background on some of the individual story lines.This only adds to my enjoyment.
I only gave this 3.5 stars because I thought the resolution to the mystery not entirely believeable; getting there by her develpoment of the characters kept me involved to the end.

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This is the second in the Inspector Gamache series. I liked it better than the first. An egotistical self-proclaimed guru dies at a curling match in Three Pines, Quebec. No one sees a thing. Or do they? Gamache solves this seemingly impossible murder with his own style of compassion and grace. You do need to read the first one to understand the dynamics among the characters and the subplots.

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This is the second of the Armand Gamache series I've read. The first was A Still Life, the first book in the series. That one was pretty decent so I decided to put A Fatal Grace, the next book, on my paperbackswap.com wish list. This one is OK but there were a few things that didn't make this a 5-star book: (1) although many of the characters were the same as in book one, I still sometimes had difficulty remembering who was who (an alphabetical list of the characters with a brief description of each at the front or back of the book would have been helpful); (2) the Agent Nichol character was not particularly likeable in book one but she had become pretty despicable in A Fatal Grace (the description of her physical attributes in book 2 made it clear that she was a very unattractive person devoid of personality [other than being spiteful] and with no taste in clothing; since I read book one many months ago, I thought I just didn't remember her character well from the first book; however, in a 2-star Amazon review, another reader was also perplexed about the deterioration of the Nichol character from book 1 to 2; (3) the way the murder was executed was very convoluted and unbelievable. About halfway or 2/3 of the way through the book, I had an idea of who the murderer was. I was correct but the way the murder went down was even more unbelievable when the killer was finally identified. The book was an easy read so I put book 3 on my paperbackswap.com wish list.

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I really enjoy this series. Inspector Gamache is a clever but practical guy, and the author writes rather "tongue in cheek" in some parts which adds to the enjoyment. The books in this series are easy and quick to read. All told, I'm a fan of this author and this character.

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Chief Inspector Armond Gamache is a wonderful character with many layers to his personality....he is called to investigate a woman's death...a woman who made enemies wherever she went. She is electrocuted in front of many people while watching a curling match. A well written and thought provoking mystery. I really enjoyed this book even though at times I got the characters somewhat confused......

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I love the Chief Inspector Gamache series. Each book brings more growth in character development

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Louise Penny once again delivers a well plotted Gamache mystery along with enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. A Gamache anniversary stay at an old lodge in a peaceful setting is turned upside down when a family reunion moves from inner squabbles to the death of one of the family from a fallen statue of its former matriarch. A bazaar accident or was it murder? Another delightful read and an intriguing plot that will keep you guessing to the end.

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Several years ago, I read my first Louise Penny novel and instantly became a huge fan of her writing. Before reading this one, I briefly looked at what other fans thought of it, and I saw that some didnt like this one as well as the others.

Im saying right now do not listen to them! I see where theyre coming from, CC is truly despicable and the reader, like CCs peers, will not really feel any sympathy for her. I certainly dont wish anyone ill, whether they are real people or fictional, but sometimes someone just has something coming to them. Rather than feeling extremely sad about CC being murdered, we instead get to see how her behavior in life affected those around her, and that is what inspired sympathy in me.

To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=3470

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This is the second of Ms. Penny's books I've read-interesting character development-leaves you wanting more. Looking forward to the next one.

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There were a number of twists to this story that kept me through to the end . Inspector Gamache is an extraordinary fellow.

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This story takes place in 3 Pines in Quebec, Canada. Chief Inspector Gamache is an experienced middle aged inspector, kindly and friendly. The death of a new woman to the village, who is not liked by anyone because of her superior attitude to everyone and because of the way she treats everyone, including her 12 yr old daughter, is the mystery, along with the death of a homeless woman. Are they connected? Gamache has already established a good relationship with the people of the village because of a previous death there. This is a warm, fuzzy village with lots of different kinds of people. A fun read.

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Another very good entry in the Three Pines series by Penny. This is the third in the series that I have read after Still Life and The Cruelest Month, but second in sequence. I am really enjoying this series and it is fun getting to know the characters in the quaint village of Three Pines located in Quebec close to the U.S. border. In this one, a very despicable and self-centered woman named CC de Poitiers is electrocuted during a curling match on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas). This woman was disliked by seemingly everyone in Three Pines so when Chief Inspector Gamache arrives on the scene, there appears to be a lot of potential suspects for her murder. Poitiers was a wannabe self-help guru who was abusive to most everyone but especially to her husband and overweight daughter, Crie. As the story progresses, we learn more about the residents of Three Pines especially Clara who is a talented artist and whose talent seems to make her husband jealous even though he is a well-respected artist himself. But who could have killed CC? A lot of false leads ensue but all is made clear by the end. This novel also hints at some fallout from an older case of Gamache's and resentment by others on the police force. This is more fully explained in the next book, The Cruelest Month.

I really am enjoying this series including the atmosphere of the small village in Quebec along with learning new things and words used there such as toque, a close-fitting knitted hat, often with a tassel or pom-pom on the crown. I'll be looking forward to more in this series.

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