| Title | : | The Cruelest Month (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0755328949 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780755328949 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 310 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2007 |
| Awards | : | Barry Award Best Novel (2009), Macavity Award Best Mystery Novel (2009), Anthony Award Best Novel (2009), Arthur Ellis Award Best Novel (2008), Agatha Award Best Novel (2008) |
It's spring in the tiny, forgotten village; buds are on the trees and the first flowers are struggling through the newly thawed earth. But not everything is meant to return to life. . .
When some villagers decide to celebrate Easter with a séance at the Old Hadley House, they are hoping to rid the town of its evil—until one of their party dies of fright. Was this a natural death, or was the victim somehow helped along?
Brilliant, compassionate Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec is called to investigate, in a case that will force him to face his own ghosts as well as those of a seemingly idyllic town where relationships are far more dangerous than they seem.
The Cruelest Month (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #3) Reviews
-
Why do I like this woman and this band of lunatics?
First there's the thing about the nice small village which just happens to have the highest known murder rate per capita in the entire world. ..I hate that. Then there's the thing about everybody in the village being slightly eccentric. ..I really hate that. Then there is the kinda obligatory creepy sceance thing in a hunted house. ..Really? do people still do that? Then she starts the book like your typical cozy and then it transforms into a police procedural. ..Really weird. Then there's the whole room full of suspects, and that whole, 'you did it', 'no, she did it', 'no, he did it', 'no, they did it', Agatha Christie kinda thing. ..Really?, come on now!
So why did I like it? I have no idea, but I really did like it. Maybe it's the whole wise and paternal Inspector Gamache thing leading his adoring band of rejects, especially the rude girl with her hair constantly in the soup and crumbs on her blouse, who doesn't listen and who nobody likes, including her parents. Although, personally, I thought she was nice in a rude kind of way.
So, to sum it up, it's like this big crazy quilt, made from lots of ugly leftover scraps. But, in the end, the damn thing still turns out beautiful. (Like the girl, after you wash the soup out'a her hair.)
Go figure! -
The Cruelest Month (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #3)
by Louise Penny (Author), Ralph Cosham (Narrator)
The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache books have so much going on in them. The characters carry over from one book to another and it's as if life really does go on between books. There is the crime that Gamache and company are investigating in each book. And then there are the ongoing, simmering, problems concerning something Gamache did to bring his upward career momentum to a screeching halt. Now Gamache has bitter and dangerous enemies who will go after those he loves the most to destroy Gamache.
In The Cruelest Month, a villager dies at a séance in the creepy, deserted mansion on the hill and the death is a murder! Other than the visiting woman who led the séance, the only other attendees were townsfolks so the murderer is among them. But then I suspect this sleepy little village has a lot more murders in it's future.
It's fun watching Gamache ferret out clues. He always knows so much more than I do, I'm mostly along for the ride, but an enjoyable ride it is, especially now that I've gotten to know the townsfolk so well.
Published March 1st 2010 by Blackstone Audiobooks (first published 2007) -
4 stars for another entertaining mystery in the Armand Gamache series. This is book 3 in the series, and I recommend that you start with book 1. There are 2 plots in this book. One is a murder in the fictional town of Three Pines, Quebec, located near the US Vermont border. The second is a group of Surete Quebec officers who want revenge on Gamache for something that happened years before. This part of the story is more thriller, in that the reader learns who the bad guys are in book 2.
The first approximately 80 pages move very slowly, but I became invested in the book, reading 140 pages on the third day. My wife and I agree that this book had a very slow start, but you should persevere for a good ending. There are several false clues and I was not sure of who the killer was until the end.
The author has Gamache and his number 2, Jean Guy Beauvoir, driving down to Three Pines from Montreal and talking about the terrible dirt road leading into Three Pines with potholes described as"an asteroid crater" and Gamache worrying about how long his tires would last. My wife and I drove some of these dirt roads while looking for covered bridges 2 months ago, and they are every bit as bad as the book says.
Both my wife and I plan to keep reading the series.
Some quotes
"But Three Pines was a village forgotten. Time eddied and swirled and sometimes bumped into it, but never stayed long and never left much of an impression."
Gamache about murder: "Fear might stop some people from people from committing murder, but he knew for certain fear was what drove most people to kill. It was nested behind all other emotions. It was what twisted and turned the other emotions into something sick."
"Our secrets make us sick because they separate us from other people." -
I can't seem to love this series as much as everyone else seems to.
I love small towns, murder mysteries and the French Canadian bits but some parts didn't age well and I'm not as invested as I would like.
Is it worth continuing? -
“Loss was like that, Gamache knew. You didn’t just lose a loved one. You lost your heart, your memories, your laughter, your brain and it even took your bones. Eventually it all came back, but different. Rearranged.”
Another excellent installment in Armand Gamache series. Reading Luise Penny’s books transports me in the idyllic village of Three Pines and fills me up with peacefulness and love for the simple things. This novel was a bit spookier and the atmosphere was less serene but I still immensely enjoyed every page. There were a few plot ideas that I did not understand but I’ll come back to that later.
It is Easter in Three Pines and what better way to celebrate the resurrection of Christ than to organize a séance? What better place to do it than the old Hadley house where death is already so present? I suppose there is no surprise when one of the attendees dies of fright. Or was it of other reason? As always, inspector Gamache comes to investigate and to eat an Egg Benedict or two at Gabri’s and Olivier’s bistro. God, I now have an aching need to eat one of those myself.
There are 3 main narrative planes. The first one is the spookiness/supernatural aura of the old house, the second is the investigation of the strange death and the third one, which is the most prominent, is the rebirth of the Arnot case. While I thoroughly enjoyed the first two plots, I had a few problems with the third. We finally get to understand what happened with the case and why it resurfaced. However, I find it unbelievable how inspector Arnot got to do the evil thing he ended up doing and also the reason behind the treason of inspector Brebeuf. Lumieux also became an unbelievable character, his transition from an eager, friendly young officer to that ambitious and cruel monster feels forced.
What I like about Luise Penny is that she always introduces a serious theme into her books. This time the discussions about the near-enemy and jealousy were very well done and enhanced the beautiful writing. Oh, I also loved Ruth and her two little geese.
“Love wants the best for others. Attachment takes hostages.” -
4.5 stars out of 5.
(non-spoiler alert here -- I'm including a few quotes in my review below, but I promise not to spoil any important surprises from the book!)
I am docking this book 1/2 star because Penny conflated two different species of plants which actually are not at all similar in the way Penny claimed -- which turned out to be important to the plot, since one plot twist hinged on it. I know that sounds confusing, but I don't want to give twists away here. Suffice it to say that her twist wouldn't have worked in Real Life, and that irked me. Otherwise, this would be a 5 star read all the way.
Aside from my irk, this is a lovely book. And Penny is a great writer. I'm beginning to think of her as a pointillist of the written word. Like the painters, she carefully places tiny drops of information here, there, and everywhere across her canvas, until those myriad individual points coalesce into one beautiful whole. She does not create photographs or photo-realist paintings; rather, her images are somewhat stylized and in some ways even hyper-real. In fact, her technique seems much like that used by one of the artists in her books, Peter, who paints everyday objects from such a magnified perspective that his finished products look like abstract art until you back far away from them. In Penny's case, she rapidly switches between points of view, sometimes every few paragraphs, giving us only pinpoint glimpses into each scene before moving on to the next. And within each vignette she makes minutely detailed observations, which readers piece together one by one until they can finally appreciate the overall image by the end of the book.
And what wonderful turns of phrase! Penny knows how to wring every drop of goodness out of these tiny scenes. For instance, this one description becomes a sort of metaphor for the entire book:
"As he approached [the house] he was surprised to see peeling paint and jagged, broken windows. The ‘For Sale’ sign had fallen over and tiles were missing from the roof and even some bricks from the chimney. It was almost as though the house was casting parts of itself away.[….]Things were not as they seemed. The known world was shifting, reforming. Everything he’d taken as a given, a fact, as real and unquestioned, had fallen away. But he was damned if he was going to fall with it. Or let anyone he loved go down. ‘The house is falling apart,’ said Gamache. ‘Be careful.’"
Also, Penny has an exquisite talent for depicting the depths and pathos of emotions, without becoming maudlin or cheap --
"‘I can’t believe she’s gone,’ said Hazel, sitting down as though her legs had given way. Loss was like that, Gamache knew. You didn’t just lose a loved one. You lost your heart, your memories, your laughter, your brain and it even took your bones. Eventually it all came back, but different. Rearranged."
and
"The lump in the throat that fizzed and ached. The terror of falling asleep knowing that on waking she’d relive the loss, like Prometheus bound and tormented each day. Everything had changed. Even her grammar. Suddenly she lived in the past tense. And the singular."
I read through this book constantly exclaiming to myself -- Oh! Look at that! Look how she wrote that! -- really great stuff.
As for the characters -- I have rarely felt as much respect and affection for any fictional character as I do for Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache. Oh, how I would love to know that man in real life. I ache when he aches; I rejoice when he rejoices. And Penny paints each of her secondary characters with similar vivid colors and clarity, bit by bit and point by point. None of her characters are perfect, but none are evil either; it is obvious that Penny cares for all of them, and she lets readers see the good along with the bad. Great character work to go along with her prose.
As for the plot -- well, yes, plot. I personally am not a big fan of the unlikely and improbably twisted murder scenario, but since I AM a huge fan of both prose and character it's easy for me to enjoy these books despite this one aspect. The twists and turns do work (aside from my one complaint above), and for folks who look for convoluted plots this may even be a major selling point of the series. For myself, the plot often doesn't even make much of an impression on me except as it impacts on and reveals more about the characters. In this case, the plot is filled with an intriguing web of secrets, envy, and jealousy that affect everyone from the smallest side character to Gamache himself -- but always Penny leaves us with hope and love as well.
Overall, great book. It's going on my "favorite recent reads" shelf. I enjoyed the first two books in the series, but I really loved this one. Now, on to the next! -
Louise Penny dazzles with yet another novel in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. This is one binge-worthy collection that never seems to let up! During the Easter Season, the community of Three Pines—nestled in the Eastern Townships of Quebec—is full of colour and excitement, but there is also an evil presence. Some of its residents have sensed it for a long time and have an interest in pushing the spirts away. Of particular concern is the old Hadley House, where many horrific things have occurred over the years. When a psychic is brought to town to help connect some of the Three Pines residents with the spirit world, the opportunity to banish the Hadley abode of its haunting nature is too alluring to pass up. However, things seem to get a little too intense and Madeleine Favreau ends up scared to death, literally. The news hits the presses and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is sent with his team to investigate. It would appear that the higher-ups in the Sûreté du Québec do not always respect that Gamache may wish to spend time with family before their departure back to Europe. When Gamache arrives, he learns that Favreau’s death was not the act of a vengeful spirit, but rather a highly potent—and illegal—drug that has been found in diet pills. Who could have slipped this woman something to cause her heart to seize during the aforementioned event? While the Chief Inspector pulls out all the stops with his Homicide squad, there are other issues that begin to create problems for Gamache. It would seem that the Arnot case—a Superintendent within the Sûreté who was sent to jail for sanctioning murder by a group he was set to protect—is coming back to haunt him. Gamache was one of the few men within the Sûreté who wanted justice, crossing the Blue Line and fingering one of his own superiors. Now, with knives sharpened, someone is trying to push Gamache to the edge, using his family and media outlets to smear him. With a killer hiding in Three Pines and Gamache’s own family in some sort of crosshairs, the Chief Inspector will have to choose which is more important, as if there’s even a question! Penny does a masterful job yet again and keeps the reader wanting more in this rollercoaster of a police procedural. Highly recommended for the reader who likes ‘quaint’, yet intense, mysteries full of Canadian references throughout.
Louise Penny’s novels have proven to be wonderful for a binge, as I am fully committed to the stories and characters found therein. Using the peaceful Eastern Townships as her setting, the author is able to inject a less than chaotic nature to the narrative, but still packs a significant punch to the story. Armand Gamache receives a great deal of coverage here, as most protagonists should, tapping not only into his backstory, but also some character development that series fans may have been wanting. When the Arnot case was mentioned in passing during the debut novel, I was curious to see how Penny would bring it up in a more thorough manner. She chose this novel to do so, tossing Chief Inspector Gamache into the centre and using his love of family as an Achilles heel. Penny permits the reader to see where things went wrong for Gamache and how, all these years later, those within the Sûreté are still trying to hunt him. Penny’s ongoing exploration of the Homicide squad continues to evoke interest, especially with Gamache’s future in doubt. Who might take over and how will their current sentiments towards the Chief Inspector shape the way they handle this current case? All this receives decent attention within the narrative, as well as some character development that is top notch. However, as with each novel, it is the collection of Three Pines locals who steal the show! Their acerbic wit and banter with one another cannot be matched and the attentive reader will see many of the wonderful pokes they take at one another. Penny has kept them on their games and by doing this binge, I am able to see if she can keep the intensity high. The story moves well in this piece, with interesting subplots that keep the reader curious and highly entertained. Penny places the reader in the middle of the investigation, watching Gamache’s mind spin and his heart ache as life comes crashing down around him in the middle of an investigation. I love all the Canadian references, something that many outside of this country may not notice. Their placement makes me feel at ease and I hope others will enjoy them—eh?! Bring on more Penny and keep them coming, if you please!
Kudos, Madam Penny, for intriguing me greatly yet again. I have yet to find a ‘rogue’ move, as some readers seem to feel this series takes!
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... -
Baby, It’s Cold Outside!
Inspector Gamache is back in Three Pines investigating yet another suspicious death.
Is it possible to die of fright?
That is the determination of many in the small town, yet Gamache wants to look deeper.
I really liked number two in the series yet this continuation lacked the same punch. It’s more character driven with the plot revolving around the central players. Even with my familiarity, I was less interested in the asides and wanted more mystery and action.
I realize now that this isn’t the author or series for me. Because of its popularity, I wanted to discover it for myself; however, I’m stopping here.
Thank you to Marilyn and DeAnn for reading and discussing this with me.
Electronic copy from Amazon Kindle Unlimited. -
It is Easter in Three Pines, Quebec, and the locals are discussing Easter traditions and the dangers of hiding edibles outdoors when bears are emerging from their dens. But nevermind! There's a seance to attend, but there are some abstainers--including the spirits. Jeanne says the village is too happy for them to visit. Oh, but the abandoned Hadley house is available, right? Just because Clara was trapped in the basement and the deceased owner spread malicious lies for years doesn't mean it is a bad idea. Just not a very good one. To absolutely no reader's surprise, one of the guests at the seance dies of fright. Or did they? Inspector Ganache is summoned once again to restore the idyllic flow of life in Three Pines. Oh, fine--the name is Inspector Gamache.
This is Penny's third installment in the series, and the writing is starting to feel more self-assured. However, a couple of stylistic issues remain, the most significant of which is the third-person limited point of view. All along, the reader dips into a variety of perspective of both villagers and investigators. Although there is some emotional benefit, as certain events are more meaningful depending on person, ultimately, it feels like trickery. As there are a number of people actively engaged in deceiving others, it becomes clear the limited viewpoint is supposed to heighten tension at the multiple end denouements, but because we were in those person's thoughts, it's disappointing as well. The limitations also mean limited insight into particular characters.
As a personal issue, I still dislike the staccato style, but at least I'm getting used to it.
"She always seemed to be enjoying herself. And why not, thought Clara. After what she'd been through."
See? Ergh! Smooth those fragments out!
Mystery plotting is likely the weakest part of the book. Ganache is no Poirot, using the little grey cells to piece together the events of the night and the characters of all involved. A cursory search and a coincidental event leads to the solution. But that's okay, because his grey cells are off-line, distracted by the emotion caused from some malicious newspaper articles alleging his corruption. Mon dieu! Heavy handed and fairly implausible, it didn't really square with Penny's world-building of an upstanding guy that everyone admires and loves (except all the people that hate him with a passion). At least this time, we get to see him acting all noble and calm so we can observe how spiffy he is and his groovy, thoughtful brown eyes reading our soul.
But you know why I read this? I mean, besides book OCD? Because the language is frequently lovely. The gentle humor that occasionally peeked through was also delightful.
"Clara have always liked Odile.… She claimed to be working on an epic poem, an ode to the English of Quebec, which was suspicious since she was French."
The bawdy caricature-based humor present in the first book has improved and become slightly more subtle. Well, except the ducks and Ruth the poet, which are not subtle at all. Duck! (Rhymes with f*ck, get it?) Fowl! I cry fowl!
But read this very clever bit that so nicely blends character, uncomfortable emotion and humor:
"Inspector Jean Guy Beauvoir watched as the last of the Crime Scene team packed up... Ripping a length of tape from a yellow roll he stuck it across the door. He repeated that several times more than he normally would. Something in him felt the need to seal away whatever was in that room. He'd never admit it, of course, but Jean Guy Beauvoir had felt something growing... Foreboding. No, not foreboding. Something else.
Emptiness. Jean Guy Beauvoir felt he was being hollowed out. And he suddenly knew that if he stay there would be just a chasm and and echo where his insides had been...
Had he known how the artist Christo had wrapped the Reichstag he might have seen a similarity. Yellow Crime Scene tape smothered the door."
Still far too much telling instead of doing. But worth reading all the same. -
4.5★
“Gabri rose, trembling, to his feet. ‘Dear God,’ he cried, making the sign of the cross with his fingers. ‘It’s the pre-dead.’
At the mullioned window Ruth Zardo’s eyes narrowed and she gave him half a sign of the cross.”
HA! This is what I love about Penny’s writing. Her characters are such characters, from the gentle Gabri to the crotchety poet Ruth.
The quiet hamlet of Three Pines, near the Canadian-US border, is enjoying/enduring April, with its fickle weather. Trees bud, bulbs bloom, killer frosts laugh and do what killer frosts do.
We reacquaint ourselves with old friends and meet newcomers to the village. Among these is Madeleine, who has moved in with her old school pal Hazel and Hazel’s daughter, Sophie. Madeleine has always been a bright sun whom everyone wants to be near and on whom almost everyone has some sort of a crush, men and women both.
Another newcomer arrives, Jeanne, a self-proclaimed Wiccan (like a witch), enticed by an ad indicating Three Pines may be a site of some spiritual power, so Gabri insists she hold a seance. What fun!
The first one, on Good Friday, didn’t stir anything, so they decide to hold a real seance at the old Hadley house, the scene of some pretty awful activities in the previous Three Pines mysteries.
That seance follows a great meal. Penny’s people make wonderful food and are always munching on flaky, buttery croissants and thick soups, sturdy roast dinners, and luscious desserts. It’s half the fun of the books. Well, not half, but it is delicious reading.
Of course, the Hadley House seance proves a little more serious, with someone toppling over dead!
Cue Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, the father or uncle everyone wishes they’d grown up with. A wise, well-mannered, thoughtful gentleman, now a new grandfather, in his mid-fifties. His old pal and boss at the Sûreté du Québec assigns Gamache to head to Three Pines with some agents and find out what happened.
He takes Agent Yvette Nichol with him, much to the distress of his loyal, adoring offsider, Agent Jean Guy Beauvoir, who loathes Nichol, which is understandable.
“Agent Nichol seemed to collect resentments, collect and even manufacture. She was a perfect little producer of slights and sores and irritations. Her factory went night and day, churning out anger.”
We know Gamache is a master at inspiring confidence and harmony, so why inflict her on the community, this woman who is so sullen and sloppy (hair-hanging-into-her-soup-sloppy, crumbs-on-her-jacket-sloppy)? Beauvoir is so frustrated at one point, that he fantasises a bit.
“‘Agent Nichol,’ Beauvoir barked. He could feel the stone he’d found by the Bella Bella and put in his pocket yearning to fly. To smash bone, to grind into that head until it hit her tiny, atrophied brain. And replace it. And who would know the difference?”
Tempting as it is, he refrains, but interestingly, Nichol and Beauvoir and the rock feature together later in the story. Agents Isabelle Lacoste and Robert Lemieux were easier to get along with.
“. . . he was already Beauvoir’s favorite. He liked young agents who idolized him.”. Well, duh. Of course.
There is another thread running through this. We know Gamache was involved in some internal brouhaha in the past when he tried to clean up the department when he discovered the crooked activities of its head, a certain Arnot. The Arnot case keeps surfacing, old as it is, and we’re left wondering what’s going on until fairly late in the story. We know who the instigator of the revenge is, but we don’t really understand why.
Penny shows us the love and tenderness between the villagers and between Gamache and his family and team, and the welcoming nature of Three Pines to the lost and forlorn. Sitting by fireside, sipping merlot or hot drink is soothing indeed.
But, sadly, some are so forlorn, that murder seems their only solution. Gamache uncovers it, as he uncovers some more about the revenge. And in both cases, what Myrna, the colourful local bookseller, explains to Gamache at one point helps us understand how he figured out what to look for.
“‘The near enemy. It’s a psychological concept. Two emotions that look the same but are actually opposites. The one parades as the other, is mistaken for the other, but one is healthy and the other’s sick, twisted. . .
There are three couplings,’ said Myrna, . . . ‘Attachment masquerades as Love, Pity as Compassion and Indifference as Equanimity. . .
Compassion involves empathy. You see the stricken person as equal. Pity doesn’t. If you pity someone, you feel superior. . . .
Friendships, marriages. Any intimate relationship. Love wants the best for others. Attachment takes hostages. . .
Equanimity is balance. . . . An ability to accept things and move on. . . .
But some . . . Are psychotic. They just don’t feel pain. . . They don’t care about others. They don’t feel like the rest of us. . . .
The problem is telling one from the other.’”
So there you have it. We should be able to solve all mysteries from now on, right? I’ll have to see how I do on the next one. :) -
Rating: 4* of five
Ruth Zardo comes out best in this awful, wrenching hanky-moistener of a book.
That's all I can say. Anything else is a spoiler, and if I spoil this book for anyone, that person will hunt me down and kill me.
Dead, like Madeleine Favreau! Eternal rhyming blank verse written by Odile recited in my ears by Rod McKuen. *shudder*
Secrets. Lies. Jealousies. Anguish. Loathing for the happiness of those close to us. If it lasted a few thousand more pages, I'd say it was a Ken Follett novel of medieval times. It was impossible to put down, as "People" magazine yodels from the cover. It was harrowing to see these characters I've invested so much in suffering from blindness of the spirit, self-inflicted, attempting to shun painful knowledge.
(Kath--re A Certain Party I indicated admiration for--you were right, ew.)
Being a murder mystery, one knows from the outset that one is being set up to sympathize with a character who later proves to be a murderer, doubtless to one's shock and horror. Strangely, this murderer left me cold, was someone I thought, "oh yeah, that's logical" about, and in whom I made not the smallest investment.
I was wretchedly, abjectly, tearfully sorry for someone else's miserable awakening, and almost...only almost!...forgave an annoying, nasty character's existence at the end of the book.
There is, about 2/3 of the way through the book, a scene of memorable power and beauty between Gamache and Beauvoir. The sex is awesome!
No, not really, but the two men confront each other honestly and unguardedly for the first time, and it adds so very much to the extant emotional resonances that Penny layers into each of her works that I can't wait to read the next installment. Next year. I need some time off, back reading about the Cathars and how the Pope and his fellow Satanic Minions tortured, murdered, and vilified their fellow beings for the greater glory of Jesus. Less emotionally draining, y'know.
Really, if you're so suspicious or so backward not to have run out and bought or checked out this entire series already, there is little point in recommending that you do so, but I must: Highly, highly recommended, and NOT just for mystery lovers, but for those who live to discover subtlety and grace in writing. -
3.5 stars
In this 3rd book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, the homicide detective investigates a woman's bizarre death. The book can be read as a standalone but - for maximum enjoyment - the series is best read in order.
*****
The Quebec village of Three Pines, near the United States Vermont border, is a sylvan haven that harbors artists, poets, bohemian inn owners, and a variety of other residents. Three Pines also has more than its share of murders, which makes it well known to Chief Inspector Armand Gamache - head of homicide at the Sûreté du Québec.
As the book opens, self-proclaimed Wiccan (witch) Jeanne Chauvet is vacationing in Three Pines, staying at the inn/café run by Gabri and Olivier.
Gabri, who likes to arrange spontaneous entertainments for the villagers, takes it upon himself to announce that 'Madame Blavatsky' (aka Jeanne) will hold a séance and speak to the dead.
Villagers show up for the séance, but the dead don't, and someone suggests that the decaying haunted Hadley House, where terrible things have happened, might be a better location.
The residents (reluctantly) agree, and - shaking in their boots - make their way to the Hadley House at the appointed time. Amidst the fearsome atmosphere, spooky noises and clammy walls, a villager named Madeleine Favreau dies suddenly, her face twisted into a horrible grimace.
Chief Inspector Gamache shows up to investigate, and learns that Madeleine was murdered.....essentially scared to death.
Gamache and his regular team, Agents Jean Guy Beauvor and Isabelle Lacoste, set up an incident room for the investigation.
The investigators are joined by detectives Robert Lemieux.....
.....and Yvette Nicol, sent by the Sûreté.
The reader soon learns that both Lemieux and Nicol have an agenda, which harks back to an event that occurred several years before. At that time Gamache publicly exposed a corrupt Sûreté Superintendent named Pierre Arnot, and sent him to prison. Arnot has been seeking revenge ever since, as have his allies in the Sûreté…..who HATE Gamache.
As the Chief Inspector works hard to solve Madeleine's murder, his enemies work just as hard to undermine Gamache and secure his resignation....or worse!
The usual recurring characters make an appearance in the story, including painter Clara Morrow and her artist husband Peter - who's jealous of his wife's success (he's SUCH a creep); Myrna Landers - a psychologist who now owns a bookstore; Ruth - an elderly, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed poet who adopts a duck; and Reine-Marie - Gamache's librarian wife. There are also an array of new characters, all of whom have some relationship with the victim Madeleine.
Secrets are revealed as the story unfolds, Gamache learns some unpleasant truths, and everyone snacks on delicious sandwiches prepared by Gabri.
The book is enhanced by vivid descriptions of the characters, the town, and Hadley House and - as usual in Louise Penny's books - augmented by the philosophical musings of the main characters.
This is a good addition to the Inspector Gamache series, recommended to fans of mysteries.
You can follow my reviews at
https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.... -
The Hook - I loved the title and wondered just what month is the cruelest. You’ll have to read the book to find out> I must say I agree.
The Line – ” One was dead and one was left behind, one again.”
The Sinker – This passage about Armand Gamache intrigued me.
” He gathered feelings. He gathered emotions. Because murder was deeply human. It wasn’t about what people did. No, it was how they felt, because that’s where it all started. Some feeling that had once been human and natural, had twisted. Become grotesque. Had turned sour and corrosive until its very container had been eaten away, until the human barely existed.
It took years for an emotion to reach that stage. Years of careful nurturing, protecting, justifying, tending and finally burying it. Alive.
Then one day it clawed its way out, something terrible.
Something that had only one goal. To take a life.
Armand Gamache found murderers by following the trail of rancid emotions.
As the third in a series I was expecting the same ol’. The Cruelest Month turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Yes, there were the comforting things I grew used to from having read the other stories, characters that I knew and liked, a glimpse of the daily life in Three Pines, a mystery and murder to solve. But somehow this one was just better. The writing was stronger, the plot structure was tighter; there were red herrings and clues that worked. I honestly wanted to know how all would turn out. In the end what I loved the most was that this was a story of friendships, of betrayal, of love, of envy, of ghosts, of spirituality, all blending well leaving me thinking about what life brings.
The Cruelest Month is an easy story to spoil so I’ll tell no more. Read the summary, read the book and enjoy a first class mystery novel.
Ralph Cosham is Armand Gamache for me. It breaks my heart that he did not live to read all that Louise Penny will write. -
Winner of the Agatha Award for Best Novel in 2008, the Cruelest Month is Louise Penny's 3rd in her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. I started this series recently and have found the books to be one of the best in the murder mystery gendre. The books not only engage you in a mystery, but allow you to get an inside glimpse of the characters in a lovely, poetic way.
The Cruelest Month centers around a seance in the scary old Hadley house where no one wishes to tread. Full of fear and trepidation, our favorite returning characters of the Three Pines village carry with them secrets that are revealed little by little. Clara Morrow's budding artistic career is interestingly seen through her husband's envy. Always a standout is the cranky poet, Ruth. She is just terrific.
A favorite character of mine is Jean Guy Beauvoir, 2nd in command to the Chief Inspector. We start to see some troubling silent thoughts of his that will be interesting to see if they will be revealed as the books progress. Others on the team, Yvette Nichol and Robert Lemieux, add some political intrigue to the novel. Heartbreaking is the betrayal by an unexpected source for Armand Gamache.
The audiobooks are the best way to go with the series as far as I'm concerned. Ralph Cosham, returning narrator, has a wonderfully pleasant voice and beautiful French Canadian accent. Sad to hear from a GR friend that he recently passed away.
A definite 4 out of 5 stars. Highly recommend the Gamache series.
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It was Easter Friday in Three Pines and once again the adults were hiding beautifully painted wooden eggs for the children to find. The tradition was a well-honed one after the mistakes of the past. But it was the innocent séance at Clara and Peter’s house after dinner that turned talk to exorcising the evil at the old Hadley house. People had died there in the past; its malevolence was known and felt by all in close proximity. The séance would remove all evil they hoped…
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache was celebrating Easter Sunday with his family when he took the call which would once again send him to the quaint old village of Three Pines. He’d been there before and loved the little village. But he couldn’t believe another death had occurred. Was it murder, or did the person literally die of fright?
The Cruelest Month is another highly entertaining crime mystery (and 3rd in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series) by Louise Penny. I laughed out loud on many occasions – love Ruth’s character! Twists and turns, with a dark and unsettling atmosphere in the background had me flying through the pages, needing to know what was going to happen. I highly recommend this series and thank the friend who put me onto it! Bring on #4 😊 -
Book 3, and though I hate to leave bad reviews, this one is poor. I don't like the head hopping and her plot in this book seemed implausible. The whole thing about the Arnot case and the vendetta against Gamache didn't ring true to me; nor did the notion that every single person in the book seems to believe that the Hadley house is actually haunted. Really? And Penny's character portrayal is weak. It's not that her characters are cardboard; I think one of her themes is that all of us are a mix of light and dark, and I like that. It's that I feel as if she is trying to push us to love the characters she loves, and to dislike the characters that she has decided we shouldn't. If that comment makes any sense.
But on Amazon, readers say the series starts to get better with Book 4, so I'll keep trying. I do love Gamache, idealized though he is. And who among us doesn't want to hop in our cars and find Three Pines? Clearly, Penny has some gift as a storyteller, because I continue to love this series. -
Early scenes are confusing and slow developing. Waiting for someone to be killed so Gamache can appear and the book can take off.
updated 9/16/13 ...
Gamache has arrived, and the writing style has changed. In the early chapters, there was mostly conversation among the residents of Three Pines, who spoke in the shorthand of people who know each other well. When Gamache is on the scene, clarity accompanies him. Suddenly, Penny finds the few extra words that put characters in context and make it clear who is who.
In my opinion, that same clarity should have been achieved earlier. I think this could have been done without losing the spontaneity of the dialogue, albeit with more work on the part of the author. If this was my first exposure to the Gamache series, I would have put the book away unfinished.
updated 9/29/13 ...
Having said what could have been better, I still found this a very enjoyable read. I am still (after 3 books) not fully enamored with the strange Three Pines residents, but the stories are good and the in-fighting among the police is very well presented. -
I am a book hopper. I read a variety of genres and usually have about 4 books on the go at the same time and like to read a chunk of each every day if I can. Well I started this last night and basically read it straight through. I loved it. It’s funny because I was reluctant to pick up this series for a long time because it sounded too twee and cosy. It can be that but it is also so much more. These are not the stories of serial killers or madmen, but fermenting and smouldering resentments, brought to action. More than the crimes of Three Pines, what absorbed me too was the corruption story around the Surete and the campaign against Gamache. Talk about dramatic irony! I can’t believe how protective I felt towards Gamache or outraged on his behalf!
Louise Penny does psychological depth and angst so so well. A thoroughly engrossing read. -
I know there's a lot of people who love Louise Penny books, but I am steadily, with each of her books, losing my esteem for her as a writer. This one was particularly unbelievable, especially the subplot of the Surete trying to destroy Gamache and his family. Without spoiling any of the specifics, the mole and their superior exposed their intentions - for what possible reason or gain? - with a dozen or so potential witnesses in earshot in the next room. Also I had a really tough time believing that the Hadley House was some evil, haunted entity. And at no point, did any of the citizens of Three Pines (a TINY community) comment on how this was the 3rd murder to happen in a small amount of time in their little village.
The actual murder - sigh. If I had to hear one more time that Madeleine "was like the sun" (and if you get too near the sun, you get burned) I might have vomited in my mouth a little. I had a hard time believing everyone who crossed her path fell in love with her and found her so irresistible. By the time we got to the end and found out whodunit, well, I didn't really buy it. But I wasn't really buying much by that point.
My other issue is her (lack of) grammar. Sentence fragments abound! Locations change without any kind of warning or spacing between paragraphs which I find jarring.
It almost feels like Penny's books are a first draft... there's an amateur voice I'm hearing while reading. It's disappointing, because she can be very sensitive and insightful at times, and I enjoy the Canadian setting, but I feel the bar is set pretty low. This goes against the many reviews I have read, which all attest to her improving with each book. That hasn't been my experience.
I am not sure if I will try #4, perhaps if I want something totally fluffy and with no expectations. -
We got snow albeit it did not stick. Perfect weather to curl up on the couch and be transported to Three Pines, Quebec. Having recently wrapped up two mystery series with the writers themselves retiring from writing them, I have now read three of Louise Penny’s books featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. I have been drawn into these books because Three Pines is the small, quirky town that I end up enjoying (think Cecily, Alaska in Northern Exposure, yeah, it’s been awhile). Gamache himself is a regal man, dressed in a bygone era, classy and respected. Appreciating poetry and the classics while training new recruits that his office gave up on, Gamache attempts to see the good in all. Except in one case that took place before the series, a case that is over five years old and is still at the forefront of Quebec’s Surete. Someone in the Surete detests Gamache and what he did and is determined to bring him down, even if it takes the rest of the series and interferes with his cases and family life. Yet, Gamache is the consummate professional and will not allow a scepter from the past to interfere with his work. With each successive case, he joins Three Pines seamlessly, becoming one of its residents, adding to the quirky cast of characters, while using his brilliant mind to solve the crime at hand. Penny is able to have these three plot points- town, case, and past- intersperse flawlessly. With all three piquing my interest while I become enamored with Gamache as a character because he is a classy man, I will continue to revisit this series, hoping that the past eventually goes away. Because who could not root for a man who quotes poetry while sipping cappuccino and eating croissants at an inviting bistro. Three Pines, I will undoubtedly return for more.
🇨🇦 4 stars 🍁 -
Absolutely LOVED this book. The stakes are continuing to rise. I continue to fall in love with the good, decent, wonderful Inspector Gamache. This book felt a little twistier than the first two. I liked that. Can't wait to keep going in the series!
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The more I read Louise Penny, the bigger fan I become. The village, its inhabitants, and Inspector Gamache grow and are further developed with each book. Penny is a great storyteller and writes beautiful prose. In many ways the books are character studies, full of wisdom and insight. And the characters in the artsy Canadian community of Three Pines are quirky and delightful.
The central theme in this book is jealousy and how it poisons relationships. Penny writes with insight into the psychological motivations and weaknesses of people. Not quite a police procedural and not quite a cosy, Penny's books bridges the gap between the two to write a compelling mystery series. I'm looking forward to the next one. -
Louise Penny has proven with her first two Inspector Gamache books that not only is she a good writer but has a tremendous capacity to pull in the reader to her quirky characters, complex creative mysteries and cultural awareness. There are a lot of characters in Penny’s stories, so this time I’ll summarize most of Chief Inspector Gamache’s team.
Reine Marie - his wife and chief supporter,
research librarian
Anne-Marie - daughter, wife to David;
Daniel - married son in Paris
Jean Guy Beauvoir - second-in-command,
married to Enid
Quebec Surete Agents: Isabelle Lacoste;
Yvette Nichol;
Robert Lemieux - duty officer at Cowansville
near Three Pines
Marc Brault - Montreal Metropolitan Police Chief
Brébeuf, Gamache’s supervisor; turns traitor
to his long-time friend
Sylvain Francoeur - Superintendent; Gamache’s arch-enemy and best friend to Gamache’s nemesis Arnot
This mystery begins with Gabri, co-owner of the Bistro in Three Pines who hosts a seance for Easter on site. Successful, an encore at the familiar *Hadley House is lined up as the setting for a second one.
*a former owner of HH died in book 1. The purchaser, a nasty piece of work, died in book 2.
The medium, Jeanne Chauvet, is reputed to be a witch who hangs with the Devil. Really? In this day & age? Okay. Even Jeanne self-identifies as a good witch who chooses to ban bad spirits and not kill people, believing her séances help the living move on with their lives. The female attendees are hoping to rid the town of evil—but that message doesn’t get through. Oh no. When the lights go out, Madeleine, the local grocer, screams and dies. Gabri notifies authorities who assign the case to Armand Gamache of the Quebec Surete. Is it dDeath by fright or foul play?
It’s homicide. It has to be. Gamache speaks with Madeleine’s kind housemate and best friend, Hazel. Sophie, Hazel’s daughter, quickly becomes a potential suspect when she shows resentment at how much time her mom spent with Madeleine. When Madeleine’s husband appears, he claims his wife left without notice or explanation (stressed over a cancer diagnosis) leaving him angry about their estrangement, but not enough to commit murder. Are there any others who would want to off Madeleine? Whodunit?
Side stories allow for poet Ruth to adopt a duck, Rosa, as a pet, adding more humour. Talented but stifled artist Claire Morrow finally attracts some attention from a Montreal dealer, much to her husband’s chagrin, adding some domestic conflict to the well-paced narrative.
Everything motor along, with Penny steering her way to a most satisfactory conclusion.
Louise Penny has an army of fans lined up to read her multi-faceted novels. Believe me, there is so much more to her work, that only after a second reading and delving into Penny’s interviews can the reader fully appreciate the depth of her talents and her outstanding feel for human nature.
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Ah Three Pines- you are such a balm for my soul.
I love these characters and most especially agent Armand Gamache. This time there is a seance in the old Hadley house on Easter and someone is quite literally scared to death. Friendships are tested and loyalties challenged as we race to discover who murdered whom. Finally, more information about the Arnot case is shared with the readers- this was leaving me so confused in the last book, and now more has come to light and my beloved Agent Nichol makes another appearance. I just love her snark and sass, a woman after my own heart. I think my favorite part is the descriptions of the amazing dishes Gabri and Olivier make - my mouth practically waters every time a croissant is mentioned. 😍
Looking forward to the next one as I've heard book #4 in this series is when it starts to get REALLY good. -
3.75 Stars
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Louise Penny is in love with a place, Three Pines, a small village on the outskirts of Quebec. And this is a spring book, so she is in rhapsody about the beauty of the place now. Except that title that makes reference to a line in a TS Eliot poem. And since it is a mystery, we expect a murder, so yes, cruel spring, death among new life. So as with Agatha Christie, you have a middle/upper-middle class setting, cosy, charming, but underneath it all, these murders multiply. Yet, as with Christie, these murders somehow don’t seem to undermine the sense of warmth and charm.
At the center of the charm is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (modeled, Penny says on Goodreads, on her own sweet husband), amid a cast of charming characters that make one reviewer of the last book call this world “twee,” which makes sense to me, though I seem to keep reading. There's only a a bit of light sarcasm and language play to undercut all the feeling of hugs and kisses. Oh, and a killing here and there.
Very much like a Christie novel, some villagers decide to celebrate Easter with a séance at the Old Hadley House, hoping to rid the town of its evil--until one of their party dies of fright. Or did she? One central theme in the book is faith or belief. Do we believe in spirits? Some folks are Christian and the Bible is cited throughout by them; some are Wiccan, and they believe in magic. Some seem to possess psychic powers, and some are poets. Ruth with her ducks! Literary quotations from poetry (and Shakespearean plays) abound. There’s good poetry and bad poetry, but it nevertheless like faith or magic guides people through their lives.
Nature is a kind of guide to many in the town. One guy talks with trees. It’s that kind of charming, quirky world. One person says the spirits she believes in are in a bottle of Scotch! And so yes, upscale food and single malt Scotch, served at Olivier and Gabri's bistro (don’t get me wrong, I’d like to eat there and visit the town and hang out with these folks a bit myself), fine food throughout this book.
The murder, not all that interestingly, gets solved, and it is (again, three books in a row) not all that surprising who commits it. No Christie jaw-dropping rugs pulled out from under you. The point is the atmosphere, Three Pines, we all want to live there, except for these pesky murders. This was the best of the three books so far, 3.5 stars, maybe, but I have to say I am not in love (yet?) with the series. Though I'll read on. -
Reading a Chief Inspector Gamache novel by
Louise Penny is a terrific reading experience. This is the 3rd novel in the series and the fourth which I have read. As I was reading this book I was reminded of when I first discovered
Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot. A small village, a murder, a small group of suspects, and a detective who will discover the truth by reasoning and deduction.
Is it possible to be scared to death? Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team return to Three Pines, a small village outside Montreal, to investigate a bizarre death. Some of the villagers decide to spend their Easter holding a séance at the Old Hadley House to rid it of it's evil, the curse, that seems to hang over their town like a dark cloud. The séance has barely begun when Madeleine Favreau collapses, apparently dead of fright.Was this a natural death? Or was the victim somehow helped along to the next world? If it was murder how was it done? And who would want Madeleine dead? She was attractive, successful, popular, the life of the party. At least that is what everyone tells Inspector Gamache when he first arrives. But he is a very patient man and knows how to unlock secrets.
Readers of this series know that previously Gamache arrested a Sûreté officer, Superintendent Arnot, for murder. An arrest that caused division within Sûreté du Québec and has ended any advancement in his career. Fellow officers either loved or hated his actions. Now someone has started a campaign to smear his name, as well as his family, in a newspaper. He does not respond to the newspaper but faces off against the man in the Sûreté he believes is responsible. And it is no spoiler to remind readers that there is a spy (or spies?) on his team placed there by someone in the Sûreté. Armand Gamache must deal with these events while trying to solve the death of Madeleine Favreau.
In this story the reader gets better acquainted with the characters in the series. One of the more interesting character developments is Ruth Zardo, the renowned poet, who bonds with a pair of ducks. Each time we return to Three Pines we learn a little more about the quirky residents and it's like catching up with old friends. -
"But Three Pines itself was a village forgotten. Time eddied and swirled and sometimes bumped into it, but never stayed long and never left much of an impression. For hundreds of years the village had nestled in the palm of the rugged Canadian mountains, protected and hidden and rarely found except by accident." pg 10, ebook
Readers are back with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache for another unlikely murder in the village of Three Pines. This time, it appears as if someone was scared literally to death.
"Eight of them had gathered in the cozy back room of the bistro to raise the dead this Good Friday, and the only question seemed to be, who would do it." pg 17, ebook.
Why is it that such a lovely place continues to experience such horrors?
"Was it possible the old Hadley house was full of their anger and sorrow? Was that why it attracted murderers? And ghosts?" pg 26, ebook.
Meanwhile, Gamache is haunted by a ghost from his past, the Arnot case. Claire continues to work on her painting while Peter tries not to be jealous of her talent. And for fans of the irascible poet, Ruth has a special role in this story.
I think what sets Louise Penny apart from other mystery authors is that she has created an entire community full of humorous and welcoming characters that I find myself wanting to return to. That's not as simple as she makes it seem.
"One by one they entered the old Hadley house. It was colder inside than out and smell of mold. The electricity had long since been turned off and now the circles of torchlight played on the peeling floral wallpaper, stained with damp which they all hoped was water." pg 35, ebook
My only criticism is that I didn't enjoy the mystery in this book as much as the previous ones. There was a lot of side drama that did a lot to build the characters but not to advance the plot. Otherwise, highly recommended for readers who enjoy cozy mysteries. -
Book 3 ... truly enjoyed it!
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Another satisfying mystery but also closure on a secondary storyline that had a three book arc.
I adore Gamache, the villagers and some of his team. Glad Ms Penny is taking the time to introduce backstories slowly... feels like reading about real people.
PS- wishing I could go to that B&B... the food sounds divine!!
