Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

During a cold November in Three Pines a dark mysterious figure - draped in black with a mask and never moving - appears in the green. Every day this figure is there - watching someone but who? Who’s wearing this mask and cape? Why is it there? Does it represent Death? Armand Ganache is now the Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec. He knows that legally he can’t do anything about that figure in the green. But that doesn’t stop him from being worried that something could happen. And yes, what he worries about happens - someone is murdered. There’s a lot going on here, with Gamache dealing with the murder and also with his duties as head of the Sûreté du Québec (as readers of the previous novels will remember that the Sûreté had a corruption problem that Gamache exposed.) The regulars from Three Pines are here (Gabri, Clara, Myrna, Ruth and her duck Rosa), though not as much as you’d expect considering that this is Three Pines. Unlike her previous novels, here the action switches between November when the incidents start and we see Gamache trying to determine who the killer is, and July, when the trial begins for the accused begins. This is a standalone novel. There really isn’t much information from previous novels that you need to understand the relationships. However, if you haven’t read any Armand Gamache novels, I recommend you start with her first novel - Still Life - to really enjoy the series. Reading a Louise Penny/Inspector Gamache novel is always a treat. Yes, there’s a lot going on but the author does a wonderful job of pulling it all together. So, why not 5 stars? I don’t want to say too much as much of the joy of the books in this series is how disparate plot points come together but I found myself frustrated that once again we have the clever Armand Gamache looking like he’s in over his head. I enjoy more complicated murder plots versus a simpler murder plot plus another story line. There were some plot points that seemed a stretch. (All I could think was "Really? This is all happening in Three Pines??") I thought this book was darker than some of her other books. I found myself putting the book down - needing a break from reading it. While this is one of those books that I’m glad I read, unlike some of the other books in the series, I don’t see myself reading it again.