Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This book is very different from Ms Penny's other novels. Sadly different from my perspective. This isn't really a mystery novel, it's more a psychological study of a jealous man. There is a tiny sliver of mystery in the book - but very tiny and since it doesn't really play out till the end, it is almost nonexistent in the overall plot. Most of the story revolves around Gamache, Beauvoir, Clara and Myrna looking at art and feeling its impact on their psyches. There are side trips in the book - a visit by phone to Scotland, several trips to a university, time spent on a boat and in a plane - resulting in pages of psychological discussion, but adding very little to the story. Gamache is retired, and happy, but troubled. His wife is happy, but troubled by the thought that Gamache might be troubled. Jean Guy is happy with Annie, but troubled - Annie is happy, but troubled. Well, you probably get the picture. It's a conflicted story. While many of Penny's novels do get into the souls of the characters, this one takes it three steps further and without the mystery thread, it's a little tiresome for people who are looking for "mystery thrillers". Worse, from my tastes, it delves deeply into Peter's art which is described as "merde" (which translates to s***), dog breakfast, dog vomit, bad, pathetic - well, you get the picture. Given these descriptions, the amount of time spent looking at the paintings through various sets of eyes is an annoying waste of reading time. There are more issues, but my final comment is that while Louise Penny is a good writer - she can paint a landscape or person with words better than almost any author I've read - this novel is not the mystery genre I expected from her. It's a psychological delving into troubled people and troubled art. People I liked in past stories are unlikeable in this one. And fair warning - the ending was horrible. I wish I'd never read this book.