The Cruelest Month: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, Book 3

The Cruelest Month (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #3) by Louise Penny.Someone told me this series gets better. This motley collection of characters, in mythical small village in Quebec, which just happens to have the highest known murder rate per capita in the entire world outside the equally fictional Midsomer series, has piqued my interest. I accidentally started book 12 so I guess I’m in it for the long haul.Most of Book three is further development of the cast characters including the very wise and paternal Inspector Gamache. It's fun reading how Gamache ferret out clues. He always knows so much more than he lets on. You are mostly along for the ride, but it’s an enjoyable ride, especially now that I've gotten to know the townsfolk so well.There are 2 plots in this book. One is a murder in Three Pines, Quebec. 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. So it helps to read these in order.Side note: I love all the Canadian references, something that many may not notice if never visited.Highly recommended, and NOT just for mystery lovers, but for those who live to discover subtlety and grace in writing.

Louise Penny is at in again in her series on Detective Armand Gamache! In her novel, Penny works to solve the murder of a woman in Three Pines. Through character and plot development, Louise Penny does an excellent job with conveying the character's emotions and thought process. I recommend this book as a must-read for anyone who is interested in detective novels!

Perhaps that's the wrong word to use, as its use in the novel relates more to the sun. Here, I mean far surpassing in intelligent maneuvering of words in carrying images and thoughts in others' minds than simply the excellent rendering and retelling of a story. Even the complicated aspect of developing mediocre poetry with moving poetry... can a poet always be assured of that creation?But at its basic level, this is a story told well, interwoven in a meaningful way, as only the greats can do without annoying the reader, and while I guessed who would die, I didn't guess exactly who did it, and was thoroughly engrossed in a few of the side stories that wove into the fabric of this life, the life of the vignette, that snip of life shown to us by the author. I have to say, Ruth's poem, woven throughout the novel, joins those of Anne Sexton as one of my favorites. I have been her kind.

A great read. I really enjoyed this 3rd Inspector Gamache book. So many twists and turns. Keeps you guessing. On to the next....

April is known as the cruelest month, not just here in the States but also in Three Pines, a tiny town near Quebec. The month is especially cruel for Madeleine, who dies unexpectedly during an impromptu seance in the old Hadley House. But as April showers bring May flowers, a death in Three Pines brings Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team from the Surete du Quebec. Inspector Gamache is an old-school detective, using simple observation and human relationships alongside the more modern scientific techniques. He believes in looking people in the eyes, old-fashioned shoe-leather detecting, and long hours of hard work to catch a killer. It is his dedication to finding the truth, to searching out the evil to protect the good, that drives him as a policeman and as a man. His team balances him well, from Jean-Guy Beauvoir's strength to Isabelle Lacoste's quiet intelligence. And Gamache will depend on the entirety of his team to solve the murder, there is trouble brewing for him back in Surete headquarters that even his dream team may not be able to help him overcome. Anyone who has visited Louise Penny's captivating corner of Canada know that while the murder can draw you into the story, you stay for the characters. The residents of Three Pines are so completely imagined that they feel like friends. From the innkeepers Olivier and Gabri to bookstore owner Myrna and artists Clara and Peter Morrow, and (of course) resident poet and all-around crank Ruth, the true genius of Louise Penny and her Detective Gamache series is in creating a place where we as readers want to spend as much of our spare time as possible. The Cruelest Month is book 3 in the series, and I can't stop recommending them all to anyone who will listen to me. While this book may not have a crime that is as carefully crafted as some of the other novels in the series, there is still a lot going on. The fact that there is a seance or two in the town is unusual for Three Pines, but a visitor is drawn to the town to explore its spiritual power. The fact that there is drama back at police headquarters is not unusual, but the lengths that certain officers would go to to sabotage Gamache and his work is shocking. The fact that Clara is a talented artist is not a surprise, but her anxiety in the face of a major art critic's visit is extreme. That's how it is with The Cruelest Month. April is a lot of drama--rainstorms (or this year, snowstorms), waiting, working, grinding away, and then at the end, all that trouble melts into beautiful warm days and gardens with the promise of lush flowers and bushels of vegetables and fruit. And the novel has a lot of that hard work and slow grinding, but what you get in the end is a lush story filled with amazing characters in a place where you could truly visit, or even retire. And if you're like me, and you've discovered the phenomenon that is Ralph Cosham as narrator, then you'll be able to enjoy this as an audiobook, letting his perfect reading of Louise Penny's prose wash over you like a rainbow. Did you know that he never read his pages in advance? What you're hearing is him coming to the pages of the book for the first time and enjoying the story as much as we do. Just one more thing about this series that makes it so magical.

Love this series . I feel as if I know these people. Love Inspector Gamache. Would love to visit this place. Thank you !

Penny peers into the darknesses and lights, and brings an understanding and insight into … ourselves. Very satisfying. Worth some pondering before running off to the Next Thing.

Who does not like a seance in a haunted house? Louise Penny keeps you guessing to the bitter end. As you learn more and more about the characters, you almost feel you could pull up a chair along side of them and enjoy a meal at the bistro. Chief Inspector Gamache continues to put the puzzle pieces together while giving his utmost attention to a wide variety of community members. I would recommend you sit in your comfortable chair with a cover and a favorite drink and enjoy the story.

This is the third in the series and just like the second one, when I started reading it I fell into a really relaxed state. It's amazing how a series can bring about a sense of comfort and relaxation, just like coming home.Three Pines is a place I'd love to visit, full of charm and quirky characters, a great bistro and yet the source of various murders. This time it seems someone has died of fright, or have they? At the time Gamache is being hounded in the press with someone in the Surete determined to exact some form of revenge.I just love the character of Gamache and the totally different characters in his team, and really enjoy the journey each investigation brings you on. This time, he made me more infuriated with his relaxed and determined reaction to the photos and stories in the press but you just can't help but love him in general. I was so wrong in who I thought had committed the murder but looking back, it was there the whole time. I was just so distracted by everything else that was going on.A really enjoyable read in a great series.

A few years ago my wife and I saw Louise Penney and Ann Cleeves at a literary event in York.Following this I read all of Ann’s books and my wife read all of Louise’.Having watched the Amazon Prime TV series Three Pines I decided it was time to rectify my omission.What a delight these books are for the reader. Intricate plots, fantastic characters and amazing descriptions of food, drink, weather and scenery.The Cruellest Month is the best yet showcasing Louise Penneys ability to bring two plot lines to a satisfying conclusion.Absolutely brilliant, I’m going to read them all.

I usually enjoy Louise Penny’s books and this had all the familiar characters and the charming atmospheric setting of the quiet village of Three Pines, but I found it slow and discursive. At times so much so that I almost gave up, but as I hate not finishing books, I did persevere. The identity of the murderer, however, didn’t come as much of a surprise, although it paved the way for a nice resolution with the community coming together. The other strand of the story seemed a little contrived. Perhaps it’s time for me to take a break from the Gamache series.

This series gets better and better with each installment.Inspector Gamache is wonderful. A real breath of fresh air, a police inspector with natural human flaws, not afraid to admit his mistakes, but with a gentle and polite manner which is so endearing. But when it comes to getting the job done and solving the murder, then make no mistake he's someone who pulls no punches until he gets to the truth.I'm enjoying reading more about the family life, both of Gamache and also Nichol. We learn quite a bit more about her in this book - at times I felt as if she was out for all she could get at the expense of the investigative team but, as is revealed close to the end, her motives are not all they seem.....So far in this series we have been introduced to some new characters in each book and for me this keeps a series interesting - new characters from both sides of the story (ie: residents of Three Pines, and members of the police) keep a story fresh and entertaining. A good move by Louise Penny.Looking forward to getting into book 4 now.

This is the third book in a series starring Inspector Armand Gamache from the Sûreté du Quebec and again is set around a death in the fictional village of Three Pines.‘Once found Three Pines was never forgotten but it was only ever found by people lost.’Although you can read all of Louise Penny’s books as stand-alone, it is probably better to start with the first one as many of the characters develop as the series continues and to date there are ten books in the series.It is a nice meaty book to get in to with flashbacks to a previous controversy concerning the Inspector which is explained, to an extent, as the book progresses. Louise deals with the insecurities of people’s characters, intertwining their strengths as well. The intricacies of living in a small village that boasts a set of shops, and a bistro where people gather and are looked after well by the extrovert couple of Olivier and Gabri who also run the local B & B.It is early April, Easter weekend and eggs are being hidden to be found by the children and a séance is held by a visiting medium/psychic. A haunted house and a death follow, fear and terror and horror invade all those attending. The Sûreté du Quebec become involved as it is realised the victim didn't suffer a natural death.Louise Penny is able to describe the village, its inhabitants, the after effects and consequences of a sudden death drawing you intimately into the village and the people who live there and we also find out more about the characters of the Sûreté du Quebec involved in the investigation.A good book is one where the characters stay with you long after you have put the book down and this is one such book.