A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Gamache)

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A Fatal Grace is the second Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery set in the stunning countryside of Quebec. Although Louise had me from the acknowledgments at the beginning of Still Life, there came a scene in A Fatal Grace that gave me chills in a way that only the very best manuscripts ever have. He watches, he listens, and like me, he seems to suspect various possible perpetrators of the murder.

Are there any significant clues to be found in the video cassette of The Lion in Winter that turned up in CC's garbage after the murder? Here it’s the kind of weather when you find yourself stripped down to barely acceptable clothing and opening the fridge or freezer a little more often than necessary. It is a book in which the values the story claims to be promoting (compassion, love, generosity, respect for human dignity) are actually entirely undercut by the text itself.I had already gotten to know most of the recurring characters in Penny’s introductory book but she builds layers to their characterizations in this second installment. I was shocked by Gamache not actually trying to help Crie, but all the characters were shocked that he did. This is the one with a shocking curling match, a stinky dedication, and a weird ball retrieved from a dumpster. Then Inspector Gamache came on the scene, late in my judgment, but once he made his appearance, the story took off, with an accelerating pace that lasted all the way through. She has also created a richly-imagined setting in the charming Canadian village of Three Pines, which is located somewhere just south of Montreal.

Maybe because he speaks French but Armand Gamache in figuring out clues before his team of detectives reminds me of a modern Hercule Poirot. Penny continues to explore the larger Sûreté Homicide team, including some quirks in the hierarchy and some new faces, sure to stir the pot in ways that might not have been expected in such a quaint novel.And author Penny clearly lays the basis for further intrigue in the career of Inspector Gamache, finally explaining the case that happened before Still Life and letting us know why there are some in the Sûreté who are out to get him. And while the book talked a lot about light Saul found it interesting and ironic that it had actually been released on the winter solstice. And the chair is sitting out on the ice with only what, 2 or 3 other chairs around it, and they are all right in front of the shoreline bleachers stuffed with onlookers? CC de Poitier, on the other hand, is among the worst of them, hated by everyone in town, including her husband, her lover and daughter.

In this volume I learned more about the personalities of Gamache and his team, about their past and their fears. And for a while it seemed that it was only the characters who were being cruel but then I read this passage about a 12 year old girl. I hate the cold, but love reading about places where the snow is metres deep and the water freezes on the end of the firemen's hoses as they try to put out a fire. As Gamache and his Sûreté team begin digging through CC’s life, they cannot help but notice the truly Canadian surroundings, for this wretched woman died at a local curling event, having gripped the end of her chair, one that was seemingly attached to a sizeable generator.We are also treated to more background on some of my favorite characters from the last book, Clara and Myrna, plus poetry from the irascible Ruth. I save the hard to get books for the times when I am visiting because the collection is that expansive. Something bigger than just the murder at hand seems to be brewing on the horizon - something with a sinister vibe that does not bode well for Gamache.

Can it be possibly be coincidence that CC’s book, Be Calm, has the same name as the meditation center Bea Mayer, known as Mother, runs in Three Pines? As a reader, I was cheering for Gamache to solve the crime, but not because of the unlikeable CC de Poiters. All of this makes her the perfect Christie-style murder victim -- the reader is glad when she's dead, but justice must still be done, so there's the pleasure of the investigation without the grief of a sympathetic character dying, plus suspects are thick on the ground because everyone disliked her.In the Sunday New York Times magazine (June 15, 2014), Hilary Clinton is quoted as saying she has a Louise Penny on her bedside table. With the help of an idea from Clara about the discarded video, the case seems to be coming together, when a raging fire breaks out at Saul’s chalet, and the unlikely trio of Gamache, Beauvoir, and Agent Nichol try to rescue him.