This one broke my heart. I love the fictional village of Three Pines and I really hope we get to see it again. ( )

We are back in the familiar Three Pines setting with Inspector Gamache and his team and all the residents but this one was just a bit too byzantine for my tastes. Sorting out the murder got way more complex than it ever needed to be with First Nation carvings and Czech refugees and priceless treasures and secret codes and perhaps more plot twists that I didn't even bother to remember. But when the ending came, it felt forced and still didn't tie up any ends for me. Plus I still don't really get Peter and Clara, whom Penny seems to want me to care so very much about. Hoping some of the loose ends of this one get picked up later.

A fantastic book that deepened the stories in the series, as it appears the killer of a hermit no one knew may well be a beloved Three Pines resident or a newcomer. This reread was as good as reading it the first time. ( )

Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series just gets better and better. Characters full of life and humanity, sometimes carried away by their flaws, add to a plot that drives along, enticing you to forsake sleep and food to uncover the truth! ( )

This series just keeps getting better and better! ( )