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kristinmarta's review against another edition
3.0
I love this series but I think I would have preferred two plot lines, not three.
lilyzzz's review against another edition
2.0
I have a question that I'm hoping someone could help me answer since I don't think it was explained clearly whatsoever.
**SPOILERS**
Throughout the book, Gamanche has multiple flashbacks to the raid where he beats himself up for making the wrong turn and running out of time before getting to Agent Morin. In fact, the mistake wastes precious seconds and makes the "bomb" count down to 0 when Gamanche and his agents finally find Morin. BUT... when they arrive they discover there never was a bomb in the first place and a giant shootout occurs. I'm assuming that Morin, still tied up to a chair, died during the ensuing shootout. So why does Gamanche always go back to how he made a mistake and turned down the wrong hallway? If there was no bomb in the first place, wouldn't Morin have died from being caught in the crossfire no matter when Gamanche broke down the door to find him? This really doesn't make sense...
**SPOILERS**
Throughout the book, Gamanche has multiple flashbacks to the raid where he beats himself up for making the wrong turn and running out of time before getting to Agent Morin. In fact, the mistake wastes precious seconds and makes the "bomb" count down to 0 when Gamanche and his agents finally find Morin. BUT... when they arrive they discover there never was a bomb in the first place and a giant shootout occurs. I'm assuming that Morin, still tied up to a chair, died during the ensuing shootout. So why does Gamanche always go back to how he made a mistake and turned down the wrong hallway? If there was no bomb in the first place, wouldn't Morin have died from being caught in the crossfire no matter when Gamanche broke down the door to find him? This really doesn't make sense...
aa2q7's review against another edition
4.0
Liked this one, especially as it solved the cliff-hanger in book no. 5 (if it wasn't Oliver wo killed the old man in the woods with all the treasures, then who was it?)
Spoiler
It was the young Czech guy (think his name is Old?), and it turns out that the guy was his dad? Who probably took advantage of folks fleeing Eastern Europe to get the treasures and then faked his own death to live in the woods.hbdee's review against another edition
4.0
This one is a real tearjerker, but done beautifully and with tremendous sympathy for every character, who are all familiar and beloved by this, the 6th in a series of 18 books.
karaelise's review against another edition
3.0
I like that Gamache is fallible - did not expect the killer to change from a past book! But I found the murder of Renaud to be hopelessly boring and it was a slog getting through those sections.
jennyzreads's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This was the perfect cozy January read. Quebec City at Carnaval time is an unmatched setting and Penny really makes you feel like you are there, which is a joy. I also feel like her storytelling here got a marked upgrade, with her handling multiple plotlines going back and forward in time (by only just a few months), maintaining an impressive thread of tension throughout, and poignantly addressing the concept of trauma in her protagonist in the coziest of settings.
msjared's review against another edition
4.0
I really do think her books get better and better and this is no exception. I'd say it's my favorite so far.
This one picks up after an investigation we weren't privy to and weaves in a new mystery along with backtracking to solve one we thought Gamache had already solved. So it's three mysteries in one and as usual, Penny does an excellent job building suspense, developing her characters, and turning in little nuggets of wisdom the reader can use for a lifetime.
We start with Gamache in Quebec, visiting his mentor, Emile Comeau, and recovering from the physical and psychic injuries he sustained in the last big investigation where a number of his Surete officers were killed. While in Quebec he stumbles upon a murder investigation in which he lends a hand, all the while flashing back on the last case, what it was all about, and who he lost in the battle. He also decides to send one of his agents back to Three Pines to double check the murder of the hermit (book 5) because he feels like he might have made a mistake and since he is an intelligent, kind, and noble detective, he is willing to lose face if it means releasing an innocent person from prison.
So we've got a new batch of characters in Quebec, the thrill and heartache of his last case that's tormenting him, and the mystery of whether or not he made a rush to judgment in the hermit case and put the wrong person in jail. SO much going on! And it's all so interesting and exciting! And Gamache is such a great character with so much to reveal and teach us about humanity. I love him!!!
Anyway, this was another great read by Louise Penny. I recommend at least reading book 5 (A Brutal Telling) before this one if you don't always read them in order because the hermit case they are reworking in this story is what the entirety of what book 5 is about so this one will make more sense and have more meaning if you read that one first.
This one picks up after an investigation we weren't privy to and weaves in a new mystery along with backtracking to solve one we thought Gamache had already solved. So it's three mysteries in one and as usual, Penny does an excellent job building suspense, developing her characters, and turning in little nuggets of wisdom the reader can use for a lifetime.
We start with Gamache in Quebec, visiting his mentor, Emile Comeau, and recovering from the physical and psychic injuries he sustained in the last big investigation where a number of his Surete officers were killed. While in Quebec he stumbles upon a murder investigation in which he lends a hand, all the while flashing back on the last case, what it was all about, and who he lost in the battle. He also decides to send one of his agents back to Three Pines to double check the murder of the hermit (book 5) because he feels like he might have made a mistake and since he is an intelligent, kind, and noble detective, he is willing to lose face if it means releasing an innocent person from prison.
So we've got a new batch of characters in Quebec, the thrill and heartache of his last case that's tormenting him, and the mystery of whether or not he made a rush to judgment in the hermit case and put the wrong person in jail. SO much going on! And it's all so interesting and exciting! And Gamache is such a great character with so much to reveal and teach us about humanity. I love him!!!
Anyway, this was another great read by Louise Penny. I recommend at least reading book 5 (A Brutal Telling) before this one if you don't always read them in order because the hermit case they are reworking in this story is what the entirety of what book 5 is about so this one will make more sense and have more meaning if you read that one first.
woobat's review against another edition
5.0
I loved how this book had layers of mystery - the main murder mystery, of course, but in order to solve that, Gamache needs to dig in to the mystery of where Champlain was buried. The murder from the previous book is finally truly resolved as well, and there’s a fourth mystery spun out in flashbacks. Penny ties them all together masterfully.
Penny is so good at writing about her characters’ inner lives. Armand and Jean-Guy are clearly suffering and struggling with the aftermath of the investigation-gone-wrong that is addressed through flashbacks - but we get to see them gradually start to heal, so their suffering is never paralyzing.
Penny is so good at writing about her characters’ inner lives. Armand and Jean-Guy are clearly suffering and struggling with the aftermath of the investigation-gone-wrong that is addressed through flashbacks - but we get to see them gradually start to heal, so their suffering is never paralyzing.