by Louise Penny

A Mystery/Thriller, 2005 by St Martin’s, 321 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• Gamache is hard to get a read on. Sometimes he’s kind and intelligent. Other times he’s harsh and abrasive. It’s odd because I think he’s the main character that runs this series and I’m not sure how I feel about him. 
• Some of the scene jumps are sporadic or confusing. This is a third person omniscient novel so there’s a lot of head hopping and sometimes it’s a bit confusing for a beat. 
• Some unrealistic twists or reveals bothered me quite a bit. No spoilers so that’s all I’ll say. 

What I Did Like:

• The pacing of this one is slower than the average mystery/thriller these days, but that works for it. This story takes place in a small town, moving at light speed would feel unnatural. Instead, this feels like the pacing was done to match the vibe of the small town. Making progress and moving forward but not rushing. I loved that! 
• Beautiful descriptive language. Penny describes things in incredible detail, making it easy to picture the setting of this Quebec story. 
• An intriguing opening to the series. You know the detective well but still have a few questions about some of his choices. You’ve seen him solve one case and you’d give him another. The series has potential! 

Who Should Read This One:

• Readers who want the cozy vibe. You want to know who did it, but you don’t want the gore and nastiness. Maybe you don’t even want a big bad guy in the end. This satisfies that. It reminds me of Agatha Christie’s Poirot. 

My Rating: 3 Stars