A gripping, well paced holiday read. Not too dark with believable, interesting, imperfect characters & setting. Haven’t quite got a good picture of chief detective Armand Gamache yet but look forward to reading more in the series.

Read this (the first of the Gamache/Three Pines series) after starting with "Bury Your Dead" and "A Trick of the Light." Enjoyed it as much of the others, both because of the story/characters and because it provided the origins/history of the Gamache team and the Three Pines residents. // As expected: suspense; mystery; evocative descriptions of people, places, and Quebecois culture; subtle humour. The relatively large number of key characters and the intertwining subplots may, however, discourage some readers. // Three down and four (so far) to go!

This was my third Three Pines novel so perhaps since I already knew and loved the characters i did not see the flaws. Sure, it is not as good as some of the later books but it is still full of Canadiana and interesting characters. This book is well worth investing a few hours of reading time. For me it helped to fill in the background of many of the characters which I really appreciated.

I did not complete this book. I stopped at like page 180. It was not a horrible book but I was feeling mixed about it because of the writing style. I really wanted to like this read because of the reviews that were written for her Gamache series. I literally planned on reading them all but I just don't think I can go through the blandness of her writing style. This up and down thing is not what many readers look for. I wanted something that keeps me interested and keeps me wanting to read more and more. Anyway..to each his own for I know there are a lot of huge fans of Louise Penny.

Good.Don't know why I found scene shifts to be confusing.

So many 'first novel' mistakes. Very amateurish character development. I could not stay with this one. May try one of the later books in this series.

This is the first book in the series for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, as I started the book I was in for a surprise how quickly I got sucked in, as well as, how well the characters were described. I could see the story unfold, but kept me guessing on the whodunnit part until the end. Thoroughly enjoyed how the author uses poetry and other books in the storyline. Love how the title corelates with the story. Curious to see if Yvette storyline will continue in the 2nd book. Recommend.

I don't read a lot of mysteries, but I was in the mood for something charming yet still literary enough it wouldn't bore me. This fit the bill perfectly. I love Inspector Gamache and his team of investigators. He's tough-minded but fair, giving his people the chance to shine. And the people in the village are eccentric and loveable. Even the nasty old woman, Ruth, had a certain charm. Overall, the plot was a bit convoluted and odd, but as far as characterization and prose skill I thought it very well done. Also loved the use of humor throughout. It was subtle and never slapstick. A good lighter read.

The plot is improbable but there is something moving and lyrical about Louise Penny's writing. Gamache has such integrity and is so noble. He carries the novel. I give the plot 2 stars out of 5, but the writing gets 5 out of 5.

Wow! This was my first Louise Penny novel. It won't be my last.