Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 5/12/2020 + 1223 more book reviews

Another enjoyable visit to Three Pines and its residents. I have been slowly reading through this series ever since seeing a TV news story about Louise Penny on the CBS Sunday Morning show. And I have definitely been enjoying the journey. In Trick of the Light, Three Pines' resident artist, Clara, finally gets her showing at Montreal's famed art Musée. And the reactions and reviews are mostly favorable putting Clara at the top of the art world. But then she has an after party back in Three Pines and the next morning a murdered woman is found in her garden. Turns out the woman was an art critic and an old friend of Clara's who had turned on her years before giving her a bad review. So why was she there? How did she know about Clara's party? And most of all, why was she murdered and who did it? Well Inspector Gamache and his crew are on the case chasing down the clues. This includes his second-in-command, Jean Guy Beauvoir, who is still suffering from his wounds as detailed in the prior book, Bury Your Dead. Beauvoir is headed to pain-killer addiction as he secretly takes Oxycontin and percocet for relief.

I enjoy these novels very much. Especially the interplay between Gamache and his crew and the villagers of Three Pines who are mostly quite eccentric. This includes the poet, Ruth, who is waiting patiently for her pet duck to return; the gay inn owners, Olivier and Gabri; Myrna, the bookstore owner; and the artists Clara and Peter Morrow. It is always a pleasure to make a visit to this quaint village in Quebec. But there must be something in the air there, murders happen quite frequently. I'll be looking forward to continuing with this very enjoyable series.

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