Barbara M. reviewed on 8/10/2019 + 152 more book reviews

Although I've read mysteries for years, I had never heard of Louise Penny until she was featured on a CBS Sunday Morning program segment about three years ago. So, I decided to read her series in order. She's a descriptive writer and her books are fairly easy reads. The scenario in this book is a little improbable--the central character (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache) and his wife celebrate each anniversary at a particular lodge out in the boonies, and this story takes place while they are at the lodge. A dysfunctional family (the Morrows), consisting of matriarch and her second husband, four adult children, and one grand child, are having a reunion also during this time. Interestingly, one of the adult sons and his wife are acquaintances of the Gamaches. It's a little too convenient that the reunion--where someone is killed--occurs at the same time the Gamaches are at the lodge.

I was surprised at who the murderer was, and the motive seemed weak. Also, it was never explained (at least that I can recall--and I recently read the book) how the murderer lured the victim to the crime scene.

The Morrow matriach is an unpleasant woman who cannot seem to find anything nice to say about anyone, including her own children. POSSIBLE SPOILERS: At the end, we learn she has neuralgia and it's painful for her to touch or be touched, which is the reason she's never shown physical affection to her children (who are unaware of her condition). That's understandable but it doesn't explain why she has such a nasty disposition. Peter, one of the adult children and the person who knows Gamache, turns out to be a weak, self-serving individual and just as nasty as the rest of the family. Hopefully, he'll be killed off or written out of the series at some point. As I was nearing the end of the book, I wondered if the sex of Bean, the nine-year old Morrow grand child, would be revealed. It wasn't.

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