The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

It's been a few years since I visited Inspector Gamache and Three Pines, a small village in Quebec. It was nice to revisit, even if it took a murder. 


There are two parallel mysteries in The Cruelest Month. The one Inspector Gamache is sent to investigate is the murder of a woman who appeared to have been literally scared to death during a seance. The second mystery is the Arnot case, a case alluded to in previous books. All that is known initially is that Gamache brought down a dirty cop, Arnot. Some in the police form praise Gamache for his actions, while others want to damn him for those same actions. The Arnot case is over in the sense that Arnot is in prison but it is not over because Gamache's enemies are still gunning for him. The theme uniting the two mysteries is jealousy. The murdered woman was a little too perfect for some and Gamache is a little too happy for others.

I adore this series. True it has been many years since I read book 2 in the series but that is simply because there are so many books all the time. The Cruelest Month starts slowly and then builds to a stunning conclusion. Penny's writing is beautiful and insightful. I am quite looking forward to the next book in this series.