This is the fifth in the Detective Inspector Armand Gamache series. My verdict, like for the previous four books, is that it’s okay, but not great.

The body of a stranger is found in the village bistro in Three Pines. It’s obvious that he was murdered. Gamache and his team arrive to investigate. Though Olivier doesn’t admit to knowing him, the reader knows that Olivier visited the man, a hermit, who lived in a cabin in the woods surrounding the village. When the cabin is located, it is found to be filled with very valuable antiques and collectibles. All the clues suggest that Olivier is the killer; his lack of truthfulness only adds to his being the main suspect.

The lack of proper procedure stands out. Gamache shares information with residents of Three Pines, any of whom could be the murderer! He even lets people have access to evidence! He manages to obtain a warrant to search every single house in the village. I’m not a legal expert, but I don’t think that’s how warrants work. Shouldn’t there be arrests of people who tampered with evidence and impeded the investigation?

I was irritated by some other issues as well. No one else other than Olivier is aware of the existence of the cabin? Gabri, Olivier’s partner, is totally unaware of Olivier’s regular midnight trysts? Gamache has to take a trip to the West Coast to figure out that the carvings, taken as a whole, tell a story?! The Caesar code is one of the easiest to decipher and it’s misleading to state that a key word is needed; all someone has to do is to try a shift of one, two, three, etc. There are only 25 possibilities! Why would the hermit carve these particular words in two of the carvings; they seem to serve little purpose for the hermit. Only for the investigators do they have significance? The man knew he was going to be killed so left the words as clues? Finally, a successful art dealer is so overtly homophobic?!

There are several unanswered questions in the book, including the identity of the victim. Having looked at some reviews, it seems that the next book clarifies some of the ambiguities. If that is indeed the case, then the author did not treat the reader fairly; this seems a cheap tactic to sell more books.

I’m starting to feel slightly masochistic in continuing to listen to this series. The promise that the books do get better is not being fulfilled. I understand that this is a cozier mystery, but the number of unbelievable events is problematic.

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This one broke ma little bit ( )

A complete stranger is found murdered inside the local bistro in the small rather remote settlement of Three Pines - a common setting for Inspector Gamache stories. Suspicion falls on outsiders and incomers as attempts to identify the victim are stymied. Eventually it is a village insider who becomes the most obvious culprit. It is Inspector Gamache's insights into evidence and character that leads his team to catch the killer.

Alongside the murder investigation we get glimpses into the lives of the villagers an their eccentric habits, hobbies and relationships, and the ways in which Gamache's team interact and develop a worldview with his prompting and leadership.

As always, Louise Penny has produced a book of great subtlety and character within a violent setting and narrative. Very often nothing seems to happen, but her painting of characters and emotions show us that everything is happening, often all at once.

Another highly recommended read from this unfailingly excellent series. ( )

KIRKUS REVIEWChief Inspector Gamache of the Canadian S?ret? is again called to restore order to the tiny Quebecois hamlet of Three Pines.Olivier and Gabri, gay owners of the Bistro and B&B, insist they that they don?t know the dead man and can?t imagine how he came to be lying on their floor. That?s not quite the truth, but it?s merely the setup for the first of many surprises. The real story will unravel for Gamache and his subordinates Beauvoir and Lacoste in startling ways. These include the discovery that the corpse has been moved three times by two different people; the return of a father declared dead over 20 years ago; a word woven into a spider?s web; and the disclosure of several wood carvings emanating evil that require Gamache to fly to British Columbia and inspect totem poles. Priceless antiques sequestered in a hermit?s cabin and sorrowful tales of Czech citizens cheated of their belongings will come to light before Gamache, to his considerable distress, will have to arrest a friend.Penny (A Rule Against Murder, 2009, etc.) is a world-class storyteller. If you don?t want to move to Montreal with Gamache as your neighbor¥or better yet, relocate to Three Pines and be welcomed into its community of eccentricsÂ¥you have sawdust in your veins, which must be very uncomfortable.

(2009)The first book I have read in this series. Very well written police procedural. This is all about the characters and Gamache is one of the best I have come across. Here he goes to the small town of Three Pines, Quebec to try to find out who the victim of a murder where he is moved twice in the town. Turns out the murdered man has stolen various pieces of art and treasure from Czech and is using this collection to finance his hermit life in the forest outside of town. A local bistro owner has used this stolen goods to finance his successful rise in the community. But, the impending finding of his cash cow causes him to then kill the Hermit.KIRKUS REVIEWChief Inspector Gamache of the Canadian S?ret? is again called to restore order to the tiny Quebecois hamlet of Three Pines.Olivier and Gabri, gay owners of the Bistro and B&B, insist they that they don't know the dead man and can't imagine how he came to be lying on their floor. That's not quite the truth, but it's merely the setup for the first of many surprises. The real story will unravel for Gamache and his subordinates Beauvoir and Lacoste in startling ways. These include the discovery that the corpse has been moved three times by two different people; the return of a father declared dead over 20 years ago; a word woven into a spider's web; and the disclosure of several wood carvings emanating evil that require Gamache to fly to British Columbia and inspect totem poles. Priceless antiques sequestered in a hermit's cabin and sorrowful tales of Czech citizens cheated of their belongings will come to light before Gamache, to his considerable distress, will have to arrest a friend.Penny (A Rule Against Murder, 2009, etc.) is a world-class storyteller. If you don't want to move to Montreal with Gamache as your neighbor¥or better yet, relocate to Three Pines and be welcomed into its community of eccentricsÂ¥you have sawdust in your veins, which must be very uncomfortable.Pub Date: Sept. 22nd, 2009ISBN: 978-0-312-37703-8Page count: 384ppPublisher: MinotaurReview Posted Online: May 20th, 2010Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15th, 2009