A Fatal Grace

June 25, 2007
Penny’s newest mystery returns to Three Pines, the bucolic but hardly idyllic hamlet south of Montreal where Inspector Gamache has his hands full contending with a pair of murders including that of a spiritual and domestic diva. Veteran reader Cosham isn’t the best choice for this project, although his rich baritone voice can mesmerize listeners. The entire town plus the local office of the Sûreté de Québec is swept up in these murders, but unfortunately, the citizens all sound alike, as do Em, Kay and Mother, who are referred to as the Three Graces. Cosham’s French is perfect, if a bit formal, but he uses the language spoken in Europe, not the Québécois dialect and pronunciation that would be used by the locals. His British accent is also a bit tony for this corner of Canada and its artistic but down-to-earth inhabitants. Despite the apparent miscasting, Cosham’space makes the witty narrative frothy and irresistible, like a good café au lait. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin’s Minotaur hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 12).

March 12, 2007
When sadistic socialite CC de Poitiers is fatally electrocuted at a Christmas curling competition in the tiny Québecois village of Three Pines, only the arcane method of the murder is a surprise in Penny's artful but overwritten sophomore effort (after her highly praised 2006 debut, Still Life
). CC had cobbled together a spiritual guidance business based on eliminating emotion, but the feelings she inspired in others were anything but serene. Everyone around the cartoonish victim—from a daughter cowed by lifelong abuse to the local spiritual teacher whose business she threatens to ruin—has a motive, and the crime also links to a vagrant's recent murder as well as to the pasts of several beloved village residents. The calm but quirky Chief Insp. Armand Gamache, who arrives in Three Pines from Montreal to head the investigation, is appealing as the series' focus. Though Penny gorgeously evokes the smalltown Christmas mood, the novel is oddly steeped in holiday atmosphere for a May release, and the plot's dependence on lengthy backstory slows the momentum.

Starred review from March 1, 2007
In this follow-up to Penny's acclaimed debut, "Still Life", Qué bec Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his thoughtful team of sleuths from the Sû reté du Qué bec tackle the murder of Martha Stewart wannabe CC de Poitiers. Electrocuted as she watched a neighborhood curling match in the tiny village of Three Pines, the diva of the emerging "Be Calm" lifestyle empire was nobody's favorite. Suspects abound: her long-suffering husband, her opportunist lover, her dysfunctional daughter, and pretty much everyone else in the village who encountered the self-absorbed CC. But why work so hard to kill her? Mourning is minimal. Gamache and his team are thoroughly perplexed. As the investigation proceeds, a strangely manufactured life is revealed, and CC is linked to yet another unsolved murder. By the story's end, Gamache is provided an excellent opportunity for mentoring, he makes peace with his prickly boss, and readers get a traditional and highly intelligent mystery. "Still Life" ws a Debut Dagger honor book in Britain, and Penny's new title is sure to create great reader demand for more stories featuring civilized and articulate Chief Inspector Gamache. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 1/07.]Susan Clifford Braun, Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2007
Quebec Surete Inspector Armand Gamache, who made his debut in " Still Life" (2006), returns in this enjoyable follow-up. An almost universally disliked, even hated, woman is murdered. Naturally, the pool of potential murderers is deep, ranging from the victim's lover to her friends (well, acquaintances) to various others in the small Canadian community of Three Pines. Gamache, a smart and likable investigator--think Columbo with an accent, or perhaps a modern-day Poirot--systematically wades his way through the pool, coming upon a few surprises along the way. Penny is a careful writer, taking time to establish character and scene, playing around with a large cast, distracting us so we won't see the final twists coming until they're upon us. This is a fine mystery in the classic Agatha Christie style, and it is sure to leave mainstream fans wanting more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)