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A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #2)
by
Louise Penny
Winter in Three Pines and the sleepy village is carpeted in snow. It's a time of peace and goodwill - until a scream pierces the biting air. There's been a murder.
Local police are baffled. A spectator at the annual Boxing Day curling match has been fatally electrocuted. Despite the large crowd, there are no witnesses and - apparently - no clues.
Call...more
Local police are baffled. A spectator at the annual Boxing Day curling match has been fatally electrocuted. Despite the large crowd, there are no witnesses and - apparently - no clues.
Call...more
Mass Market Paperback, 334 pages
Published
February 5th 2008
by St. Martin's Minotaur
(first published 2006)
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This is the second book I've read in this series and just as good as the other one I have read. I'm not reading them in order, which is fine with me since it's usually a few weeks after I finish one before I start another in the series. I really love Louise Penny's writing style and the way she develops these characters. Here are two of my favorite lines from this book:
"There at the back stood CC de Poitiers wearing a fluffy white sweater made of either cashmere or kittens."...more
"There at the back stood CC de Poitiers wearing a fluffy white sweater made of either cashmere or kittens."...more
Better than Still Life but that says something since I liked that one very much. Many of the same characters are back and Armand continues to charm. He is the kind of leader/mentor I would aspire to be when I find myself in that role. The setting in small village Quebec works well and the plot is interesting and sublime. As a whodunit you can deduce many of the interim mysteries but the final is hard to decifer until the very end. Her descriptions are lavish and picturesque. Looking forwar...more
I enjoyed the 1st book and was looking forward to see when would happen next. I didn't enjoy this so much, mainly due to the sheer unpleasantness of the victim and the fallout of her behavior. Well, that and Agent Nichol returns even less understandable than before, although now it seems there is a reason for her presence, at least alluded to in this book. And I will admit that Jean Guy Beauvoir's views on les Anglais are getting a little annoying and intrusive.
I still like the ru...more
I still like the ru...more
I love this author. I have never met a more fascinating series, with more likable characters in my life. The setting is lovingly described by a fellow Canadian from a small village, and Penny is a careful writer, taking time to establish each character and scene. Even though she was playing around with a large cast, she distracted me so I didn't see the final twists coming until they're upon us all.
I missed the first novel in the series, as someone MEAN and HORRIBLE has it checked out ...more
I missed the first novel in the series, as someone MEAN and HORRIBLE has it checked out ...more
This is the second Armand Gamache/Three Pines mystery (see my review of Still Life, the first book). This seemed to suffer from Second Book Syndrome: Unlike the first book, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I'm afraid I hesitated between 3 and 4 stars on this one. Penny's writing is still compelling, and I'm enjoying the fictional Quebec village of Three Pines, its inhabitants, and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team of police inspectors, but the plot and the mystery here strain credulity.
...more
...more
Superior writing. Superior mystery.
One reason I love Louise Penny so much is that her mysteries are so human, so emotional. Her stories aren't like a Dell book of logic puzzles, with correct answers but without a soul. No. Her stories are about the seeds of emotions sprinkled, germinated, and fully expressed.
Here's an excerpt from a moment between Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie:
'Voila. It's good to be home.' He took her in...more
One reason I love Louise Penny so much is that her mysteries are so human, so emotional. Her stories aren't like a Dell book of logic puzzles, with correct answers but without a soul. No. Her stories are about the seeds of emotions sprinkled, germinated, and fully expressed.
Here's an excerpt from a moment between Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie:
'Voila. It's good to be home.' He took her in...more
This mystery borrows from a plot device from Agatha Christie--introduce a group of characters, and kill off the most despicable one first. Although I don't think Penny meant to imitate Christie, she does allow her characters to speak in the voices of others: her detective has turned into a veritable unbelievable Poirot, quoting English and American writers (occasionally Canadian, granted)at will. It's funny when we catch the references, and the newbie in his a squad, a sincere Quebecois, does...more
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The first of these warm, acutely and accurately observed, scrumptiously comfy cozy mysteries, "Still Life" hooked me in completely to the world of Gamache, the Surete (weeeeurrrrnh goes the WWII siren, off to catch Jews in Nazi Paris, the line of Traction Avant sedans hurtling through the rain-soaked night) of Quebec, and the madhouse-meets-retirement-home that is Three Pines. It had its issues, including an inordinate focus on a minor character's past when that character was shuffled ...more
CC de Poitiers, a newcomer to the quaint Three Pines village makes no friends as she steamrolls everyone with her caustic words. Neither her family nor her neighbors feel loss at her demise.
Sitting in a lounge chair on the shores of a frozen lake while among other spectators, watching a Canadian sporting event of curling, CC de Poitiers is electrocuted, quite baffling Chief Inspector Gamache. How does one become electrocuted on the ice? A freak accident or something sinister?
...more
Sitting in a lounge chair on the shores of a frozen lake while among other spectators, watching a Canadian sporting event of curling, CC de Poitiers is electrocuted, quite baffling Chief Inspector Gamache. How does one become electrocuted on the ice? A freak accident or something sinister?
...more
A Fatal Grace, by Louise Penny. A.
Produced by Blackstone audio, downloaded from audible.com.
I liked this book even better than Still Life. I wish we were going to discuss it in my book group.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team of investigators are back in Three Pines, Quebec, because of another murder. This time, an extremely unpopular woman is murdered. She is electrocuted on the ice, which seemed impossible but wasn’t. There were several people who could ...more
Produced by Blackstone audio, downloaded from audible.com.
I liked this book even better than Still Life. I wish we were going to discuss it in my book group.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team of investigators are back in Three Pines, Quebec, because of another murder. This time, an extremely unpopular woman is murdered. She is electrocuted on the ice, which seemed impossible but wasn’t. There were several people who could ...more
"A Fatal Grace" is the second book in Louise Penny's Three Pines Mysteries starring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. And it was every bit as good as the first book.
When the much disliked C.C. de Poitiers is murdered at the curling rink, Gamache and his team once more arrive in Three Pines to solve the crime. Many of the characters from Penny's first book, "Still Life", are featured in this second book...much to my delight. The intuitive and very likeable Clara Morr...more
When the much disliked C.C. de Poitiers is murdered at the curling rink, Gamache and his team once more arrive in Three Pines to solve the crime. Many of the characters from Penny's first book, "Still Life", are featured in this second book...much to my delight. The intuitive and very likeable Clara Morr...more
This is the second of Penny's Three Pines mysteries. I've been wanting to read this series for quite a while, and only just got around to it. I'm loving these so much it's really hard not to read the whole series consecutively, but I have other much-requested library books to read and return first.
In this book we meet CC de Poitiers, a self-professed design and lifestyle guru. Having purchased the gloomy Hadley house (site of nightmares for many Three Pines residents), she immediatel...more
In this book we meet CC de Poitiers, a self-professed design and lifestyle guru. Having purchased the gloomy Hadley house (site of nightmares for many Three Pines residents), she immediatel...more
This is another one of those books that have two different titles and therefore confuses the heck out of me when I am trying to figure out if my library has it, needs to order it, and which one is next in the series, seriously, stick to one title please!! LOL
This is book #2 in the "Three Pines" series, I just read the first book STILL LIFE a bit ago and LOVED it and again this was another fabulous mystery! Most of the characters are back for the second book with a few new f...more
This is book #2 in the "Three Pines" series, I just read the first book STILL LIFE a bit ago and LOVED it and again this was another fabulous mystery! Most of the characters are back for the second book with a few new f...more
This second case featuring Chief Inspector Armond Gamache is every bit as good as the first (Still Life)! In the first novel, I fell in love with the village of three pines, with it's unique cast of villagers all delightfully individual in their eccentricities. What a joy to learn that Three Pines is home to the whole series! I'm not quite sure how Penny will pull this off without Three Pines having an extremely high murder rate, particularly with so few inhabitants, but so far, nothing seems ...more
Very enjoyable. Another thoughtful mystery. Good to know that Still Life was not a fluke.
A murder is committed during the annual curling game following the annual Christmas breakfast at the Legion Hall. Just as Mother finishes “clearing the house” a scream goes up and a woman has been electrocuted. Just before Christmas most of the people of Three Pines had gone to Montreal to attend the launch of Ruth’s new book of poetry. At just about the same time CC was launching her book of st...more
A murder is committed during the annual curling game following the annual Christmas breakfast at the Legion Hall. Just as Mother finishes “clearing the house” a scream goes up and a woman has been electrocuted. Just before Christmas most of the people of Three Pines had gone to Montreal to attend the launch of Ruth’s new book of poetry. At just about the same time CC was launching her book of st...more
Louise Penny, in her second Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novel, A Fatal Grace (published also as "Dead Cold"), is a brilliant follow-up to Still Life where murder returns to the cheerful village Three Pines in the eastern townships of Quebec, an hour's drive or so from Montreal.
It is a year later, and the austere, aloof Hadley home, had known such grief, has been purchased by CC de Poitiers and her husband Richard Lyon. CC is a glamourous, late forties bleached blonde wit...more
It is a year later, and the austere, aloof Hadley home, had known such grief, has been purchased by CC de Poitiers and her husband Richard Lyon. CC is a glamourous, late forties bleached blonde wit...more
I find it hard to describe what it is I like so much about this book as well as the first book in the series-- difficult enough that I never reviewed Still Life.
I find them very comfortable books-- not sweet books, not cozy books, but books where I just seamlessly slip into their world. The village of Three Pines is a vivid place, with interesting characters.
There is an emphasis on art in both of these books-- the first featured painters, and many of the characters continu...more
I find them very comfortable books-- not sweet books, not cozy books, but books where I just seamlessly slip into their world. The village of Three Pines is a vivid place, with interesting characters.
There is an emphasis on art in both of these books-- the first featured painters, and many of the characters continu...more
The second book in an excellent series. I've read this series out of order (started with book 6 and then moved to book 1 and now 2), but it didn't matter. Book six (Bury Your Dead) was so excellent and contained some references to previous history between the characters that I started from the beginning. I will probably read book six again when it comes up in the rotation.
I very much like the main character, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. He is intelligent, thoughtful, and calm....more
I very much like the main character, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. He is intelligent, thoughtful, and calm....more
Penny is a wonderful writer! Her use of words is delightful whether it is a funny line (like the opening sentence: "Had CC de Poitiers known she was going to be murdered she might have bought her husband, Richard, a Christmas gift") or an a propos quote or a vivid description.
The atmosphere & setting are as artistic as Clara's paintings! The gastronomical pleasures described are alone worth the read.
The characters are marvelous, quirky enough to be interesting but r...more
The atmosphere & setting are as artistic as Clara's paintings! The gastronomical pleasures described are alone worth the read.
The characters are marvelous, quirky enough to be interesting but r...more
I just finished reading Louise Penny's "A Fatal Grace" and I and really enjoyed it. I could have given it a 4; but it didn't rise to the level of "Still Life" or "The Brutal Telling". Three Pines, Quebec is defined as a 'snow globe' town. This description seems very appropriate, but as usual, the remoteness and insulated community proves yet another backdrop for another murder, or murders for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team of investigators to solve.....more
Another great mystery by Penny. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns to the small village of Three Pines after a truly odious woman is murdered at a curling match. All of the secondary characters from his team join him here including Jean Guy Beauvoir, who shows a particular hidden depth in this story. Also back (unfortunately) is the hideous Agent Yvette Nichol, who I was secretly hoping would get bumped off before the end of this book. Alas, she lives. What I enjoy the most about Penny'...more
I really enjoy the characters Louise Penny brings to her novels. You wouldn't think there could be a little village like Agatha Christie's, but here is Three Pines, set in the Eastern Townships of Quebec and full of exactly the strange people you'd find in Christie's books. It's winter, between mid and late December, when we meet an old beggar sleeping outside Ogilvy's dept. store in Montreal, a self made rich woman and her emotionally abused daughter, three old ladies who have been friends for ...more
Everybody wants to live in the charming 'snow-globe' village of Three Pines - even the cruel CC de Poitiers. Having purchased the old Hadley House, she continues to spread her poison during the lovely Christmas season distressing everyone around her.
A particularly complicated murder brings Chief Inspector Gamache back to work his magic.
Often authors don't meet the expectations of their first book but that is not the case with Canadian author Louise Penny. My introduction ...more
A particularly complicated murder brings Chief Inspector Gamache back to work his magic.
Often authors don't meet the expectations of their first book but that is not the case with Canadian author Louise Penny. My introduction ...more
If I hadn't enjoyed "Still Life" so much, I would probably have given up on this sequel. It was so dark and depressing for the first 50 pages, until our friend, Inspector Gamache, shows up on page 54. I then breathed a sigh of relief and started getting into the book. Even still, there was a heavy use of the "F"-word, which seemed entirely unnessecary, made more abundant with one of the plot points utilizing the word as part of a catch phrase. I found the darkness of this...more
* "A Fatal Grace" refers, I think, to the three graces, wise old women, [spoiler: one of whom freezes to death] who confess to the murder of a vicious decorator visiting "Three Pines", a too quaint Quebecoise village of too lovable eccentrics, in a series created by Louise Penny. The victim is really the villain. CC has invented her parents as historical French aristocrats. She abuses her too grossly obese daughter with the too angelic voice and hidden intelligence. The too b...more
I'm still enjoying this series (well, it is only book two) so will continue. The books are "dense" with lots of plot, lots of character development, and plenty of literary quotes and allusions to keep people paying attention.
I love the title and how the three older women in town are the "the Graces" according to Clara.
The plot for this one swirls around the death of a not very pleasant newcomer to the Three Pines village. CC is mean to almost everyon...more
I love the title and how the three older women in town are the "the Graces" according to Clara.
The plot for this one swirls around the death of a not very pleasant newcomer to the Three Pines village. CC is mean to almost everyon...more
My one big disappointment after finishing the first book of this series was the assumption that the series would continue with the main character, Inspector Gamache, but not revisit the quirky and quaint village of Three Pines. I was delighted to find out that the series does, in fact, revisit Three Pines and all its wonderful characters. Though now I'm a little skeptical about so many mysterious crimes that need solving taking place in this one small town (I'm never satisfied, it seems). But I ...more
This is the second book in the Three Pines Mystery series. I enjoyed the first book of the series, Still Life, but found some of the characters to be extraneous and I was not a fan of the over the top, half thriller half horror novel, case wrap up. A Fatal Grace shows some improvement over Still Life. The writing itself is much more interesting with some neat metaphors and descriptions and some humorous asides. However, much of this mystery was easy to figure out and some of it implausible. Who ...more
The back of the book jacket for my edition of A Fatal Grace has a reviewer's quote suggesting that some readers may actually try to find the village of Three Pines, because author Louise Penny crafts that fictional place with warmth and realism.
That's true. Many of the characters from Penny's debut novel, Still Life, return and the story of life (and death) continues in Three Pines. The townspeople now begin to gain definition, through nobility, flaws and personality quirks. All of i...more
That's true. Many of the characters from Penny's debut novel, Still Life, return and the story of life (and death) continues in Three Pines. The townspeople now begin to gain definition, through nobility, flaws and personality quirks. All of i...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruisin' thru the...: Sandy's 2012 Cozies Challenge | 7 | 17 | Feb 09, 2012 03:09am | |
| CBC Books: A Fatal Grace (aka Dead Cold) by Louise Penny | 5 | 25 | Jan 10, 2012 12:04pm | |
| Questions...Clara, El, Nichol, Lemieux... | 2 | 27 | May 07, 2009 06:58am |
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Many of Louise Penny's books are published under different titles by UK/Canada and US publishers.
She lives with her husband, Michael, and a golden retriever named Trudy, in a small village south of Montreal.
Her first Armand Gamache novel, "Still Life" won the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony and Dilys Awards.
Awards:
* Agatha Awa...more
More about Louise Penny...
She lives with her husband, Michael, and a golden retriever named Trudy, in a small village south of Montreal.
Her first Armand Gamache novel, "Still Life" won the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony and Dilys Awards.
Awards:
* Agatha Awa...more
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“When someone stabs you it's not your fault that you feel pain.”
—
41 people liked it
“I was tired of seeing the Graces always depicted as beautiful young things. I think wisdom comes with age and life and pain. And knowing what matters.”
—
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