A Fatal Grace

In Three Pines, Canada, it was a bitter cold winter and holiday season. In the second installment of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny, a Fatal Grace (or Cold Death), Chief Inspector Gamache was asked to investigator the murder of CC de Pointiers, a most despicable woman. At the same time, he looked in the murder of a vagrant woman who died right before her. When Gamache and his team returned to Three Pines, he interviewed the same people he met, a year ago, when Jane Neal died. This time, he learned about the emotional abuse of CC's daughter and the hunt for her heritage. While he understood why people hated her, he needed to get a closer look on who wanted to do her in and why, before it was too late. The ending had a shocking twist, too.

This was a compelling mystery series. I did feel sorry for Crie, for CC naming her that way and giving her emotional abuse. I don't blame her one bit for acting out. I did feel sorry for those who knew CC. I loved how Armand and Reine-Marie worked together in two complex mysteries. I loved the recurring characters from Three Pines, except for Ruth, who I didn't like so as much. Her poetry was terrible in my opinion. I love the Quebecois location for Three Pines in their small knit community. I loved the little bit of curling as an interesting tidbit in the storyline. Great suspenseful drama, good action, and an interesting story to boot for this mystery.

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