https://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2023/10/2023146-brutal-telling-louise-penny.html ( )

A corpse is found in the bistro in the small town of Three Pines, but no one knows (or admits to knowing) who the victim is. And more importantly, who the murderer is! The book is whole in itself, but more of the story occurs as a major subplot of the next book in the series, Bury Your Dead.
One of the themes is insiders vs outsiders. There is also big focus on art. And as always, there is some Canadiana to be learnt; in this case, regarding native history. This book felt a little longer and more repetitive than prior books in the series, which I have been binging on, so I may be over-saturated. Could there be such a thing as too much Gamache? ( )

Keeps you hooked until the end! ( )

Feb. 2023 reread via audiobook:
3½*
( )

Another stellar outing from Penny and Gamache. Maybe the best one yet, actually. I hate to put spoilers in my reviews, and I almost never do, but I will put a semi-spoiler here, just because I found myself hanging on every page, paragraph and word of this book literally to the very last, hoping that what I was reading wasn't true, that one of the beloved characters of Three Pines hadn't been thrown to (or joined) the wolves. What I did appreciate in this volume was the acknowledgement of the phenomenon of this tiny township being the site or setting for an extraordinary number of crimes, particularly murders. Several times, new or recurring characters mentioned that it seemed odd, or "you wouldn't think so, would you?" was the reaction to a comment about how strange it seemed, to have such a violent crime occur in such a small, close-knit community. Which is something which has often distracted me throughout this series (and others like it). The main subplot, about artists, competitiveness, marriages and prejudices, whose lesson, that doing the right thing results in a positive outcome, seems unusually optimistic for these folks. Of course that particular subplot is only partially resolved, and I look forward to seeing whether Peter and Clara can weather this personal and professional rivalry. I have the feeling that although this case is concluded (most sadly), it is not over. At least, I hope not. Oh, and as a final note, I have to say while I appreciated the introduction of another part of Canada into the narrative, namely the Queen Charlotte Islands, or Haida Gwaii (since I'm from BC), I found the whole mythological thing very dense. Maybe I'm reading too literally lately, but it felt kind of muddy. ( )