A promising start to a new series, the novel opens with what appears to have been a hunting accident. The body of Miss Jane Neal, artist and life long resident of Three Pines, is found in a wooded trail. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team show up hoping to quickly solve the matter but slowly realize the bucolic village holds plenty of secrets and Miss Neal was indeed the victim of murder.
But who would want to kill the artist? Was it as a result of her first entry into the art competition or could her greedy niece, Yolande, have been behind this crime? As Gamache investigates the reader gets a clear picture of the town and its residents.
The cast of characters is large for example, there is Clara Morrow a dear friend of Miss Neal; the B&B owners and partners, Oliver and Gabri; the arrogant young officer Yvette Nichols, and many others. In the beginning this can be a bit confusing. It’s a bit like joining in a conversation that has already started but I thought that played well into how it must be to be a newcomer to a small village.
Something else that was unexpected but so welcomed was the way the author handled the depiction of her characters and their feelings. In Clara Morrow’s reaction to the death of Miss Neal, there is a real sense of sadness and grief that she experiences. I thought this stood out compared to many mysteries where dead bodies often seem like just an everyday occurrence and the characters have no reaction.
This is a very well written mystery with just enough red herrings to make it not so easy to solve for this reader. I enjoyed Chief Inspector Gamache tremendously and found him to be thoughtful and intelligent. I can’t wait to read the next book and see what he and his partner, Inspector Beauvoir, will be up against.
Additional Resources:
Author Web Site