A Fatal Grace
Ratings117
Average rating3.9
I love to escape into this world. It's smart, but easy to read. Perfect for when I need a break from heavy must reads. However, I don't like the depiction of Myrna, the one black character. I read that LP has addressed the stereotyping and focus on her body in more recent books.
Ooof, I had forgotten how mean Penny is to several characters in these first few books.
I am hooked on this series. I love the characters, the setting, the subtle humor and so much more.??
This was another interesting story and I enjoyed the new characters that were introduced. I am a little uncomfortable with the negative references to heavier people and wish there was a better ending for CC's daughter, Crie. My mind is stuck on her and I wish I knew how she was being helped instead of thinking of the next book in the series.
Look, I liked it, I like the narrator, but there are a few things I really dislike too such as how Crie (Cree?) is described by everyone. Being fat isn't a crime. The background case too was written in a way that made me feel like I missed a book, which was annoying– probably moreso on audio because I honestly wasn't sure if I had missed something.
So, will I continue on?? I'm not a huge fan of cozies, but I really like the narrator. There are some good characters here and the mysteries are done really well. I'm not rushing to read the next because of how Crie was treated and how religious some parts of this one were, but I did enjoy it so I will continue on.
Was good to revisit the people from the first book and I didn't get the entire mystery solved or solved too soon so the reveal was just right for me.
I was constantly getting confused by the similarity of names and folks having more than one name; Mother and M, M is Emily, etc. And sometimes in the audio there wasn't a pause between the scene changes so I was confused as to who was thinking or speaking at the moment.
I hear people rave about this series and wonder if it is really worth it. The answer yes it is worth it. The personalities are strong and well defined. The plot takes a few turns and ends up just about where we expect, but off enough to make your heart break.
Short Review: This is the second in the Inspector Gamache series and I am enjoying them so far (well into the third as I am writing this.) But as much as I like Inspector Gamache, I am not all that fond of most of the rest of the characters in the book. I can tell that they are intended to be complex characters and I am sure their complexity will be revealed through out the next 8 books in the series, but for now, the towns folk of Three Pines are not my favorite part of the series. Probably is closer to a 3.5 star book, but that is not an option.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/a-fatal-grace/
In Still Life I grieved with everyone over the loss of the murdered victim, Jane. Penny wrote about her in life as well as in the memories of friends and she was someone the small village of Three Pines would miss greatly. The victim in A Fatal Grace, CC de Poitiers was the exact opposite. She was awful and there weren't many in the village who were sad to see her go, if anyone.
The murder was intricate, complicated and hard to pull off. The suspect pool was large, but the number of people who had the means were few. It made for an interesting story and the return of Nichol was an interesting side story. But there was a lot going on that the reader isn't really privvy to yet. It was almost as if the purpose of this book is to set up events that will happen later in the series. There are many references to the Arnott case, which happened some time before the events in Still Life.
It was a little frustrating. I don't like reading a book and feeling like I'm missing things, as if I've skipped a book somewhere or am reading something out of order. So I suppose I should jump right into the next book to see if all my questions are answered.
This story, besides the Arnott stuff, felt pretty unbelievable in the way everything came together at the end. It was a good mystery, but really a set up for another book.
2023 goal - Read the Armand Gamache series so re-reading the earlier books in series to refresh my memory. I really enjoyed this book the second time around. There is so much I enjoy about this series - the character of Gamache, his insight of people and the lovely village of Three Pines.
Her Inspector Gamache series just keeps getting better. If you are a mystery-lover who enjoys a cozy with more depth, a fascinating, small village (French Canadian) setting, and intriguing, well-developed characters you will want to cuddle up with her books. Be sure to have a hot cup of tea in hand before you start reading.
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 fun a quirky ones thrown in, there is just such a nice, cozy and warm way to how this author writes, it makes you want to curl up in a big lumpy chair with a hot chocolate and become one of the town folks. I love these books so much that I actually just placed an order with Amazon for book number three, for some reason my library does not have book 3, but has book 4, go figure, anyways, I can't wait to curl up with the rest of the series and find out what other secrets Three Pines has in store for me!