A Trick of the Light

It would seem that this book has been a long time coming. So many things that have been bubbling along for a few books finally come to surface in a book that is less about the murder and more about the people and relationships in Three Pines.

Clara finally gets what she has dreamed of for her entire life, but getting what you wish for is sometimes the worst thing that can happen to you. At the same time the villagers are still healing from the events of The Brutal Telling. Olivier is learning to live with what he did and what he didn't do and everyone except for Gabri seem wary. Jean Guy is struggling with his medication addiction and Armand is trying to figure out how to help him, how much to tell him and how to protect him.

The mystery is more what will happen to the people we have grown to love (or hate) and less about who killed the woman from the past of someone unexpected. Though she is not forgotten and her murder investigation brings out another series of unforgettable characters.

I think that's what I love about these books so much. It's not just about one case. There are all of these little stories that Penny has cultivated since the first book. It turns a simple mystery into a complex story about humankind and the depth of emotion in everyone involved in murder.