The Cruelest Month

Finally! The Arnot case, which has been hinted at throughout the last two books has been revealed in its entirety and Armand's betrayers are exposed at last. That's not to say the repercussions of the case are not over, but at least everything seems to be out in the open and as a reader I'm no longer wondering what it was all about.

I really want to go to Three Pines. Even though in these three books a murder has occurred in this tiny town, it still sounds beautiful and charming. The characters are rich and so full of life you can picture them clearly in your head. There is so much more going on in the story than the murder Gamache and his team are investigating.

In the first books I wasn't the biggest fan of Peter Morrow, but with Clara I find myself rooting for her the most. I think it's because Clara is truly good and honest and loves Peter absolutely. Despite her own insecurities with her art she wants Peter to succeed. Peter, on the other hand, while I don't doubt that he loves Clara seems to go out of his way to sabotage his wife's success. And even when he feels guilty about it he does nothing to fix what he has broken. I wonder if this will come back to haunt them in books to follow.

Penny has a way of weaving a murder mystery that keeps you from knowing the killer until she is ready to reveal that person. It doesn't come out of left field like some authors write or become so obvious that you don't even care to read the rest of the book. She just keeps you guessing until the end.