By Lynn Willoughby
A Better Man: A Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery ~ Louise Penny
Life is changing for Armand Gamache. He has been demoted in the Surete, he is questioning his choice to return as a homicide inspector. But when a young woman goes missing from his village of Three Pines, he gets involved.
No one ever questioned his methods or his instincts as a detective, so all are ready to follow his lead investigating the missing Vivenne. And when her body turns up in the flooding Bella Bella river, along with a duffle bag packed with personal belongings, all feel vindicated when her husband is arrested for her murder. Then things take a turn.
I have read several of Penny’s Inspector Gamache series and enjoyed every one. I really like the townspeople of Three Pines – the artist, the eccentric poet, the men who run the Bistro and the B&B. Their familiarity somehow draws you into the story and gives you a stake in the outcome.
Like all good mysteries, there are many clues along with several red herrings as to the murderer and the why of the murder.
This mystery includes some important issues of the day – climate change, social media, abuse. We are again treated to depths of personality and our past and present life experiences that makes each of us who we are. The only criticism I have of this book is how all the detectives seem to get emotionally involved in this murder. They have seen much worse. They have done much worse themselves. It just didn’t seem to be in character.
- The Cruelest Month
- How the Light Gets In
- and many others
Who Knew?
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest dog on record is an Australian Cattle Dog who lived to be twenty nine.