Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Challenge Book #7

★★★★½

Genre: Mystery

Subject: Art, old relationships, AA, jealousy

Setting: Three Pines, Quebec, Canada

Main Characters: Clara Morrow, Peter Morrow, Armand Gamache, Jean Guy Beauvoir, Isabelle Lacoste, Lillian Dyson

Series: yes #7 in the Three Pines series

Dates Read: January 26 - February 2

Number of pages: 615

Off the Shelf (pre-2012)? Source?: yes, audio stockpile

Category for 12 in 12 challenge: Foreign Languages, Study Hall

Three Pines…close your eyes and picture a peaceful little village filled with picturesque buildings, unique characters, and an unknown killer. The inhabitants of this little Quebec town have been through a murder investigation before but now it's different. Having Chief Inspector Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec return to their quiet village as a friend is one thing, but have him there for another murder investigation, only brings back bad memories for many of the residents.

This book is very much centered around redemption - redemption for Gamache in the eyes of the villagers because of the mistake he made, redemption for the victim who was trying to gain forgiveness for cruel behavior in her past, redemption for Clara and Peter Marrow who had based their lives on their own hidden agendas. Each of the main characters in this book are searching for the answer to the question "Can People change"? Are they looking for the answer for someone else or for themselves?

The story has magnificently interwoven the physical investigation of the murder with the search within each character for the truth for themselves. It's fascinating that the author can take her characters that have been major/minor characters and expand on their personalities without losing that specialness that had us liking them in the first place. In the previous books we've seen the major character plucked from the village residents and learn their history and uniqueness. Here again we are exposed to other "minor" characters that have been brought to the forefront and taken our hearts.

Especially dramatic when yu get to listen on a finely performed audio version like I had.

Another major triumph for Louise Penney - hard to believe that she can keep these characters and setting fresh, but if anyone can, she can. BRAVO!