2/4/12

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!

1 comment:

Kaye said...

Penny is such a fantastic writer, I can't wait for the next one. I think I'm in love with Gamache! *grin*