I enjoy this series, I'm never quite as happy when it moves too far away from Three Pines. I re-read this one because a new edition came up on the library's new bookshelf. And, all that I remembered well was that's the one with (view spoiler)[Peter's crap family (hide spoiler)]. Besides, beloved and departed Ralph Cosham narrated it.***********************************************How is it the people in this series eat the way they do and aren't all built like weebles! I couldn't smell all the de...

A Rule Against Murder (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #4)by Louise Penny (Goodreads Author), Ralph Cosham (Narrator)Of the four books I've read in this series, I think this one is my favorite so far. Little time is spend in Three Pines, but instead, most of our time is spend at Manoir Bellechasse, the old hotel where Gamache and his wife spend each wedding anniversary. There is a murder this year and, of course, there are more than a handful of murder suspects. Some of my favorite parts of the s...

Previously on Goodreads, my review for book 3You know?These are really growing on me.Thanks, Mom!So, here's a stupid conversation I had with my mom last week while we were sitting in the waiting room between doctor's appointments.Me: "Oh, hey, I'm listening to the next Louise Penny book."Mom (perks up): "Which one?"Me: "It's either the fourth or the fifth. It's the one that takes place in the lodge out in the wilderness and there are snotty rich people there while Gamache and his wife, Reine Mar...

3.5 stars rounded up. This is book 4 in the Armand Gamache series and I recommend that you read them in order, as there are continuing plot developments. I thought that the first 100 pages were rather slow. My wife read this book before me and she thinks 4 stars and says that the author spends time developing intricate characters/plot lines. She savors each page. The first 90 pages have Armand and his wife Reine-Marie enjoying a well deserved vacation from his job as Chief Inspector of the Homic...

Wow, it took me a while to write a review. Sorry Guys. As you can imagine, if I got to no.4 I really like this series. Then why only 3 stars? Hmm, I think I wanted a break from Three Pines which it was but not totally as you will see if you read this one. Also I did not feel the motive behind the murder was strong enough. However, the series is still awesome and will continue with it. Why I love this series:- the characters; I just love Inspector Gamache, his team and some of the inhabitants of

Number 4 in the series and I actually enjoyed it a little less than the first three. It may be because I listened to this one on audio and I found the narrator annoying - he had a lovely voice and a beautiful French accent but he read in a kind of staccato, the words jumping out instead of flowing. Or it may be because the book itself was a little weaker than the earlier ones.Armand Gamache was his usual charming self and this time his charming wife was very much in evidence too. It was a good t...

Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series continues to get better as I binge my way through the collection. The detail and bucolic nature of the pieces invite me to keep reading, as though I have developed an addiction for all that is Gamache. Chief Inspector Gamache accompanies his wife, Reine-Marie, to their annual retreat for a chance to recharge. Upon arrival at Manoir Bellechasse, the Gamaches learn that they will not have the solitude to which they are accustomed, as a family re...

4.5★“The Morrows seemed to believe there was a special code that allowed them to say what they liked about others, deliberately within their hearing, without it’s being discourteous. ‘Isn’t that the ugliest baby you’ve ever seen?’‘You shouldn’t wear white if you’re fat.’‘She’d be prettier if she didn’t scowl all the time.’The last had been said about her, on her wedding day, as she’d walked down the aisle smiling and joyful on her father’s arm. The Morrows could be counted on to use the right fo...

3.5 starsIn this 4th book in the 'Chief Inspector Armand Gamache' series, the Canadian detective investigates a very puzzling case. The book can be read as a standalone.*****Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec is celebrating his 35th wedding anniversary. To commemorate the happy occasion Gamache and his librarian wife Reine-Marie are enjoying a vacation at the upscale Manoir Bellechasse near the village of Three Pines - where many of their quirky friends liv...

I enjoyed another encounter with Armand, learning a bit more about his family history and following his investigation, however, I found previous books a little more mysterious and, yes, interesting... Taking a little break from the series, but I'll continue reading the series.

I began reading this book with high expectations. It had received a lot of praise and high ratings. So naturally I was eager to unravel its mysteries. But unfortunately, it was a letdown. I am not sure whether the author was trying to write a crime thriller or a family drama. I would not call this a thriller, as there is no thrill. None what so ever. There were a few good points and a lot of bad points which made me give this book 2 stars. SPOILER ALERTS!!! POSITIVE POINTS 1. Setting. The prot...

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie had been holidaying at the Manoir Bellechasse for many years, and this latest visit would be to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The large group also at the Manoir, and having a family reunion were not a nice bunch of people, but Armand and Reine-Marie did their best to stay out of their way.Until the night of a violent storm when the aftermath uncovered a dead body. Immediately Armand became the Chief Inspector, calling in his team of

EXCERPT: ... there was something unnatural about the Manoir Bellechasse from the very beginning. It was staggeringly beautiful, the stripped logs golden and glowing. It was made of wood and wattle and sat right at the water's edge. It commanded Lake Massawippi, as the Robber Barons commanded everything. These captains of industry couldn't seem to help it. And once a year, men with names like Andrew and Douglas and Charles would leave their rail and whiskey empires, trade their spats for chewed l...

Another Enjoyable Chief Inspector Gamache MysteryBook Four of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series, "A Rule Against Murder", unlike the previous books, is not set in the picturesque Quebecois village of Three Pines (although the protagonists do pay Three Pines a visit).Instead, most of the action occurs at the Manoir Bellechasse, a luxurious and remote Quebec Inn (patterned on the real Hovey Manor).Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the homicide division of the Montreal Surete and his wi...

I'm mad at Louise Penny because of book #5 in the Three Pines/Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries, and I want to take it out on her now, but in fairness I just can't. I loved this book as much as I expected to. I thought that moving the action out of Three Pines would make me grumpy, but instead it made me feel, more than ever, that I want to live in Three Pines because Manoir Bellechasse is close for those times I need to get away from the hectic hustle and bustle of Three Pines (snort).The Gamac...

Chief Inspector Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie, are celebrating their thirty-five-year wedding anniversary by staying at Manoir Bellechasse for a few days. The rich, cultured, respectable Finney family, an old- or no money family, living in a meritocracy, graces their presence in this remote auberge. One of the family's members desrcibes the family as “seven mad Morrows in a verchère”. The matriarch was now a Finney, but was actually still a Marrow in many ways. So much so, that she wanted a s...

One of the wonderful things about a Louise Penny novel is that it is not just a whodunit. The reader needs to figure out how it was done ... as are Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team. In A Fatal Grace the victim was electrocuted in the middle of a frozen lake, in front of the entire village. In The Cruelest Month the victim dies during a séance. The author delivers another murder most unusual in this story.Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary at

Seems I've never wrote a review about the 4th in Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Oh well, there's plenty of other reviews. I do remember liking it as Three Pines is like coming home.