Louise PennyGenre: Cozy Mystery
Published: 2007
Personal Rating: 4/5
Yearly Count: 63
Just like the first in the series, Still Life, there's a death in Three Pines and Inspector Gamache is called in to solve it. We trek along in the snow alongside Gamache and discover clues that hopefully assist in solving the case. He has a different assistant this time around and we watch him grow as an investigator.
I had some mixed emotions about this one. There were some scenes that I thought were too reminiscent of the first and others that were a little confusing, but the atmosphere and Gamache remained alluring. While he, once again, shared his wisdom with his new assistant, he wasn't as deep as he was in Still Life, which was one aspect that I really enjoyed. I know most of that sounds negative, but the process of solving the who-dun-it was the core and that kept me intrigued and involved.
I enjoyed Still Life (btw, I added a link to your review along with my post on this book) and have been looking forward to book #2. I was at the bookstore last night and had this book in my hand, but couldn't bring myself to buy it since I know the library has it. Now I need to get over to the library and check it out! I'll be over to actually read your review once I read the book.
ReplyDeleteForgot to leave you the permanent URL:
ReplyDeleteStill Life
Hope I put the coding in correctly to make this into a link!
You know, Joy, I had one book group member that said she had a hard time thinking of STILL LIFE and FATAL GRACE as mysteries. I found that to be an interesting comment, but somehow I understood. She ended up thinking of them as having a fairy-tale quality and that made it work for her.
ReplyDeleteI think that the setting is such a big part of Louise Penny's books that it becomes a character of its own. Well, glad the mystery kept you interested and I'm looking forward to hearing what you think about book #3 when you get around to it.
I really liked Still Life a lot - it was probably one of my favorites the year I read it. This one I enjoyed but not as much as Still Life. Unfortunately I've just had to return the latest one to the library. I couldn't get into it at all. I don't know if it's just the mood I'm in or what but that really surprised me. I expected I'd love it. I think I'll try to give it another go later on.
ReplyDeleteYet another series I haven't heard of! Even for all the negativity, you gave it a pretty high rating. Maybe I'll have to check these out.
ReplyDeleteTerri ~ It is very similar to Still Life, so you should enjoy it. :)
ReplyDeleteKay ~ I liked how you phrased that - "the setting...becomes a character of its own". Oddly enough, I agree with you. Interesting how she creates that feeling, isn't it? I love walking with Gamache and sorting through the clues. I look forward to the third.
Iliana ~ YIKES! I'm going to give it some time before I move on to the third, but I hope I like it. Mood does play a big role, so giving it a try another time may be the answer. I hope so. :)
I actually did like Still Life better than this one, but not enough to warrant a change in the rating. I'll come by to see your reviews later.
Trish ~ Well, you have to remember that I like a lot of action, so "cozies" have just started to climb the enjoyment meter. I used to not like them at all! Ultimately, it was very good, but I hope Penny breaks out of the tight mold with the next one.