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Book Summary and Reviews of A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

A Fatal Grace

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #2

by Louise Penny

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  • Feb 2008, 368 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Winner of the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel!

When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is called to investigate a woman's death, it doesn't take long for him to realize that no love was lost on Miss de Poitiers. But even if everyone hated her - her husband, lover, and daughter among them - how is it that no one saw her get electrocuted in the middle of a frozen lake in the center of town?

Gamache digs beneath the surface of Three Pines to find where the real secrets are buried. But other troubles lie ahead for the detective. It seems he has some enemies of his own - and with the coming of the bitter winter winds, something far more chilling is in store. 

First published in Canada in hardcover as Dead Cold in 2006.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Though Penny gorgeously evokes the small-town Christmas mood, the novel is oddly steeped in holiday atmosphere for a May release, and the plot's dependence on lengthy backstory slows the momentum." - Publishers Weekly

"This is a fine mystery in the classic Agatha Christie style, and it is sure to leave mainstream fans wanting more." - Booklist

"The cozy mystery, which aims to charm as much as challenge, has a graceful practitioner of that artful dodge in Louise Penny." - The New York Times Book Review

"Starred Review. A traditional and highly intelligent mystery …. sure to create great reader demand for more stories featuring civilized and articulate Chief Inspector Gamache…. Highly recommended." - Library Journal

"Starred Review. Remarkably, Penny manages to top her outstanding debut. Gamache is a prodigiously complicated and engaging hero, destined to become one of the classic detectives." - Kirkus

"For all the perplexing mechanics of the murder, and the snowed-in village setting, this is not the usual 'cosy' or even a traditional mystery. It's a finely written, intelligent and observant book. Imbued with a constant awareness of the astonishing cold, this perfect blend of police procedural and closed-room mystery finds its solution, as in the best of those traditions, in the slow unlayering of a sorrowful past." - Houston Chronicle

This information about A Fatal Grace was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Cathryn Conroy

A Literary Murder Mystery: Compelling Whodunit Plot That Is Perceptive and Smart
I am smitten with Louise Penny. And that's saying a lot because I am not enamored of murder mysteries. But her mysteries are another thing all together. Her books are expertly written with not only a compelling whodunit plot, but also extraordinary, entirely human characters that are so real they pop off the page.

Louise Penny's novels—there are 16 of them now—all "star" the brilliant and loveable Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, who is repeatedly sent to the tiny and picturesque Canadian village of Three Pines to solve the latest murder. (Other than the extremely high rate of murder, this would be an idyllic place to live!)

In this, the second of the series, Chief Inspector Gamache is called to Three Pines to investigate the murder of a woman named C.C. de Poitiers, who was inexplicably electrocuted—and not by accident—on Boxing Day while sitting in a chair on a frozen pond watching a community game of curling. Taking place from December 23 through New Year's Day, the book also has several subplots, including a murder of a homeless bag lady on the streets of Montreal, as well as the fractious interactions of some of the detectives and the delightful interactions of the Three Pines residents. Enough clues to the murderer's identity are given so the particularly astute reader stands a chance of figuring it out before the last page (surprisingly, I did), but the plot has enough twists and turns to keep even those astute readers riveted.

Louise Penny's books are highly intelligent, and that's what I enjoy the most about them. She peppers the story with numerous cultural references—literary, poetic, musical, and historical—which truly engaged my mind. I loved asking my Amazon Echo to play the Tchaikovsky violin piece she cites, and I eagerly Googled some of the history she discusses because I wanted to know more. So here we have the ultimate entertainment book, but it's also educational!

This is a multilayered, literary mystery that is perceptive and smart. Wonderful!

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Author Information

Louise Penny Author Biography

Photo: Jean-Francois Bérubé

Louise Penny's first novel, Still Life, won the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards. Her second book, A Fatal Grace, won the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel, as did her third, The Cruelest Month. Her next, A Rule Against Murder, was a New York Times bestseller, followed by The Brutal Telling, which was a New York Times, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and National Indie bestseller. Louise lives in a small village south of Montreal.

Pronunciation Guide: Louise Penny's website provides a wealth of interesting information about her and her books including a pronunciation guide to the characters and places referenced in her books.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series (to 2020)

  1. Still Life (2005)
  2. Dead Cold (2006) aka A Fatal Grace
  3. The Cruellest ...

... Full Biography
Link to Louise Penny's Website

Other books by Louise Penny at BookBrowse
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  • The Long Way Home jacket

17 more...

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