F is for A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

Today I am featuring A Fatal Grace (2006) by Louise Penny for my submission for the Crime Fiction Alphabet meme. This is the second in a series of mysteries set in a small village in Quebec. We meet our victim as this book opens, although she does not die until we are about 60 pages into the book:

Had CC de Poitiers known she was going to be murdered she might have bought her husband, Richard, a Christmas gift. She might even have gone to her daughter's end of term pageant at Miss Edward's School for Girls, or 'girths' as CC liked to tease her expansive daughter. Had CC de Poitiers known the end was near she might have been at work instead of in the cheapest room the Ritz in Montreal had to offer.

The victim of murder in this novel is a very self-centered and hard-to-like person who has a higher opinion of herself than anyone else does. She has recently come to live in Three Pines, a picturesque village in Quebec, and has already alienated many of the residents.

The investigator is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, of the Surete de Quebec. He has been in the village of Three Pines previously to investigate another death, and thus is already familiar with the members the community. Gamache is a likable character, a dedicated policeman yet compassionate. I have often said that I prefer a fairly normal protagonist, especially as a police investigator, and am growing tired of flawed and damaged policemen. In this case, Gamache is a little too perfect for me, but still an interesting character.

The other members of the police team are also interesting, as is the intrigue that is going on within the police department, as is gradually revealed. The townspeople of Three Pines are well developed as characters. I like the interior dialogue of some of these characters that is shared with the reader.

I can see some similarities to the Gregor Demarkian series by Jane Haddam. In both, you get a few chapters at the beginning setting up some of the characters that will be involved in or affected by the events, providing some idea of where they fit in. The difference is that many of the characters in the Louise Penney books are continuing characters, while in the books by Jane Haddam, usually it is a new set of characters or suspects with each novel.

Other reviewers have compared the Three Pines Mystery series to the writing of Agatha Christie. I can see the comparison, since both sometimes feature very convoluted crimes that are almost impossible to solve, or even believed to be possible. And the very capable sleuth eventually figures out the solution, with some red herrings and false starts. I think, however, that many readers enjoy this series more for the characters and the setting than the mystery.

This is a true police procedural. Clues are followed up on and evaluated. We learn about the autopsy and the technical feasibility of the crime. Gamache depends a lot on his evaluations and understandings of the community and the victim and her relationships, but evidence and motive is most important.

The Crime Fiction Alphabet is sponsored by Mysteries in Paradise.  Please visit this post to check out other entries for this letter.


Also, this is my eleventh book for the Canadian Reading Challenge.


This is a hugely successful series. The first book in the series, Still Life, won many awards: the New Blood Dagger (2006) of the Crimewriters Association (UK), the Arthur Ellis Award (2006) of the Crime Writers of Canada (Canada), the Anthony Award (2007) (USA) and the Barry Award (2007) (USA). This book won the Agatha Award for Best Traditional Mystery, 2007 (USA). There are eight books in the series, so far. The eighth, A Beautiful Life, also won the  Agatha Award for Best Traditional Mystery, just recently. The ninth, How the Light Gets In, is due out in August, 2013.

I would recommend this series, at least the first one, just on the basis of the awards and the reviews I have read. Ultimately it depends on what you want from a book; this is not a light book, and it has its dark moments. The overall message is positive.