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Sep 29, 2019sandraperkins rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Louise Penny is one of my favorite authors, and I adore Armand Gamache and most of the other characters in her books. I wanted to love this book, but I honestly have to say this was not my favorite of her books. It is OK, but not great. It kept my interest, but it was not nearly as engrossing as most of her other books. Maybe that is because this book includes a lot of social media (and our friends being trolled on social media). I loathe social media, so that definitely did not appeal to me. Maybe it is because this book deals with an environmental disaster. Maybe it is because the primary suspect was such a horrible person. Or maybe it is because Gamache is put through more hell, and he has already been through so much. This book felt formulaic to me. And then everything wraps up neatly (too neatly?) at the end, with a lot of twists and turns. It felt contrived to me. I think I understand the point(s) she is trying to make. This book just did not convince me. And I really wanted to be convinced! It is entirely possible I am the only person on the planet who sees it this way. This book got starred reviews from people much fancier than I am. But it did not grab me, as her books usually do. I will keep reading the series. I hope the next book is better. My favorite book in this series is How the Light Gets In (and there are references to that wonderful Leonard Cohen poem/song in this book as well). As with any series, it is important to start with the first book (Still Life) and read them in order.