A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
Registered by GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 9/9/2014
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I first discovered the Inspector Gamache books via The Brutal Telling, and have been filling in the gaps in the series when I can. Found this good-condition softcover at the Book Cellar. [The book was published under the title The Murder Stone in some areas.]
In a bit of a twist, this one takes place almost entirely at a remote luxury lodge far from Three Pines, where Gamache and his wife are celebrating their anniversary - and where, it turns out, a wealthy but very dysfunctional family is holding a memorial to their late patriarch. And who should be part of that family but Three Pines artist Peter Morrow, who - reluctantly - has chosen to attend, along with his wife Clara (whom the rest of the family seems to disrespect at every turn).
When the memorial statue to the late man falls and crushes one of the family, the luxury lodge turns into a murder scene, and Gamache summons his people to try and solve the case, ideally without forcing him to arrest yet another friend {wry grin}.
While the story was enjoyable, I admit I didn't like this one as much as most of the other "Gamache" books - I found the motivations and behavior of Peter's family to be so bizarre as to be distracting, especially with the various revisitings of motivations assumed, real, and changed-over-time. Not that real people can't be that complex, but there seemed to be too much of it here. I also wasn't thrilled with the eventual solution to the crime - but I did enjoy a lot of the little scenes along the way, and it's always fun visiting with these characters. But oh, Peter - you were such a jerk! (And, perhaps, still are; the issues of his jealousy of Clara's work are still rankling...)
In a bit of a twist, this one takes place almost entirely at a remote luxury lodge far from Three Pines, where Gamache and his wife are celebrating their anniversary - and where, it turns out, a wealthy but very dysfunctional family is holding a memorial to their late patriarch. And who should be part of that family but Three Pines artist Peter Morrow, who - reluctantly - has chosen to attend, along with his wife Clara (whom the rest of the family seems to disrespect at every turn).
When the memorial statue to the late man falls and crushes one of the family, the luxury lodge turns into a murder scene, and Gamache summons his people to try and solve the case, ideally without forcing him to arrest yet another friend {wry grin}.
While the story was enjoyable, I admit I didn't like this one as much as most of the other "Gamache" books - I found the motivations and behavior of Peter's family to be so bizarre as to be distracting, especially with the various revisitings of motivations assumed, real, and changed-over-time. Not that real people can't be that complex, but there seemed to be too much of it here. I also wasn't thrilled with the eventual solution to the crime - but I did enjoy a lot of the little scenes along the way, and it's always fun visiting with these characters. But oh, Peter - you were such a jerk! (And, perhaps, still are; the issues of his jealousy of Clara's work are still rankling...)
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Park And Ride (At Exit 2) Bookshelf in Salem, New Hampshire USA on Sunday, October 5, 2014
Released 9 yrs ago (10/5/2014 UTC) at Park And Ride (At Exit 2) Bookshelf in Salem, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I left this book in the book-swap shelf inside the terminal at the Park-and-Ride at around 3:30 or so; hope the finder enjoys it!
*** Released for the 2014 Spook-tacular Halloween Challenge, for "murder". ***
*** Released for the 2014 Spook-tacular Halloween Challenge, for "murder". ***