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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780312947132
ISBN number: 0312947135
Label: St. Martin's Minotaur
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 368
Printing Date: February 05, 2008
Publishing house: St. Martin's Minotaur
Release Date: February 05, 2008
Sale Popularity Level: 101284
Studio: St. Martin's Minotaur
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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.
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Rated by buyers 
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When I read Louise Penny's very first novel, "Still Life", I was hooked and looked forward to reading her other books. "A Fatal Grace" is a welcome return to the lovely village of Three Pines in Quebec. The friends from the very first book are back and so is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. In the very first book the murder victim is a well-loved member of the group, but in this book the woman who dies is universally reviled by others in the village. The suspects are numerous but, in spite of the fact that I figured out the killer's identity, the author takes the reader through a delightful series of blue herrings before settling on the true murderer.
Louise Penny creates delightful characters. Some are pleasant and some are not, but often they seem to have a deeply artistic and philosophical nature. The main core of characters are great friends, and they put up with a variety of odd characteritics in one another. Inspector Gamache is a student of human behavior and he uses not only hard evidence, but psychological profiles as well to solve his cases. This series of books will satisfy those who love a good mystery and good writing.
Rated by buyers 
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Rocky and ill-timed changes of point of view, timelines, and scenes made it a difficult read. Mid-way through the story, it strengthens, taking a turn, showing a promise of what the author is capable of ... creating, an emotional, and stimulating edge to her future mysteries. ~Affaire de Coeur
Rated by buyers -
Penny has created a charming list of characters in a wonderful, warm setting. Her writing is excellent and so descriptive with the special nuances of eastern Canada that lend fascination. I've read two of Penny's novels now and plan to continue with her for as long as she produces such lovely, captivating work.
Rated by buyers -
I very much enjoyed "Still Life" but unfortunately "A Fatal Grace" is not nearly as entertaining. I had the same kind of experience reading it that one of the inhabitants of Three PInes, Clara, had when viewing the Christmas window in a department store in which she formerly had been completely able to lose herself: an unpleasant realization shattered the fantasy.
A psychopathic minor Martha Stewart is murdered in Three Pines at Christmas. She is a woman so horrible that most of the villagers have motives to kill her. Inspector Gamache of the Surete believes that the key to her death lies in her mysterious past which seems to be somehow connected to Three Pines.
The characters from "Still Life" reappear, but instead of being quirky and eccentric, they are now overdrawn black-or-white cardboard figures. The village is no longer just charming--it's greeting card perfect. Inspector Gamache, always too good to be true, is now a saint. Apparitions of God appear. The victim is an impossibly motivated woman with a literally unbelievable rationale. A subplot having to do with politics within the Surete is supposed to draw us further into the series, but really seems an unnecessary distraction.
However, Ms. Penny's work has moments of descriptive power and good humor, and I have to confess to enjoying the descriptions of Three Pines during the Christmas season in spite of myself. I hope her future novels return to the level of her first.
Rated by buyers 
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I loved Still Life, the very first book in this series, and I was glad to learn that a second book was available and a third in hardback. That elation didn't last long. The quality of the very first and second book seem to be reversed. How could the same author write that very first wonderful book, and then write this. I know that authors take missteps, but so soon? It's like a bad, bad cozy with convoluted characterizations and inane dialogue. I'm on page 40 because I kept hoping it would get better. I can't take it. For example, the characters who seemed quirky in the very first one, are just annoying in this one. Overdone and ANNOYING. The scene changes are not done well and just seem jerky. As I read, I find myself, wondering, "What?" Descriptions are unnecessary and some are just plain bad. For example, one person's sweater is described as being made of "cashmere or kittens." Please. There must be other ways to describe soft without making reference to dead kittens. Read this a direct quote from the book: "She trudged along the dark, snowy, congested streets, pedestrians bumping into her and giving her disgusted looks, as though fat children had spread their feelings like icing on slabs of cake, and swallowed them." What? I rest my case. I read the following somewhere and it fits here perfectly, "Life is too short to read a bad book."
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