The Cruelest Month (Three Pines Mysteries, No. 3) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Louise Penny (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2008

Welcome to Three Pines, where the cruelest month is about to deliver on its threat. Its spring in the tiny, forgotten village of Three Pines. Buds are on the trees, and the first flowers are struggling through the newly thawed earth. But not everything is meant to return to life.

--This text refers to the MP3 CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Chief Insp. Armand Gamache and his team investigate another bizarre crime in the tiny Québec village of Three Pines in Penny's expertly plotted third cozy (after 2007's A Fatal Grace). As the townspeople gather in the abandoned and perhaps haunted Hadley house for a séance with a visiting psychic, Madeleine Favreau collapses, apparently dead of fright. No one has a harsh word to say about Madeleine, but Gamache knows there's more to the case than meets the eye. Complicating his inquiry are the repercussions of Gamache having accused his popular superior at the Sûreté du Québec of heinous crimes in a previous case. Fearing there might be a mole on his team, Gamache works not only to solve the murder but to clear his name. Arthur Ellis Award–winner Penny paints a vivid picture of the French-Canadian village, its inhabitants and a determined detective who will strike many Agatha Christie fans as a 21st-century version of Hercule Poirot. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Certain books come to mind whenever that little voice whispers in your ear ‘Oh, lighten up!’… Louise Penny’s series about the eccentric residents of a postcard-perfect town in Canada can…be pretty funny.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times

“Who wouldn’t be charmed by the dramas of [the Three Pines] community…? Yet it is Penny’s fastidious, cultured, and smart Inspector Gamache who makes The Cruelest Month impossible to put down.”—People magazine (3 1/2 stars)

“Perhaps the deftest talent to arrive since Minette Walters, Penny produces what many have tried but few have mastered: a psychologically acute cozy. If you don’t give your heart to Gamache, you may have no heart to give.”—Kirkus Review (starred review)

“How much do I love [this] series? So much that I don’t merely crave the next installment—I want to live in Three Pines… Let Penny takes exquisite care to create, flesh out, and nurture the relationships in the village and on the police force. I will just have to sulk in the suburbs until she writes the next one.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer

“The thing about the Gamache novels is that while the crimes are intriguing...Gamache [is] completely original.”—Booklist

 “Gamache is an engaging, modern-day Poirot...entertaining and thought-provoking.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Expertly plotted.”—Publishers Weekly

“A charming oasis for the spirit...quirky and literate. Move over, Mitford.”—Charlotte Observer

“Rich characterizations, a credible plotline, and an increasingly likable protagonist in Gamache. Add [Penny’s] compassion, grace, and wisdom, and readers will rejoice in the latest entry in this stylish and sensitive series.”—Richmond Times Dispatch

“If you aren’t familiar with…Gamache and the charming town of Three Pines, you are missing something wonderful in the world of mystery fiction.”—Omaha World-Herald

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 615 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (June 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410407160
• ISBN-13: 978-1410407160
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,498,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

LOUISE PENNY is an award-winning journalist who worked for many years for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She lives in a small village south of Montréal where she writes, skis, and volunteers. Her bestselling first mystery, Still Life, was the winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards; and her second, A Fatal Grace, won the Agatha Award for Best Novel in 2008. Visit her website at www.louisepenny.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Four and a half stars, March 10, 2008

By 

Ms. Jessica - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cruelest Month (Three Pines Mysteries, No. 3) (Hardcover)

This book is #3 in the Three Pines mysteries and I am guessing that the negative reviews of this book come from people who have not read the previous two books. This book relied on a continuation of storylines from the previous books much more than book #2. I really enjoyed Cruelest Month and a big part of the reason I liked it is because it resolved some of the issues left in suspense from book #2. This author is such an incredible writer and the mysteries are intricate and surprising, so that I think this book is still strong on its own, but I definitely think you should read the first two books to truly appreciate #3. I couldn't disagree more about another reviewer's assessment that the characters are boring. The diverse, complicated, and realistic characters are why I love these books so much. Every book gives the reader more insight on each of the main characters. I really have a soft spot for Clara and Peter. The only reason I gave this book four and a half stars instead of five is because the end felt slightly unabalanced, with more focus on the culmination of the political intrigue/conspiracy to bring Gamache down than the resolution of the murder. I thought the "outing" of the murderer suffered slightly at having so much going on for Gamache personally. But still a fantastic book and I am eagerly awaiting hte next installment.

45 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Louise Penny makes the reader part of the story., March 15, 2008

By 

Betty J. Wassmer "avid reader" (Loveland CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cruelest Month (Three Pines Mysteries, No. 3) (Hardcover)

I just finished The Cruelest Month which I had pre-ordered after thoroughly enjoying the first two books in the Three Pines series. This author's character development is amazing. I want to know Clara, Peter, Myrna, Ruth, Gabri and Olivier in real life. They are such caring neighbors and genuinely love each other in spite of their flaws like true friends do. I grew up in such a town and miss it every day. If I could find Three Pines I would visit it soon. I just want to thank Louise Penny for taking me away from everyday life for a few hours again and making me smile, cry, shudder, cringe and laugh outloud. Can't wait for the next installment!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun cozy seriies, but tired of the author's tricks, March 16, 2009

By 

Snaildarter "Snaildarter" (Bay Area, northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cruelest Month: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Armand Gamache Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've enjoyed this series, and I recommend it to those who like the genre. I do want to say, though, that I'm weary of the author not letting the readers in on the secrets. Over, over, and over, Penny has a detective discover something, or another character see something, and toys with the reader by not saying what it was. OK, once in while that's a device that will keep people reading. But not EVERY disovery, or EVERY insight, or EVERY time a character sees ANYTHING. Enough! Do it once per book, maybe twice at most, and then just write, and forget the devices. Louise Penny is a good enough writer that she doesn't need devices to keep people writing.

And one other thing -- sometimes the repartee among the characters drags. I sometimes skip through the chatter, because it's just a little *too* cozy. So here's my advice to the author: tighten up the dialogue, quit teasing the reader, and TRUST the reader to just enjoy a good yarn with well drawn characters. It'll work, trust me.