“When a mysterious figure appears on the village green on a cold November day in Three Pines, Armand Gamache, now Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, knows something is seriously wrong. Yet he does nothing. Legally, what can he do? Only watch and wait. And hope his mounting fears are not realized.”
The appearance of this mysterious figure greatly unsettles the quiet and laid back community of Three Pines. However, there is nothing that can be done except ignore and wait for it to go away. Eventually the figure does disappear, but the relief is short-lived as not too long after, a body is discovered. Months later the murder trial is taking place in Montreal as Gamache struggles with the events he had set in motion. The story flashes back and forth from current day during the trial and the time in which the crime occurred, slowly revealing the truth behind murder and just what is at stake for Gamache himself.
My favourite thing about August has come to be the release of another Inspector Gamache mystery. Louise Penny always manages to deliver a captivating mystery and I am always eager to not only see what the mystery will bring, but also to spend time with the familiar and endearing characters. This is the thirteenth novel in the series and a solid one at that. The mystery is intriguing and it unfolds in an interesting way with the way it jumps from present day to the events of the past, although it does take a little while to get into the flow of the storytelling. The main drawback of the novel I found was that it does come across as rather repetitive at times and could have been edited down in certain places. Overall it is a solid and enjoyable novel that has all the components that fans of the series will appreciate. If you have not read any previous novels in the series, I would recommend starting with the first one, Still Life, which is a great book and an excellent introduction. Highly recommended for fans of the mystery genre.
*ARC provided by NetGalley. Publication date: August 29, 2017.
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