A Better Man

 

A Better Man by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #15

Mystery

2019 Minotaur Books

Finished on August 14, 2020

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Catastrophic spring flooding, blistering attacks in the media, and a mysterious disappearance greet Chief Inspector Armand Gamache as he returns to the Sûreté du Québec in the latest novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny. 

It's Gamache's first day back as head of the homicide department, a job he temporarily shares with his previous second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Floodwaters are rising across the province. In the middle of the turmoil, a father approaches Gamache, pleading for help in finding his daughter.

As crisis piles upon crisis, Gamache tries to hold off the encroaching chaos, and realizes the search for Vivienne Godin should be abandoned. But with a daughter of his own, he finds himself developing a profound, and perhaps unwise, empathy for her distraught father.

Increasingly hounded by the question, how would you feel..., he resumes the search.

As the rivers rise, and the social media onslaught against Gamache becomes crueler, a body is discovered. And in the tumult, mistakes are made.

In the next novel in this "constantly surprising series that deepens and darkens as it evolves" (The New York Times Book Review), Gamache must face a horrific possibility, and a burning question. 

What would you do if your child's killer walked free?

I very much enjoyed A Better Man, which brings me up-to-date on Louise Penny's Three Pine series. This is a solid mystery and while I suspected the responsible party for Vivienne's death, I wasn't certain of the how or why of that tragedy. As the grand finale unfolded, I grew very concerned about one of the characters, silently pleading with Penny to not kill off one of my favorite people. I do so love several of the leading characters and will be sorry if and when they leave Three Pines. 

I have a couple of quibbles about this series, which kept me from giving this installment a 5/5 rating. My first issue is with the repeated mention of  Gamache's fragrance of sandalwood with a hint of rose water (although this time, the detail is given to Reine-Marie) and Clara's messy appearance with food and paint in her hair. I guess if one were reading the books out of order, it would make sense to share these details, but for those who have read the previous books in the series, they're unnecessary redundancies.

I've also grown weary of hearing about Rosa, Ruth's duck (and its foul mouth). Really, a duck that drops F-bombs? (Insert eye-roll) The author's asides, with regard to the animals, seem a little tired and forced.

Everyone in the farmyard was now staring at Gamache with open astonishment, including the donkeys. But human behavior often astonished them.

and 

...Rosa, who was silent for once. Though she did watch Armand with sad eyes. But then, ducks were often sad.

In spite of these minor irritations, I'm looking forward to the next release, All the Devils Are Here, which is due out on September 1st!