A Rule Against Murder is the 4th book in Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache book series. This book takes Armand and the reader away from the usual Three Pines location for a change of scenery. Armand Gamache, head of the murder unit of Quebec, is staying at a remote lodging resort with his wife, celebrating their anniversary. The manoir, run by a widowed manager and her reliable long appointed Maître d and chef, serves as both a peaceful getaway to guests and a valuable training place for a rotating group of English speaking Canadians needing work experience and French lessons. The story kicks off when Gamache and his wife Reine Marie are surprised by three things: That the rest of the resort is being occupied during their visit by a wealthy family to place a statue of the former patriarch on the grounds, that the family belongs to one of their friends from Three Pines, and that someone will be found murdered beneath this new statue following a terrible storm. Gamache and his trusted detective Beauvoir and Lacoste quickly get to work to uncover what may have happened.
This is Penny’s take on a closed room mystery – due to the remote area and the storm, only someone working or staying at the Manoir could be the murderer. How a statue could kill someone is unexplainable. Somehow, Gamache must get it all to fit. I enjoyed the change of scenery to see how Gamache (who is the Chief Inspector of all of Quebec, after all) would fit in another locale away from the usual cast of characters. We have a few of the usual characters to keep it from being a totally unfamiliar cast, but it felt refreshing, much the way the manoir should serve as a break for people from the routine of their own lives. This was one of my favorites of the books in this series so far, though not for the reason I suspected. A large portion of this book is not really about the murder at all: it is mostly a family drama about the snobbish, cruel family staying at the manoir during the crime. The murder serves as a reason to get Gamache and his thoughtful mind involved, to create stakes, and to keep the story moving, but really I think Penny is more interested in exploring the dynamics of a family weighed down by decades of dysfunction more than the Agatha Christie like case she has built around it.
I have to agree that I too found that the most compelling part as well, and once again Penny’s characters were the highlight for me. We get a look deeper into Gamache’s own family past, as well as two of Penny’s other Three Pine’s residents. I am always impressed with how Louise Penny can play so many sides of our human nature, and how Gamache can continue to show us that what we think and how we act do not always have to match. We can choose to be kinder, more understanding, and more resilient even in the face of other’s cruelty. Gamache’s 2nd in command Inspector Beauvoir and Mr. Finney – the step father and current family patriarch – in particular shine in this one for me, both in their comedic sub plots and character insight. Some of the mystery bits stretch a little for me, but it is certainly creative and tied together in the end. I came for the mystery, but stayed for the drama, as Louise Penny shows she can have her cake in eat it too by finding a way to use her main hero and branch out from her usual setting and genre without sacrificing either.
This book is good for:
1. Those who enjoy character driven family dramas (Succession is the first thing that comes to mind in connection with this family).
2. Those who favor a locked room mystery with a large suspect list and an unconventional murder.
3. A detective who complexity is built around good character work, background, and personality rather than flashy but shallow traits or melodrama.
Highly recommend however, the mystery gets broken up a lot by the character drama,
so mystery readers looking for a focused procedural be aware.
Availability: COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Nick Huber
Rating: Highly Recommended
Like this:
Like Loading...
Library Summer Reading Program 