So this is the third Louise Penny mystery set in Three Pines, Quebec.
It starts off with a funny scene, which introduces us to the village and its denizens, with all of them putting out beautiful wooden painted Easter eggs for the kids to find the next day, which is Easter. The tradition had begun years before, with chocolate eggs. They ended up being eaten by wild animals, including probably bears. Now the kids find the wooden ones, and exchange them for chocolate.
New folk in the village, included several returnees, are all becoming involved in a seance – where someone is suddenly dead. This extremely tangled mystery, features Chief Inspector Gamache of the Surete in Montreal. It is psychological, factual, a study of the village and the Canadian / Quebecois culture, a look at the depth of those living there.
And, with this third book, Louise Penny wraps up and releases the tension that has been building around Armand Gamache and the leadership of the Surete. There are strands still remaining, but I was greatly relieved to understand and release that situation. Though it was interesting to watch Gamache maintain his focus with all this pressure around.
We now know folk in this village – and they are all worth knowing – as well as we know our own brothers and sisters. What a treat!