A Fatal Grace Louise Penny St. Martin's ISBN 0-312-35256-5 May 07 $23.95 HC

Louise Penny follows her debut novel, Still Life, with A Fatal Grace. A little over a year has past in the picturesque town of Three Pines. It's winter, Christmas, and Inspector Gamache is at his home sharing an odd Christmas tradition with his wife. Gamache and his counterpart in Montreal have traded unsolved files for several years now; hoping a new perspective will help solve them. Gamache becomes intrigued with a current case that was mistakenly added to the file. As he's securing permission to work it he's called to Three Pines.
There's been a murder.

C.C. de Poitiers is dead and likely with good reason. Still, it's a homicide and Gamache and his crew go to work.The unique method of the killing complicates matters. But it's the puzzle that pulls Gamache and the reader along. This is a traditional mystery in the best sense.

All the familiar townsfolk are present as well as the bearlike but open minded Gamache and his team of Beauvoir, and Isabelle La Coste. the dreaded agent Nicole lurks, pointing the way toward a third novel and Gamache adds a young rookie, agent Liemuex to the team. Ms. Penny paints Three Pines in Currier and Ives and Norman Rockwell splendor and has fashioned another appealing read. Fans of the traditional mystery should jump on this series.

Dave Biemann