A Rule Against Murder: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

Louise Penny

Jan 2009 · Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Book 4 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

Read the series that inspired Three Pines on Prime Video.

A Rule Against Murder, the fourth book in Louise Penny's award-winning and critical revered mystery series features the wise and beleaguered Inspector Armand Gamache.

It is the height of summer, and Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache are celebrating their wedding anniversary at Manoir Bellechasse, an isolated, luxurious inn not far from the village of Three Pines. But they're not alone. The Finney family—rich, cultured, and respectable—has also arrived for a celebration of their own.

The beautiful Manoir Bellechasse might be surrounded by nature, but there is something unnatural looming. As the heat rises and the humidity closes in, some surprising guests turn up at the family reunion, and a terrible summer storm leaves behind a dead body. It is up to Chief Inspector Gamache to unearth secrets long buried and hatreds hidden behind polite smiles. The chase takes him to Three Pines, into the dark corners of his own life, and finally to a harrowing climax.

Ratings and reviews

Crime mystery—Inspector Gamache and his wife are on their yearly anniversary trip to an isolated manor lodge near a lake (just over the mountain from Three Pines). They’re not the only guests. The Morrow family is having a family reunion. To the surprise of the Gamaches, Peter and Clara Morrow from Three Pines arrive. Tension builds and then one member of the Morrow family is murdered in a most unconventional way: the heavy statue of the Morrow patriarch falls on the victim. Suddenly, the Gamaches’ vacation includes a murder investigation. Hard to imagine a family as outwardly bad as the one in this book, but I went along. Good descriptions of the location and the wonderful lodge. Excellent read.

I was a bit sad that the setting was not the familiar Three Pines, but I appreciated seeing Gamache on his own. And Ruth does have a few lines, but not as many zingers as I have come to love. Great story, solid mystery.

Excellent story telling with great attention to the philosophies life creates in us. The role and influence family and childhood perceptions have long after we begin to claim adulthood is between every line.

About the author

LOUISE PENNY is the author of the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (six times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise lives in a small village south of Montréal.