And therein lies the challenge for the brilliant inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec, called once again from his headquarters in Montreal to investigate murder in this breathtaking hamlet. CC has been literally cooked alive in an apparent electrical accident on a local frozen lake, and everyone in town has a motive, even the inspector's good friends. The kind, compassionate, and whip-smart detective must employ all his talents, not least his ability to blend seamlessly into small-town life, to identify the calculating killer lurking within the pastoral landscape that is Three Pines.

“[Penny is] an author whose deceptively simple style masks the complex patterns of a well-devised plot.”—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

“It's hard to decide what provides the most pleasure in this enjoyable book: Gamache, a shrewd and kindly man constantly surprised by homicide; the village, which sounds at first like an ideal place to escape from civilization; or the clever and carefully constructed plot.”—Chicago Tribune

“A perfectly executed traditional mystery.”—Denver Post

“Gamache is destined for stardom.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A gem of a book…a beautifully told, lyrically written story of love, life, friendship and tragedy.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Terrific. Like a virtuoso, Penny plays a complex variation on the theme of the clue hidden in plain sight. A winning traditional mystery.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)