I enjoy Louise Penny's mysteries and have followed the series from the start. This book was interesting overall. I enjoyed the historical background. The scenes of Quebec in winter were interesting although a little snow goes a long way. The characters were there usual selves: Gamache, a bit too much of a goody-two-shoes but you can't help liking him (he gets told off about the goody-two-shoes part at one point); Beauvoir, the grumpy second-in-command who has a lot to learn and grow but has potential; and the Three Pines crew who had a minor role in this book. My issue with this book was its length (over 400 pages) which was in my opinion not justified by the plot. Did anyone edit this book? It seems not. At times, it droned on and on with superfluous detail and retelling of information we'd already been told many times (a habit of Penny's). The various plots of the book wove in and out often blurring into each other without notice. The Three Pines subplot seemed to be summed up after no investigation or maybe I just forgot it after 400 pages! Penny's earlier books were more succinct and more suspenseful. She's a good writer but somebody (an editor?) could have helped her improve this book this time.

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