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416 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2011
" This murder is about contrasts, " said Gamache, his voice low, soft. "About sober an drunk. About appearance and reality. About change for the better, or for the worse. The play of light and dark."Chief Inspector Gamache, Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Agent Isabelle Lacoste from the Sûreté du Quebec are back. The core personalities of Three Pines are back as well. Ruth is still Ruth with her sharp potty mouth comments about people and life's mysteries. Peter and Clara's relationship is coming to a head with the way he is reacting to her success. Myrna still sells books and still has an ear for everybody's problems, including Clara's. Olivier and Gabri are still running the restaurant with the delicious food.
"She sat forward, curious to see how Clara would handle this attack. Because that was what it was. Civil and subtle and said with a smile. A sort of social neutron bomb. Meant to keep the structure of polite conversation standing, while slaying the person."
"Myrna almost gagged. If she heard the word "stunning" once more she really would vomit. She wonders what it was code for. Crappy? Hideous? So far Normand had described Clara's works, which he clearly didn't like, as stunning. Paulette had said Normand was planning some powerful pieces which, she assured them, they'd find stunning. And, of course, they were simply stunned by Clara's success. But then, they'd admitted to being stunned by Lilian's murder."This book is about Clara; about Gamache and Beauvoir's friendship being tested after the incident in which both almost lost their lives; it's about the inner workings of the art world. Chiaroscuro - contrast between light and dark. Juxtaposition.