Louise Penny 2009 – Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #5
In any cozy mystery (if the Three Pines Mysteries can be considered cozy), the members of the inner circle of recurring characters don’t commit crimes. Readers who expect this when starting The Brutal Telling have a rude awakening indeed. This story of human cruelty and forgiveness is one of the best in the series; Penny challenges the unspoken rule of the innocence of recurring characters.