Book #96: A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

This is the second book in the series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (Still Life being the first) and I actually read this one instead of listening to it. Our library has ten of the series on audiobook but not this one for some reason. I enjoyed reading this one, about a newcomer killed in Three Pines at a curling match the day after Christmas. Like the first one, I had a good guess of who the killer was in this book, but it doesn't disappoint me to know whodunit by any means. I feel like these books are more about the characters and the interest created by the character of Armand Gamache, instead of just figuring out who committed the crime. I really like Gamache as a person, like his relationship with his wife and his team especially, and am infuriated by any people who don't like him (like the inscrutable Agent Nichol, who is so messed up it's hard to even see where she's coming from). The only thing I didn't like about this book were the obvious dark hints about bad things coming for Gamache in the future (betrayals! No!), and the really sad relationships between mothers and daughters in this book. The murdered woman was a terrible person, and the way she treated everyone, but especially her teenaged daughter, was super depressing. I hate imagining any children growing up in a toxic home like that, even in a fictional world. But I thought this story was well done and I enjoyed it. I am going to listen to the next one soon.