The topic for this book is the abuse of females. The author repeats the evidence of the case involving a drowned woman over and over again so that it becomes rather tiresome. At the end of the book, the detectives finally "see" the light using the same clues so there is a bit of a twist involved. There is some tension when both Armand and Jean Guy end up in the rushing flood waters of a local river. I thought perhaps Penny was considering ending this series with these characters when I read that scene. However, both inspectors survive that hair-raising incident and allows Penny to say good-bye to Jean Guy as he heads to a safer life in Paris which has been in the works for a while. A minor theme revolves around the personal harm that comes from viral videos and posts on social media which allows posters to hide behind code names. I enjoyed reading the descriptions about the ice melting on the rivers and the actions taken to avoid damages from flooding. In the end - an enjoyable read.

Louise Penny is one of my favorite authors, and I adore Armand Gamache and most of the other characters in her books. I wanted to love this book, but I honestly have to say this was not my favorite of her books. It is OK, but not great. It kept my interest, but it was not nearly as engrossing as most of her other books.

Maybe that is because this book includes a lot of social media (and our friends being trolled on social media). I loathe social media, so that definitely did not appeal to me. Maybe it is because this book deals with an environmental disaster. Maybe it is because the primary suspect was such a horrible person. Or maybe it is because Gamache is put through more hell, and he has already been through so much. This book felt formulaic to me. And then everything wraps up neatly (too neatly?) at the end, with a lot of twists and turns. It felt contrived to me. I think I understand the point(s) she is trying to make. This book just did not convince me. And I really wanted to be convinced!

It is entirely possible I am the only person on the planet who sees it this way. This book got starred reviews from people much fancier than I am. But it did not grab me, as her books usually do.

I will keep reading the series. I hope the next book is better. My favorite book in this series is How the Light Gets In (and there are references to that wonderful Leonard Cohen poem/song in this book as well).

As with any series, it is important to start with the first book (Still Life) and read them in order.

I enjoyed it very much - and had the satisfaction, for once, of saying "i knew it!" as things wrapped up (well,
I had at least one thing right). As a fellow Canadian, I have all the sympathy in the world for our characters dealing with the worst villain, Spring ("crapfest" is a word). I read it in a day, I love Three Pines and the way the author allows good and evil to coexist, sometimes in the same person. I will continue to read this series until the final mystery is solved (that being, of course, what kind of dog is Gracie?!)

As spring flooding endangers Quebec, a young woman in a seemingly abusive relationship is reported missing and then found in the flooded waters at Three Pines. Gamache has returned to the force; it’s Jean Guy’s last case. Quite an investigation; pay attention. One of the best yet.

I love this series but found this book not as compelling or involving as the others. Dare I say I even skipped parts of it, which I have never done before. Perhaps the author is producing the books too quickly as in one a year. Anyway, I'm glad I read it but not my favourite.

Such a wonderful series, always unexpected twists and character insights. Highly recommend.

The fifteenth in the Armand Gamache series. Every time I think I'm done with Gamache and his neighbors in Three Pines I find myself entranced and entangled with their lives. So glad to have spent time there again.

I'm going against the general consensus here - I didn't enjoy this one at all. I found the first quarter of the book was one long weather report. There are other reasons but i don't want to give away anything. What i enjoyed most was the Acknowledgments section at the end.
I am a Louise Penny fan and have read all her books. Which i enjoyed.

Wonderful to have Gamache back at the Sûreté du Québec. Complicated mystery. Always a pleasure to visit the citizens of Three Pines. Kristi & Abby Tabby

What was so different and so interesting about this book, in the long and excellent series by Louise Penny, was that the readers got to go through the entire process of analyzing, over and over, the evidence in hand and experiencing firsthand the frustration felt when that evidence did not "do the job" as expected. Good twists in this story, but the early clues are there if you are reading carefully.