The focus on the mystery kept the tension high and I devoured this book in two sittings.Ī Better Man is also the first book where I see social media play a big role in the story.

Here, I thought everything was back to form – the main story is about the murder and where appropriate, events from past books and the latest crisis to hit Quebec is brought in. Looking back at my thoughts on Kingdom of the Blind, I remember not being very happy about how the book balanced the multiple plots. Do we need our protagonists to be broken to be interesting and relatable? I think not, because I like that Gamache represents the better side of human nature and that he can influence others to be better as well.Īpart from the characters, what I really liked about this book was the focus on the murder mystery. But he does make mistakes in this book and he does get angry, which made me realise that he’s not a saint, he’s a fundamentally good man in a world that’s filled with corruption. In the start of A Better Man, I could understand why this comment was made – Gamache seems almost too calm, too wise to be true. I remember reading a comment about Gamache that he seems to turn almost saint-like in the later books, making him a less than ideal figure. As Quebec deals with the possibility of catastrophic floods, Gamache, Jean-Guy, and Isabelle find themselves caught up in the murder of a young woman, whose death feels personal to Gamache and Jean-Guy. He’s accepted a demotion to the post of Chief Inspector, a position he had at the start of the series and one that he now shares with his son-in-law/former second-in-command, Jean-Guy. In A Better Man, Gamache is feeling the effects of his actions in Kingdom of the Blind. The alternate title of this book should be “All truth with malice in it”, since it seems to be a refrain for many of the characters.

Louise penny new book a better man