25. "A Rule Against Murder" by Louise Penny

Louise Penny's insightful cozies, featuring the wise and gentle Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, provide a glimpse into small-town life in Quebec, Canada. Unlike her previous novels, however, A Rule Against Murder takes place not in the village of Three Pines, but at the nearby, secluded Manoir Bellechasse.

Fans of the series will appreciate the chance to become better acquainted with the chief inspector's wife, Reine-Marie. The Gamaches are spending a week at the Manoir to celebrate their anniversary. Their fellow guests--a wealthy, elderly couple; four feuding, middle-aged children; two spouses; and an eccentric, ethereal grandchild--make for interesting and sometimes challenging company, until murder disrupts the vacation.

Penny doesn't keep close track of numbers, which can be annoying and contradictory. (Authors from Patricia Cornwell to Elizabeth Peters share this weakness.) The writing is sometimes so reflective as to become cumbersome, but the character studies are what makes the novel work. I missed Gamache and the rest of the cast as soon as I closed the book, and I'm eager for my next vicarious visit to Three Pines.