Deborah Beckh

Fans of the Inspector Gamache mystery series will not be disappointed. The cast ably captures the heart and soul of Penny’s people of Three Pines : Armand Gamache is as we know him to be; those probing, thoughtful eyes of a profoundly moral man. Storylines have been skillfully crafted into unforced, well-written individual screenplays. And the cinematography? Superb. My only disappointment is the setting. Three Pines sits in a bowl-like valley; small, snug, enfolded in the arms of thickly treed hills. Homes in Three Pines are cottages, not suburban dwellings designed to mimic cottages. No two are alike. There are no 45° street corners, no stop signs, no sidewalks. No lawns that require mowing. Houses, comfortably spaced, range around a central grassy green. There is a stream along the edge of the village. And from the green you can see endless stars on cold clear winter nights. There is probably no place like Three Pines on earth in which the series could be filmed. Should I ever come across such a place, regardless of what it might be called, I will know where I am. Thank you Louise Penney for giving us Three Pines and, especially, its’ people. I believe in them.