Book Review: A Better Man

A catastrophic flood threatens to take Three Pines down under the water, stinging social media attacks target Armand Gamache, and a woman mysteriously disappears in Louise Penny's A Better Man. But 15 novels in, the charm of the series is beginning to show its first signs of tedium. Make no mistake. Penny's turns of phrase are just as exquisite as before. And it's always a pleasure to return to a cosy setting housing a set of beloved characters, so complex and real, flawed and vulnerable, they feel like family. The small glimpses of love and friendship, so warm and affecting, that shine a light on the best (and worst) parts of what makes us who we are. Yet for all its exploration of compassion, humanity, truth and malice, A Better Man is a disappointment. It's no longer the fantastic, moving and profound crime read it once was. The characters have precious little to do or add anything new; it's as if they are stagnant and Penny is unsure of how to shape their forward paths. The beats are all familiar and repetitious, with reams of pages allotted to material that's been said several times before. A Better Man is by no means a narrative misfire, but given the high bar Louise Penny has set for herself, it comes off as more dispiriting than poignant.