Artistic murder

By Ande Jacobson

A Trick of the Light is the seventh full-length mystery in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (of the Sûreté du Québec) series, first released in 2011. This time, Clara Marrow has finally made it as an artist, as she has her solo show at the famed Musée d’Art Contemporain in Montreal. Unfortunately, her night of celebration ends with a tragic murder that isn’t discovered until the next morning. No, Clara isn’t the one murdered, but her one-time friend turned arch enemy is, and Three Pines is again on edge as there are too many suspects that Armand and his team must sort through to find the why and how and identify the real killer.

Clara’s show attracts big names in the art world from other artists, to gallery owners, to critics. Her work has overshadowed her husband Peter’s at this point, much to his chagrin which creates a prickly side story in itself. Clara has also garnered the attention of a nasty undercurrent in the art world that Armand uncovers during the course of his investigation.

Lillian Dyson is found dead in Clara and Peter’s garden the morning after the celebrations. She was originally Clara’s childhood bestie, and the two were inseparable as children. They later attended art school together, and a vicious incident forever divided them. Lillian, having been directed away from her work as an artist became a critic, and a nasty one seemingly taking out her frustrations on those she reviewed. Unfortunately, Clara received one of her early biting reviews as a student cementing her self-doubts for decades. The source of that review becomes clear as a result of this investigation, and therein lies another story arc.

Still, there’s another Three Pines murder to solve. The quaint little village is the seeming murder capital of Québec, and Armand’s team is back in full force. Armand seems mostly recovered from his previous ordeal, but Jean-Guy is still suffering, something that’s obvious to a few of the Three Pines regulars. As often happens in a Gamache mystery, the cast expands in this installment introducing more luminaries from the art world, and not coincidentally also from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). It’s clear that it doesn’t matter one’s profession, alcoholism can strike anyone from any walk of life from a struggling artist, to a high powered judge, to an outcast young man in the depths of despair and turmoil. Penny draws out the secrets her characters hold which creates quite a study in human nature. It also unravels the complexities of numerous relationships spanning decades.

A fascinating plot point is an exploration stemming from differing viewpoints between Armand and Jean-Guy concerning whether people can and do change over time. Armand contends that they can and often do while Jean-Guy strongly disagrees. This weaves naturally into the AA side plot given a central tenet of AA is to enact positive change in one’s life to resist the draw of alcohol and make amends for the ills committed in the throes of addiction.

Penny explores addiction not only through AA, but also through an unexpected dimension as it strikes somebody readers have come to know and respect. Addiction can change a person’s perceptions and behaviors in often unexpected and insidious ways that might not be readily recognized for what they are. It’s common for those changes to be seen from the outside before the person most affected realizes what’s happening.

The art world that Penny draws in this story is full of intrigue and deception. Whether art dealer, critic, or artist, hidden motivations abound. It’s a cutthroat community that is the antithesis of Clara’s good nature. It’s no wonder it took decades for her to achieve what should have been her notoriety early on. She had the talent, but she didn’t have the temperament to step on the backs of others to rise to her rightful place. Even as she meets the moment, she doesn’t have the cutthroat personality to deny others their due for her own personal gain. Clara is a gentler, kinder, type of artist who is fully engulfed by the beauty and wonder that art has to offer. She eschews the trappings of fame in part because she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Unfortunately for her, not everyone even in her inner circle has that mindset.

Penny uses Armand not only as the able, clear-headed detective to solve crimes, but as a type of counselor who helps others to achieve their own potential whether they be on his team, a suspect in his investigation, or a nearby observer. Through the series, Armand has developed a trusting and devoted bond with most in the village, save for the one he once wronged. Even there though, progress, while slow, is made. The friendships he’s nurtured are deep, and the village of Three Pines is better for it. Of course, when a remote village is also a murder capital, it helps to have the premiere homicide team at its beck and call.

There’s a certain amount of misdirection along the way so that readers don’t solve the mystery too early in the story. The final resolution is fitting and satisfying. As always, Penny is careful to tie up the loose ends in this particular installment while leaving open some of the side plots for further exploration later in the series. Penny also revisits a few curious seeds planted in earlier books in the series, building on some of those openings. The village regulars show growth in various directions, deepening their appeal. The changes they experience make sense. Hope is also a constant in this series. Despite a darker undercurrent driving murder, those cleared of the crime are better for having witnessed the investigation. They grow closer to their neighbors, caring for them and helping them move forward.

As this story resolves, Clara will need to lean on her friends more than ever before, but she’ll also be stronger for having survived this adventure. While it’s not clear where the series will take them, one thing is certain. Readers will see more of the Three Pines community in future books.

References:
A Trick of the Light, by Louise Penny
https://www.gamacheseries.com/books/the-brutal-telling/
https://agoodreedreview.com/2023/03/27/book-still-life/
https://agoodreedreview.com/2023/05/19/a-most-ungraceful-exit/
https://agoodreedreview.com/2023/06/16/book-the-cruelest-month/
https://agoodreedreview.com/2023/07/14/book-a-rule-against-murder/
https://agoodreedreview.com/2025/01/27/book-the-brutal-telling/
https://agoodreedreview.com/2025/03/07/book-bury-your-dead/