Ponder: A Fatal Grace

A Fatal Grace ©2006 is the second murder mystery novel written by New York Times best selling author Louise Penny. It is also the second of her books that I have read. She has written fifteen novels with a sixteenth scheduled to be release in a couple days on September 1st. Yes, she is prolific. Based on my small sampling of two, she also seems consistent. Her chief inspector Armand Garmache is a truly likable character and, in my opinion, is the key reason readers become Louise Penny fans. He typically mentors new detectives to teach them the skills needed to effectively observe clues at the crime scene, interview suspects or witnesses, postulate motives, and question assumptions.

The character who is murdered in A Fatal Grace is nasty, cruel, vain, and generally unlikeable. No one grieves her death. The way she was killed is bizarre, via electrocution out on a sub-zero frozen lake. But the meticulous explanation of how such a feat could be accomplished – needing liquid, physical contact, and a source of electrical power – was fascinating and scientifically sound. It was not until the final pages that the murderer was revealed. I was unsuccessful in deciphering the culprit, so that final reveal part of the book entertained me. Sometimes, being duped in a fair competition where all the information is there and you just did not piece it together quite right is surprisingly amusing.

I also enjoy being immersed in the plot with the familiar friendly quirky characters from the first novel. The setting was once again the quaint village of Three Pines in Quebec and the snowy setting makes me imagine the story in unfolding inside a snow globe (image courtesy of 3d animations from Turbosquid. 

True, I can not help but wonder how such an idyllic village could engender so many murders (fifteen of them, if all Penny's future novels take place in Three Pines). But then again, the tiny New England town of Cabot Cove in the TV series Murder She Wrote starring Angela Landsbury had a similar affliction.

Murder, She Wrote is an American crime drama television series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher The series aired for 12 seasons with 264 episodes from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network. It was followed by four TV films. Among the most successful and longest-running television shows in history, it averaged more than 30 million viewers per week in its prime (sometimes hitting above 40 million viewers), and was a staple of the CBS Sunday night lineup for a decade. In syndication, the series is still highly successful throughout the world.

For a good sample of the author's style, the entire first chapter of Fatal Grace is on Louise Penny's website as an excerpt. The book has the dual title of Dead Cold for the UK and Canada, hence the cryptic "dc" in the link. I think Dead Cold is a better title. I may have missed the explanatory reference in the text but I did not ever figure out the reason for the US title Fatal Grace. I surmise it could be an allusion to the term "coup de grâce", a French phrase that can be defined as "an action or event that serves as the culmination of a bad or deteriorating situation". The murder victim truly was an awful individual. I'd written a rather lengthy review of Louise Penny's first novel, Still Life, in my post dated 2/28/20 where I gave it 4 stars.  I give Fatal Grace 3 stars which in my rating system stands for Better than average; not a waste of time. Why fewer stars then the first novel? I am not sure. Perhaps it has something to do with "why bother to find out who killed such a foul person since they deserved it". Why waste any more time on such an abominable human being? 

Fewer stars do not deter me from reading this author's third and fourth novels. I put my name on the wait list at my local library and will be picking them up next week. They are not extremely riveting, but are certainly absorbing filler reads while deciding what more demanding texts to read next.

Alex Bowling

Frank and I have been visiting our son Alex at the St. Denis Home nearly every Sunday since mid-March when the shelter-in-place order was issued. He is not allowed to come and go from his home for fear of contracting Covid or passing it on to the other clients upon his return. He wolfs down the edible treats we bring each week, and I think he comes to expect the carrots we bring for the bunny.  We also try to include  something of interest like a puzzle or other distraction. We sit on the front lawn and read to him via FaceTime or have a "conversation" using staff iPhones or iPads. See post dated 6/23/20.

On our June 28th visit we brought Alex an iPad of his own that Frank's former co-worker Brett generously gave to us. We were permitted to transfer and introduce the iPad to him with masks and social distancing out in his back yard. We had loaded it with a few movies and some of his song favorites. 

The songs especially were a big hit. We usually played those for him in the car on our Sunday outings to the bowling alley or to the occasional show or movie. He loves the iPad and carries it with him all day listening to his music. He can be convinced –  barely–  to give it up reluctantly at bedtime only so it can be recharged. He is like the typical teenager who is glued to his cell phone. 

On most every FaceTime visit, however, the first word Alex greets us with is not Hiya or Mom. It is Bowl. The alleys are closed of course due to the pandemic and even if they were not, Alex is not allowed to come and go from his home for fear of contracting COVID-19 or passing it on to the other clients upon his return. Frank and I found a hardwood lawn bowling set on Amazon and decide to try to fulfill his bowling request at least partially. Because the pins are not foam or formed plastic or inflatable vinyl they have a heftiness to them that  is more like "real" bowling.

On August 16 we asked if we could meet outside once again to introduce Alex to to the bowling set. We were permitted as long as we had our temperature taken, then filled out and signed a wellness questionnaire. That particular Sunday the temperature hit 106°F, even though we waited until 6:00 pm to go there. By some miracle, we still passed the forehead temperature test. We wore masks, social distanced, and wiped off the pins and the bowls with antiseptic wipes whenever they changed hands between Alex and Frank or me. Alex was pretty good about wearing his mask. Occasionally he would tug it down, but, once reminded, he would pull it back up again.

Aah, would that the set came with an automatic pin setter and ball return... !  Frank was the dutiful pin setter. I was the fetcher and retriever of the balls and cleaner of all wooden items that might be touched by multiple people. In 106°F heat, those trivial tasks grew old quickly. I wanted to take some photos of Alex in action but once I retrieved the balls and sanitized them, and as soon as I handed them back to Alex – at arm's length of course – I was never quick enough with my cell phone camera to aim and snap a picture. I can report though, that he did enjoy the down-scaled bowling activity.

 

We visited for a short while longer but then sent Alex back to the cool indoors and we retreated to our air conditioned car. Staff promised to play with Alex again in the morning when it was not as hot... only in the low 80's if they got out there before 10:00 am.

Today one week later, Sunday August 23, the heat was more tolerable, about 91°F, when we went in the late afternoon. We only dropped off a bag of goodies and FaceTimed very briefly. We could not visit outside because the air quality was unhealthy from all the wild fires. Sigh. We will keep trying. The following air quality meter from our visit today is take from the site AirNow.gov. With his treats of Hershey Kisses, raisins, and M&M's, oblivious to the challenges of heat and air quality and social distancing, Alex was a happy camper.