The Cruelest Month

For the line from T. S. Eliot, see The Waste Land.
The Cruelest Month
Paperback cover art for The Cruelest Month
AuthorLouise Penny
Audio read byRalph Cosham
Original titleThe Cruellest Month
IllustratorRob Wood
LanguageEnglish
SeriesChief Inspector Armand Gamache
GenreMystery, crime novel
PublisherHeadline (UK)
St. Martin's Press (US)
Publication date
August 1, 2007 (UK)
March 4, 2008 (US)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
United States
Canada?
Media typePrint, ebook, audiobook
Pages320 pp. (first edition, hardcover)
ISBN9780755328956
(hardcover 1st UK ed.)
Preceded byA Fatal Grace 
Followed byA Rule Against Murder 

The Cruelest Month, by Louise Penny, is the third novel in the Three Pines Mysteries series, which features Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, published in 2007 and 2008.

In December 2022, the novel was adapted to streaming television at Amazon Prime Video as the two-part second arc of Three Pines, starring Alfred Molina, written by Jamie Crichton and directed by Tracey Deer.[1]

Plot summary

Main article: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache

The novel, set in the small Canadian town of Three Pines, takes place around the Easter season. A group of friends visits a haunted house, hoping to rid it of the evil spirits that have haunted it, and the village, for decades. One of them ends up dead, apparently of fright. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team from the Sûreté du Québec investigate the old house and the villagers of Three Pines.

Awards and recognition

The Cruelest Month was the recipient of the Agatha Award for best mystery novel of 2008.[2]

It was also nominated for the Anthony Award, the Macavity Award and the Barry Award for best crime novel of 2008.

Adaptation

Main article: Three Pines

In December 2022, the novel was adapted as the two-part episode of the same name, serving as the second arc of the mystery television series Three Pines, starring Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, written by Jamie Crichton, directed by Tracey Deer, and released to Amazon Prime Video.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Dowling, Amber (November 29, 2022). "'Three Pines' Amplifies Indigenous Voices in Cinematic First Season Louise Penny Fans Will Love: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  2. ^ "Past Agatha Award Winners & Nominees". Malice Domestic. 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-04-12. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
Awards
Preceded by
A Fatal Grace,
Louise Penny
 Agatha Award for Best Novel
2008 		Succeeded by
A Brutal Telling,
Louise Penny