To locals, the village of Three Pines is a safe haven. So they are bewildered when a well-loved member of the community is found dead in the maple woods. Surely it was an accident, a hunter's arrow gone astray. Who could want Jane Neal dead?

In a long and distinguished career with the Surete du Quebec, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has learned to look for snakes in Eden. Gamache knows something dark is lurking behind the white picket fences, and if he watches closely enough, Three Pines will begin to give up its secrets...