How the Light Gets In

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #9
Mystery
2013 Minotaur Books
Finished on July 9, 2019
Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding!)

Publisher's Blurb:

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec digs beneath the idyllic surface of village life in Three Pines, finding long buried secrets--and facing a few of his own ghosts.

Christmas is approaching, and in Québec it's a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive season for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Most of his best agents have left the Homicide Department, his old friend and lieutenant Jean-Guy Beauvoir hasn't spoken to him in months, and hostile forces are lining up against him. When Gamache receives a message from Myrna Landers that a longtime friend has failed to arrive for Christmas in the village of Three Pines, he welcomes the chance to get away from the city. Mystified by Myrna's reluctance to reveal her friend's name, Gamache soon discovers the missing woman was once one of the most famous people not just in North America, but in the world, and now goes unrecognized by virtually everyone except the mad, brilliant poet Ruth Zardo.

As events come to a head, Gamache is drawn ever deeper into the world of Three Pines. Increasingly, he is not only investigating the disappearance of Myrna's friend but also seeking a safe place for himself and his still-loyal colleagues. Is there peace to be found even in Three Pines, and at what cost to Gamache and the people he holds dear?

What is left to say about this series that I haven't already mentioned? I loved this installment and couldn't put it down, but didn't want it to end! I continue to be amazed by Penny's ability to create such a riveting and complex mystery. Each time I finish one of her books, I have a full understanding of what has happened, never feeling like the mystery has become too convoluted or the plot full of holes. I'm growing more and more fond of Ruth and her dry wit, as well as her gentle tenderness toward Beauvoir and Gamache. To say much more would reveal too much about where this series has taken this reader, but suffice it to say that I am very excited to read more about Gamache and the village of Three Pines. I'm going to try (once again) to take a little break, though, and read some books from my shelves before I begin #10 (The Long Way Home).

A magnificent mystery novel that appeals not only to the head, but also to the heart and soul. ~ The Washington Post