The Black Wolf

 

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #20

Mystery

2025

Finished on February 7, 2026

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf.

But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realized that that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the beginning. Perhaps even a deliberate misdirection. One he fell into. Something deeper and darker, more damaging, is planned. Did he, in fact, arrest the Black Wolf, or are they still out there? Armand is appalled to think his mistake has allowed their conspiracy to grow, to gather supporters. To spread lies, manufacture enemies, and feed hatred and division.

Still recovering from wounds received in stopping the first attack, Armand is confined to the village of Three Pines, leading a covert investigation from there. He must be careful not to let the Black Wolf know he has recognized his mistake. In a quiet church basement, he and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste pore over what little evidence they have. Two notebooks. A few mysterious numbers on a tattered map of Québec. And a phrase repeated by the person they had called the Grey Wolf. A warning ...

In a dry and parched land, where there is no water.

Gamache and his small team of supporters realize that for the Black Wolf to have gotten this far, they must have powerful allies, in law enforcement, in industry, in organized crime, in the halls of government.

From the apparent peace of his little village, Gamache finds himself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse with an invisible foe who is gathering forces and preparing to strike.

After I finished reading The Grey Wolf, which I did not love, I decided to go ahead anyway and start The Black Wolf since Penny left us with quite a cliffhanger. I'm glad I didn't have to wait a full year to read this latest installment in her Inspector Gamache series, as it was confusing enough reading it so soon after The Grey Wolf. Partly my fault, I should have created a list of characters to keep track of, but honestly, these two books are so convoluted, and not just as far as the denouements are concerned! The scenes jump abruptly from one group of characters to another, with no discernable transition. And, just when you think the villain is revealed, there's another twist. And another. And another! In previous posts, I've mentioned how tiresome Rosa (the duck) has become, but I also feel that Penny's use of f-bombs has run its course. There are other words to relay feelings of anger and frustration. Why not instead say, "We're screwed!" I don't mind f-bombs, but the use is overdone.

These two books are more political than Louise Penny's earlier works. She wrote this mystery a year before the U.S. President threatened to make Canada the 51st state. While she wrote passages, such as this one, in reference to her fictitious Canadian government officials, they are obviously a not-so-subtle commentary on Trump:

"I know what you've missed. I know that there're no boundaries when it comes to greed. To those addicted to power, there are no borders. There's always more to grab. There are new territories, new worlds, to conquer. Look at the Caesars. Alexander. Look at Genghis Khan. Napoleon. Loot at Hitler and Putin. Wolves know no boundaries, respect no borders."

and

"How do you choose what to buy? Past experience, yes, but originally? It's advertising, and what's that? Propaganda, often spread through word of mouth. Someone you know tells you it's good. This is no different. How did hundreds of millions of people believe Iraq was behind the 9/11 attacks when it patently was not? How did millions believe a perfectly legitimate election was stolen and almost cause a coup? The power of persuasion. And few places are more persuasive, more influential, than the internet. Social media. Eventually a critical mass is hit. A tipping point. Shit catches fire."

and

But Armand suspected every country ever invaded had felt the same way. Every group ever targeted, ever rounded up, refused to believe their neighbors could do it.

Every people who found themselves under the thumb of a tyrant must wonder where it began, and how they didn't see it coming. And what moment they missed, when it could have been stopped.

A World of Curiosities, published in 2022, earned a full five stars from me—just two years before The Grey Wolf. Will my disappointment with The Grey Wolf and The Black Wolf bring my loyalty to Louise Penny’s work to an end? No. Though these recent books fell short for me, I remain hopeful that her next release will recapture what I love about her writing.