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.

The Grey Wolf

 

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #19

Mystery

2024

Finished on January 29, 2026

Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning.

That's only the first in a sequence of strange events that begin The Grey Wolf, the nineteenth novel in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times bestselling series. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading "This might interest you," a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list—and then a murder. All propel Chief Inspector Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization. Something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching.

Armand Gamache; Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command; and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. Determined to track down the threat before it becomes a reality, their pursuit takes them across Québec and across borders. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate, even frantic, as the enormity of the creature they’re chasing becomes clear. If they fail, the devastating consequences would reach into the largest of cities and the smallest of villages.

It's been almost two years since I read A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny's eighteenth installment in her Three Pines series. I loved that mystery, giving it a perfect 5-star rating. My husband and my mom both read Penny's next book (The Grey Wolf) and neither were that impressed, so I wasn't eager to pick it up anytime soon, especially when they told me it had a cliff-hanger. I decided to wait until The Black Wolf was published, with the intention of reading the two books back-to-back.

The Grey Wolf took a very long time to reveal the plot, and while I wasn't close to calling it quits, I was growing more and more impatient for the author to pull me in. Not only did I miss Three Pines and its inhabitants (most of the action takes place elsewhere), but struggled to keep track of the numerous characters sprinkled throughout the narrative. Eventually, the book reached a climax and I couldn't put it down, but as I mentioned, the ending was partially unresolved. Before I finished the mystery, I had decided not to go ahead with the follow-up for a few weeks, eager to read something else from my shelves. But once I read the last page, I knew I couldn't resist starting The Black Wolf. The suspense was too strong!

I was tempted to give The Grey Wolf a 4-star rating ("Very Good"), but decided that it was only the last third of the book that felt worthy of that distinction. So, I'm knocking it down a notch, but am hopeful that The Black Wolf is more satisfying. Judging from reviews on Goodreads, I am not the only reader who struggled with this mystery. Several readers have questioned whether it's time to say goodbye to Armand Gamache and friends. Time will tell...

A World of Curiosities

 

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #18

Mystery

2022 Minotaur Books

Finished on January 30, 2023

Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding)

Publisher's Blurb:

It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge.

But something has.

As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines.

But to what end?

Gamache and Beauvoir’s memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back. Did their mother’s murder hurt these children beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered, and are they now about to erupt?

As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long-dead stonemason is discovered. In it, the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up.

As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir, and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there’s more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge.

In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache’s home.

Another winner from Louise Penny! Looking back on my previous reviews of her books, I notice that most of her more recent installments in the series have been much more suspenseful than her earlier works. A World of Curiosities is no exception. As Gamache and Beauvoir learn the terrifying news about a notorious serial killer, the tension increases, and I struggled to put the book down at night. I was reminded of the powerful sense of foreboding while watching The Silence of the Lambs, and like Hannibal Lecter, Gamache's sinister nemesis is what nightmares are made of. It's no exaggeration that I was holding my breath while reading the final pages. 

The mystery is well-paced, and the characters (new and recurring) are fully realized. Penny does an excellent job leading her readers down one path, only to turn in a completely different direction, revealing what in reality transpired when one was ready to assume the opposite. While not for the faint of heart, this is an exceptional thriller and one which I'm tempted to quickly read again. (Who isn't tempted to revisit a mystery to see if they missed the obvious clues?)

Highly recommend!

The Madness of Crowds

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #17

Mystery

2021 Minotaur Books

Finished on September 27, 2021

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

You're a coward.

Time and again, as the New Year approaches, that charge is leveled against Armand Gamache.

It starts innocently enough.

While the residents of the Québec village of Three Pines take advantage of the deep snow to ski and toboggan, to drink hot chocolate in the bistro and share meals together, the Chief Inspector finds his holiday with his family interrupted by a simple request.

He's asked to provide security for what promises to be a non-event. A visiting professor of statistics will be giving a lecture at the nearby university.

While he is perplexed as to why the head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec would be assigned this task, it sounds easy enough. That is, until Gamache starts looking into Professor Abigail Robinson and discovers an agenda so repulsive he begs the university to cancel the lecture.

They refuse, citing academic freedom, and accuse Gamache of censorship and intellectual cowardice. Before long, Professor Robinson's views start seeping into conversations. Spreading and infecting. So that truth and fact, reality and delusion, are so confused it's near impossible to tell them apart.

Discussions become debates, debates become arguments, which turn into fights. As sides are declared, a madness takes hold.

Abigail Robinson promises that if they follow her, ça va bien aller. All will be well. But not, Gamache and his team know, for everyone.

When a murder is committed, it falls to Armand Gamache, his second-in-command Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and their team to investigate the crime as well as this extraordinary popular delusion.

And the madness of crowds.

Another enjoyable mystery by Louise Penny, although I do have some issues with this latest installment in the Three Pines series. As I noted in my review of A Better Man, there are a few annoying details that are also mentioned more than once in this book. Do we really need to hear about random bits of food stuck in Clara's hair again? Or the repetitious asides about Ruth's duck Rosa or the odd ferret/rat creature that now resides with the Gamaches? (And yet, I don't mind reading about the bistro food, which is also a bit repetitious.) These are minor grievances, but they have become tiresome and I wish Penny's editor would urge her to find something fresh and new to say about her familiar cast of characters. 

The Madness of Crowds is definitely a mystery and not a thriller, which is fine, but it lacks the tension and suspense that I loved in All the Devils Are Here. I also feel that the ending was extremely convoluted and I had to go back and reread the final chapters in order to sort through the details to understand whodunnit. With two murders, it was quite a mess. 

And yet, this is not to say that I didn't enjoy The Madness of Crowds. I took my time, savoring the the book, trying not to rush to the end in order to learn the identity of the killer(s). I enjoyed the winter setting and the return to the close knit community of friends, family and neighbors. I didn't mind the backdrop of the post-pandemic world, about which some have voiced their complaints. I even fell in love with the beautiful cover art (by David Baldeosingh Rotstein) and endpapers (by MaryAnna Coleman), which are works of art in and of themselves. I think this 17th book in the series would be a great mystery to discuss with a book club, warts and all. In addition to the literary aspects of the author's writing, the timely and controversial themes are sure to spur debate on certain moral issues.

Wordless Wednesday

 

All the Devils Are Here

 

All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #16

Mystery

2020 Minotaur Books

Finished on January 15, 2021

Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding!)

Publisher's Blurb:

The 16th novel by #1 bestselling author Louise Penny finds Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec investigating a sinister plot in the City of Light.

On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather as a family for a bistro dinner with Armand’s godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. Walking home together after the meal, they watch in horror as Stephen is knocked down and critically injured in what Gamache knows is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on the elderly man’s life.

When a strange key is found in Stephen’s possession it sends Armand, his wife Reine-Marie, and his former second-in-command at the Sûreté, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, from the top of the Tour d’Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives, from luxury hotels to odd, coded, works of art.

It sends them deep into the secrets Armand’s godfather has kept for decades.

A gruesome discovery in Stephen’s Paris apartment makes it clear the secrets are more rancid, the danger far greater and more imminent, than they realized.

Soon the whole family is caught up in a web of lies and deceit. In order to find the truth, Gamache will have to decide whether he can trust his friends, his colleagues, his instincts, his own past. His own family.

For even the City of Light casts long shadows. And in that darkness devils hide.

Bravo!! It would have been so easy to devour this latest installment in the Armand Gamache series, but I wanted to savor each and every page. Unlike The Long Way Home, I did not mind the change of location, which takes the Gamache family away from their friends in Three Pines. It was actually refreshing, as I've grown somewhat weary of the repetitive nature of Penny's more recent books. It was also nice to learn some background details of Gamache's family dynamics, although Daniel's storyline was a little annoying. I wanted to tell him to grow up!

Looking back on my reviews of the previous books in this series, I think this is one of the most exciting and suspenseful. There are many twists and turns and a couple of surprises toward the end of the book (one of which is a bit far fetched, but not completely improbable) and Penny continues to impress. My husband and I are both amazed that she keeps coming up with such interesting mysteries. She is truly a master!

Not only this an outstanding mystery, but the book's jacket and endpapers are lovely, bringing to mind the beautiful artwork of Vincent Van Gogh. The acknowledgements, which are full of love and warmth, are a joy to read as well.

Highly recommend!

A Better Man

 

A Better Man by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #15

Mystery

2019 Minotaur Books

Finished on August 14, 2020

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Catastrophic spring flooding, blistering attacks in the media, and a mysterious disappearance greet Chief Inspector Armand Gamache as he returns to the Sûreté du Québec in the latest novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny. 

It's Gamache's first day back as head of the homicide department, a job he temporarily shares with his previous second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Floodwaters are rising across the province. In the middle of the turmoil, a father approaches Gamache, pleading for help in finding his daughter.

As crisis piles upon crisis, Gamache tries to hold off the encroaching chaos, and realizes the search for Vivienne Godin should be abandoned. But with a daughter of his own, he finds himself developing a profound, and perhaps unwise, empathy for her distraught father.

Increasingly hounded by the question, how would you feel..., he resumes the search.

As the rivers rise, and the social media onslaught against Gamache becomes crueler, a body is discovered. And in the tumult, mistakes are made.

In the next novel in this "constantly surprising series that deepens and darkens as it evolves" (The New York Times Book Review), Gamache must face a horrific possibility, and a burning question. 

What would you do if your child's killer walked free?

I very much enjoyed A Better Man, which brings me up-to-date on Louise Penny's Three Pine series. This is a solid mystery and while I suspected the responsible party for Vivienne's death, I wasn't certain of the how or why of that tragedy. As the grand finale unfolded, I grew very concerned about one of the characters, silently pleading with Penny to not kill off one of my favorite people. I do so love several of the leading characters and will be sorry if and when they leave Three Pines. 

I have a couple of quibbles about this series, which kept me from giving this installment a 5/5 rating. My first issue is with the repeated mention of  Gamache's fragrance of sandalwood with a hint of rose water (although this time, the detail is given to Reine-Marie) and Clara's messy appearance with food and paint in her hair. I guess if one were reading the books out of order, it would make sense to share these details, but for those who have read the previous books in the series, they're unnecessary redundancies.

I've also grown weary of hearing about Rosa, Ruth's duck (and its foul mouth). Really, a duck that drops F-bombs? (Insert eye-roll) The author's asides, with regard to the animals, seem a little tired and forced.

Everyone in the farmyard was now staring at Gamache with open astonishment, including the donkeys. But human behavior often astonished them.

and 

...Rosa, who was silent for once. Though she did watch Armand with sad eyes. But then, ducks were often sad.

In spite of these minor irritations, I'm looking forward to the next release, All the Devils Are Here, which is due out on September 1st!

Kingdom of the Blind

Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #14

Mystery

2018 Minotaur Books

Finished on July 23, 2020

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

When a peculiar letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, the former head of the Sûreté du Québec discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will. Still on suspension, and frankly curious, Gamache accepts and soon learns that the other two executors are Myrna Landers, the bookseller from Three Pines, and a young builder.

None of them had ever met the elderly woman.

The will is so odd and includes bequests that are so wildly unlikely that Gamache and the others suspect the woman must have been delusional. But what if, Gamache begins to ask himself, she was perfectly sane?

When a body is found, the terms of the bizarre suddenly seem less peculiar and far more menacing.

But it isn't the only menace Gamache is facing.

The investigation into what happened six months ago—the events that led to his suspension—has dragged on, into the dead of winter. And while most of the opioids he allowed to slip through his hands, in order to bring down the cartels, have been retrieved, there is one devastating exception.

Enough narcotic to kill thousands has disappeared into inner-city Montréal. With the deadly drug about to hit the streets, Gamache races for answers.

As he uses increasingly audacious, even desperate, measures to retrieve the drug, Armand Gamache begins to see his own blind spots. And the terrible things hiding there.

Another winner by Louise Penny, although it won't land on my list of favorites in this series. I figured out one of the major plot points early on and as others have mentioned, grew weary of the repeated phrase,"junkies, trannies and whores." I have one more installment to read in this series (A Better Man) and then I'll be caught up and ready for her new book (All the Devils Are Here), which is due out in September.

Glass Houses

Glass Houses by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #13
Mystery
2017 Minotaur Books
Finished on June 12, 2020
Rating: 5/5 (Excellent!)

Publisher's Blurb:

When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines one cold November day, Armand Gamache and the rest of the villagers are at first curious. Then wary. Through rain and sleet, the figure stands unmoving, staring ahead.

From the moment the creature's shadow falls over the village, Gamache, now Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Quebec, suspects it has deep roots and a dark purpose. Yet he does nothing. What can he do? Only watch and wait. And hope his mounting fears are not realized.

But when the figure vanishes overnight and a body is discovered, it falls to Gamache to discover if a debt has been paid or levied.

Months later, on a steamy July day, as the trial for the accused begins in Montréal, Chief Superintendent Gamache continues to struggle with actions he set in motion that bitter November from which there is no going back. More than the accused is on trial. Gamache's own conscience is standing in judgment.

In her latest utterly gripping book, number-one New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny shatters the conventions of the crime novel to explore what Gandhi called the court of conscience. A court that supersedes all others.

Last month I read and loved A Great Reckoning (#12 in the Three Pines series), which I claimed was my favorite book by Louise Penny. Well, this remarkable author continues to impress and I now say that Glass Houses is her best. I loved how she carefully constructed the narrative of this installment, merging the events leading up to and after the murder with the courtroom drama, teasing out small bits of information, yet never revealing the identity of the defendant. Unlike most novels that shift between past and present (typically with alternating chapters), Penny seamlessly transitions between the time periods, often mid-chapter. As soon as I finished the last page, I quickly flipped back to re-read several sections in order to spot the clues and connect the dots that the author, who is a master of misdirection, so carefully hid. This fast-paced page turner, with all its twists and turns and fully realized characters (oh, how we love these characters!), is worthy of all high praise. I can't wait to go back and listen to this one on audio. Outstanding!

Favorite Passage:

She had always been his wife. He’d known that the first moment he’d seen her. He knew her, that first moment. Through the ages. Through the lifetimes. Every other relationship might change, flow, morph into another guise, but his relationship with Reine-Marie was absolute and eternal. She was his wife. And he was her husband. Forever.

A Great Reckoning

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #12
Mystery
2016 Minotaur Books
Finished on May 12, 2020
Rating: 5/5 (Excellent!)

Publisher's Blurb:

When an intricate old map is found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in Three Pines, it at first seems no more than a curiosity. But the closer the villagers look, the stranger it becomes.

Given to Armand Gamache as a gift the first day of his new job, the map eventually leads him to shattering secrets. To an old friend and older adversary. It leads the former Chief of Homicide for the Sûreté du Québec to places even he is afraid to go. But must.

And there he finds four young cadets in the Sûreté academy, and a dead professor. And, with the body, a copy of the old, odd map.

Everywhere Gamache turns, he sees Amelia Choquet, one of the cadets. Tattooed and pierced. Guarded and angry. Amelia is more likely to be found on the other side of a police line-up. And yet she is in the academy. A protégée of the murdered professor.

The focus of the investigation soon turns to Gamache himself and his mysterious relationship with Amelia, and his possible involvement in the crime. The frantic search for answers takes the investigators back to Three Pines and a stained glass window with its own horrific secrets.

For both Amelia Choquet and Armand Gamache, the time has come for a great reckoning.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny pulls back the layers to reveal a brilliant and emotionally powerful truth in her latest spellbinding novel.

I loved this book! It's my favorite, thus far, of Louise Penny's Three Pines mystery series. What more can I say about this series that hasn't already been said in other reviews other than that I was emotionally connected to the characters and found the pacing taut, never once feeling that the plot was convoluted. Penny's ability to unravel an intricately woven story shines in this installment. The last page brought a tear to my eye and I thought, once again, that Louise Penny is an amazing writer. Bravo!

The Nature of the Beast

The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #11
Mystery
2015 Minatour Books
Finished on April 29, 2020
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Hardly a day goes by when nine year old Laurent Lepage doesn't cry wolf. From alien invasions, to walking trees, to winged beasts in the woods, to dinosaurs spotted in the village of Three Pines, his tales are so extraordinary no one can possibly believe him. Including Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, who now live in the little Quebec village.

But when the boy disappears, the villagers are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.

And so begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth. What they uncover deep in the forest sets off a sequence of events that leads to murder, leads to an old crime, leads to an old betrayal. Leads right to the door of an old poet.

And now it is now, writes Ruth Zardo. And the dark thing is here.

A monster once visited Three Pines. And put down deep roots. And now, Ruth knows, it is back.

Armand Gamache, the former head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec, must face the possibility that, in not believing the boy, he himself played a terrible part in what happens next.

I enjoyed The Nature of the Beast quite a bit better than the previous installment in Louise Penny's beloved series (The Long Way Home) and Ruth Zardo continues to be one of my favorite literary characters. This complicated mystery kept me guessing up until the very end and while I was eager to reach those final pages, I was sorry to say goodbye to Penny's wonderful cast of characters. So obviously, I quickly began reading the next in the series (A Great Reckoning). If one must shelter-in-place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I can't think of a better series on which to binge!

The Long Way Home

The Long Way Home by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #10
Mystery
2014 Minotaur Books
Finished on February 12, 2020
Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Happily retired in the village of Three Pines, Armand Gamache, former Chief Inspector of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, has found a peace he’d only imagined possible. On warm summer mornings he sits on a bench holding a small book, The Balm in Gilead, in his large hands. "There is a balm in Gilead," his neighbor Clara Morrow reads from the dust jacket, "to make the wounded whole."

While Gamache doesn’t talk about his wounds and his balm, Clara tells him about hers. Peter, her artist husband, has failed to come home. Failed to show up as promised on the first anniversary of their separation. She wants Gamache’s help to find him. Having finally found sanctuary, Gamache feels a near revulsion at the thought of leaving Three Pines. "There’s power enough in Heaven," he finishes the quote as he contemplates the quiet village, "to cure a sin-sick soul." And then he gets up. And joins her.

Together with his former second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and Myrna Landers, they journey deeper and deeper into Québec. And deeper and deeper into the soul of Peter Morrow. A man so desperate to recapture his fame as an artist, he would sell that soul. And may have. The journey takes them further and further from Three Pines, to the very mouth of the great St. Lawrence River. To an area so desolate, so damned, the first mariners called it "the land God gave to Cain." And there they discover the terrible damage done by a sin-sick soul.

I took quite a long break from this series (seven months!), so when I finally decided to jump back in, I was more than a little anxious to see what was in store for Gamache and the folks in Three Pines. I was concerned that I wouldn't remember important details from the conclusion of How the Light Gets In, but Louise Penny does a fine job with backstory details and my memory was quickly refreshed. I enjoyed this tenth installment in the series, but halfway in I became impatient and, dare I say, bored with the plot. I have read comments by other readers and know that I am not alone in this sentiment. Thankfully, Ruth Zardo continues to be a favorite character and her presence helped keep me from tossing the book aside. Fingers crossed that The Nature of the Beast is not another disappointment.

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

The Beautiful Mystery

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #8
Mystery
2012 Minotaur Books
Finished on June 23, 2019
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Québec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is known as "the beautiful mystery."

But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery's massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. But before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in between.

Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac

(Photo Credit: Author's Website)

(Photo Credit: Author's Website)

(Photo Credit: Author's Website)

After I finished reading A Trick of the Light, I thought I would take a short break from this series, but the pull to read the next installment in Louise Penny's Inspector Armand Gamache series was too great and I couldn't resist the temptation to continue with my binge reading of these wonderful books.

As always, the writing is exquisite. 

Armand Gamache had expected to need a few moments to adjust to the dark interior. He hadn't expected that he'd need to adjust to the light.

Far from being dim, the interior was luminous.

A long wide corridor of gray stones opened up ahead of them, ending in a closed door at the far end. But what struck the Chief, what must have struck every man, every monk, who entered those doors for centuries, was the light.

The corridor was filled with rainbows. Giddy prisms. Bouncing off the hard stone walls. Pooling on the slate floors. They shifted and merged and separated, as though alive.

The Chief Inspector knew his mouth had dropped open, but he didn't care. He'd never, in a life of seeing many astonishing things, seen anything quite like this. It was like walking into joy. 

and

One after another, the monks walked in, singing. Frere Simon. Frere Raymond. And then, at last, Frere Luc.

And everything changed. His voice, not a tenor, not a baritone. Neither, yet both, joined the rest. And suddenly the individual voices, the individual notes were connected. Joined. Held in an embrace, as though the neumes had lengthened and become arms. and were holding each monk and each man listening.

 It became whole. No more wounds. No more damage. The holes became whole. The damage repaired.

Frere Luc sang the simple chant, simply. No histrionics. No hysteria. But with a passion and fullness of spirit that Gamache hadn't noticed before. It was as though the young monk was free. And being freed, he gave new life to the gliding, soaring neumes.

Gamache listened, struck dumb by the beautify of it. By the way the voices claimed not just his head, but his heart. His arms, his legs, his hands. The scar on his head, and his chest, and the tremble in his hand.

The music held him. Safe. And whole.

Frere Luc's voice had done that. The others, alone, were magnificent. But Frere Luc elevated them to the Divine. What had he told Gamache? I am the harmony. It seemed the simple truth.

Beside Gamache on the bench, Jean-Guy Beauvoir had closed his eyes, and felt himself slip away to that familiar world, where nothing mattered. There was no more pain, no more ache. No more uncertainty.

Everything would be fine.

And then, the music stopped. The last note died away. And there was silence. 

I was quickly drawn into the mystery and setting, happy to be back in the company of Gamache and Beauvior, both of whom continue to struggle with their own demons from a previous situation. However, as the story progressed, I found that I missed the characters from Three Pines and hoped the detectives would have reason to return. The narrative lost some of its tension midway through the novel, but eventually picked up again toward the latter part of the book. Ending with a bit of a cliffhanger, I'm eager to move forward and start reading How the Light Gets In. I'm also planning to do some further reading (and Youtube searches) on the Benedictine and Gilbertine monks and Gregorian chants, which sound very soothing and meditative. I wonder if the audio book includes any chants and especially look forward to re-reading this book on audio.

A Trick of the LIght

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #7
Mystery
2011 Minotaur Books
Finished on June 15, 2019
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

"Hearts are broken," Lillian Dyson carefully underlined in a book. "Sweet relationships are dead."

But now Lillian herself is dead. Found among the bleeding hearts and lilacs of Clara Morrow's garden in Three Pines, shattering the celebrations of Clara's solo show at the famed Musee in Montreal. Chief Inspector Gamache, the head of homicide at the Surete du Quebec, is called to the tiny Quebec village and there he finds the art world gathered, and with it a world of shading and nuance, a world of shadow and light. Where nothing is as it seems. Behind every smile there lurks a sneers. Inside every sweet relationship there hides a broken heart. And even when facts are slowly exposed, it is no longer clear to Gamache and his team if what they've found is the truth, or simply a trick of the light.

Another very good mystery by Louise Penny. I may have liked it a little better had I not just finished Bury Your Dead, which was outstanding. This one wasn't as suspenseful, but Penny's dry wit, particularly with Ruth Zardo's character, was top-notch in this installment. I laughed out loud several times! This is a highly addictive series, and as tempted as I am to grab the next book, I'm going to take a short break so that the individual plots remain separate in my memory. 

Bury Your Dead

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #6
Mystery
2010 Minotaur Books
Finished on June 9, 2019
Rating: 5/5 (Excellent!)

Publisher's Blurb:

It is Winter Carnival in Quebec City, bitterly cold and surpassingly beautiful. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has come not to join the revels but to recover from an investigation gone hauntingly wrong. But violent death is inescapable, even in the apparent sanctuary of the Literary and Historical Society--where an obsessive historian's quest for the remains of the founder of Quebec, Samuel de Champlain, ends in murder. Could a secret buried with Champlain for nearly four hundred years be so dreadful that someone would kill to protect it?

Meanwhile, Gamache is receiving disquieting letters from the village of Three Pines, where beloved Bistro owner Olivier was recently convicted of murder. "It doesn't make sense," Olivier's partner writes every day. "He didn't do it, you know."

As past and present collide in this astonishing novel, Gamache must relive a terrible event from his own past before he can begin to bury his dead.

Chateau Frontenac Hotel

Morrin Centre

Literary and Historical Society of Quebec

Yes, this is her best yet! I loved learning about the history of Quebec as well as diving into another mystery with Gamache. I so enjoy the way Penny teases out the details of the mystery (and the terrible event from Gamache's recent past), ratcheting up the tension so that I had no choice but to read well into the early morning hours. The main cast of characters are so fully realized that I felt as though I was experiencing their pain and emotional suffering just as I would with any good friend or relative. I rarely give a mystery or thriller a perfect 5-star rating, but this one is deserving of at least that. Bravo! I'm so glad there are so many more in this series yet for me to read and to think I was ready to give up after A Fatal Grace (#2)!

Few writers in any genre can match Penny's ability to combine heartbreak and hope in the same scene. (Publishers Weekly)