The Black Wolf

In the novel, The Grey Wolf, when Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team discover a plot to poison the Quebec water supply they keep much of the investigation secret in order to avoid panic in the community. Although the immediate danger now appeared to be over, the team discovers that danger still threatens their country and their work is far from over. The Black Wolf is still at large but who is he and who can the team trust in their investigation.

In The Black Wolf by Louise Penny  the threat of danger increases as Armand Gamache and his team learn what is going on and the growing threat to Canada. Conspiracy theories beginning on the Dark Web are now entering the wider internet community. A vicious campaign of misdirection is launched against Gamache putting his career and life in danger. The fear of the effects of climate change appears to be behind the threat of impending danger to Canada from their neighbouring country in the south. It is essential that the person behind the plot needs to be identified and removed.

The Black Wolf is the continuation to The Grey Wolf which should be read first though brief summaries of events in the previous book are inserted throughout the plot. The Black Wolf is a gripping story, though a little convoluted at times, with the tension growing as the end of the book approaches. Some of the premises which seem unbelievable in the book have actually occurred since the book was first written. Throughout the novel Armand Gamache and his team retreat to Three Pines where the inhabitants are supportive of their friends but remain in the background. Another excellent novel by Louise Penny.

The Grey Wolf

When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team discover a plot to poison the Quebec water supply they realise that they must act quickly with their investigation but also not tell anyone in order to avoid panic in the community.

The investigation leads to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups (Saint Gilbert Between the Wolves). During the visit Armand explains to Jean-Guy the story behind the name. An Indian tribe had the story that a Chief felt that he had two rival wolves inside him. The grey wolf wanted him to be strong and compassionate and forgiving while the black wolf wanted him to be vengeful, to be cruel and cunning and to attack first. When asked which wolf would win the Chief replied, "The one that I feed". Armand and Jean-Guy knew that they had to find both 'wolves' quickly to avoid disaster. However they also realise that they do not know who they can trust.

In The Grey Wolf Louise Penny describes the frantic investigations undertaken by Armand, Jean-Guy and Isabelle Lacoste as they strive to discover who is involved in the plot and prevent the deaths of possibly thousands of innocent people.

In this nineteenth book in the Armand Gamache series, the inhabitants of Three Pines do not feature to the extent that they do in the other books but they are there in the background providing support to Armand Gamache and his family. The mystery in The Grey Wolf will be continued in the The Black Wolf to be published in 2025.

A World of Curiosities

Many years earlier Chief Inspector Armand Gamache had attended the murder of a young mother, Clotilde Arseault. Her children, Fiona 14 and Sam 10, had reported theat their mother was missing. Now the body was located in a nearby lake. It was while investigating this case that Armand first encountered Jean-Guy Beauvoir, a young policeman with a grudge against the world. To everyon'e surprise Armand decides to give him a chance and invites him to help with the case.

Return to the present and Armand with his wife is attending a graduation ceremony of engineering students. Fiona Clotilde is one of the graduates. Myrna's niece, Harriet has won a special award. The ceremony has additional significance as in 1989 fourteen female engineering students were murdered at the college. 

At the graduation ceremony Armand was disturbed to see that Sam was in the audience. What was more disturbing was that Sam was planning to visit Three Pines where his sister was currently staying.

Back in Three Pines Myrna was thinking of moving somewhere else to live as the present accommodation was too small, especially when Harriet came to stay. During a discussion it was mentioned that there was probably a second room blocked off from Myrna's bedroom. A letter written in the 1860s describing how he was asked to build such a wall is discovered. Myrna and her friends investigate and discover not just another room but a collection of curiosities that possibly have links to the distant, and not so distant, past.

Louise Penny in A World of Curiosities has written a powerful and often dark novel about psychopaths and how they gravely affect the lives of those around them. The book also deals with misogyny, hatred, love, treatment of women considered to be witches, the importance of items in archives belonging to everyday people as well as those belonging to the famous, and, of course, the importance of a loving and supportive community.

Fortunately I read this book during the January holidays as I just had to keep reading it. Although I did work out who the pychopath was that Armand and his team were looking for, I still had to find out how all the pieces fitted together. A character from earlier novels in this series, Amelia Choquet, also assists with the investigation. Definitely a good holiday read.

 December 6 - Memory and Remembrance

The Paston Treasure - Painting at Norfolk Museum

Three Pines

Last night I watched the first two episodes of Three Pines, a television series based on the novels by Louise Penny. The first two episodes were based on the second novel in the series, A Fatal Grace also published under the title Dead Cold.

When C C de Poitiers is murdered at Three Pines, Chief Inspector Gamache and his team discover that she has many enemies as they investigate her murder. Set in Quebec in Canada in the middle of winter the two TV episodes that tell the story also investigate the fate of a young indigenous girl who has disappeared. The episode gradually introduces the viewers to some of the main characters in the books including Armand Gamache, Jean Guy Beauvoir, Isabelle Lacoste, Ruth and the other characters that inhabit the village of Three Pines. No doubt we shall see more of them in coming episodes.

Three Pines puts a darker lens on Louise Penny Series - Crime Reads

Episodes 3 and 4 are based on The Cruellest Month, the third novel in the Armand Gamache Mystery series by Louise Penny. Armand Gamache and his team investigate the disappearance of a man last seen in the former home for indigenous children in Three Pines. They eventually locate his body hidden in the basement of the former school. The history of mistreatment of children attending the school is uncovered as police investigate the murder. Armand and Isabelle continue their investigations (from the previous episodes) into the disappearance of an another girl.

Episodes 5 and 6 are based on A Rule Against Murder, the fourth novel in the Armand Gamanche Mystery series. Armand Nad his wife are celebrating their wedding anniversary at a hotel when a body is found. The hotel is owned by members of the Morrow family. Meanwhile investigations continue into the disappearance of the missing indigenous girl, Blue. The young man who has been helping Isabelle Lacoste with the enquiries is found dead.

Episodes 7 and 8 are entitled The Hangman. A man visiting the village is found hanged in the nearby forest. He had previously accused residents of Three Pines of hiding a secret. When the bodies of two young people are found in the forrest, Armand and his team discover police involvement in their deaths.

Three Pines was a gripping series to watch however the portrayal of the residents of Three Pines, a focal point of the novels, was missing from the television series. Aspects from plots of the early novels were included with the running story of the mistreatment of indigenous Canadians - a plotline created for the television series. The series was worth watching but to fully appreciate the atmosphere of the community of Three Pines you need to read the novels.

The Madness of Crowds

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, first published in 1841 by Charles Mackay, is a collection of essays investigating why groups of people can believe ridiculous and sometimes dangerous things. The book is mentioned several times in the novel as well as providing the novel's title. Considering some of the events and theories expounded in the world recently, much of Mackay's book would appear to remain relevant.

It is winter in Three Pines between Christmas and New Year and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache receives an unusual request to arrange security for a speaker at the local university. He becomes concerned when he realises that the speaker is Professor Abigail Robinson, a statitician who has examined the effects of COVID-19 on the country's economy and has come up with a solution that is not only immoral but threatens to divide the country.

Armand wants to have the lecture cancelled without success and part way through Professor Robinson's talk there is a distraction in the crowd followed by an attempt to murder the speaker. Days later, on New Year's Eve, when the members of the Three Pines community are celebrating, a body is found in the woods. Armand, Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste investigate. 

Investigating this crime proves far from easy especially as more is revealed about the past lives of the most obvious suspects. The detectives are not just solving a crime. To do so, they need to try to understand why people become involved in horrendous deeds then attempt to justify their actions through subsequent good deeds. They also need to explore their own beliefs and feelings and yet  rationally investigate the crimes laid before them. There is also the need to unravel the thin line between free speech and hate speech.

In each new book it is good to meet the members of the Three Pines community once more as they support each other through joyous or difficult times.The books in this series are not just crime novels. They are a study of individuals living and supporting each other in a close community. There are also snippits of poetry, philosopy, art and politics scattered throughout the novel futher providing readers with a three dimensional understanding of the characters. This book is another addition to a great series.

All the devils are here

Another 'cannot put this book down until finished' read from Louise Penny.

All the devils are here is number 16 in the Armand Gamache Mystery series however, instead of being set in The Pines in Canada, the action takes place in Paris where Armand and Reine-Marie are visiting their children who live in that city. 

Shortly after arriving in Paris Armand's godfather, Stephen Horowitz, is deliberately run down outside a restaurant and one of his friends is murdered. Armand and his son-in-law, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, are determined to investigate especially when it is clear that someone is also trying to discredit Stephen and the work that he has done. Armand uses his contacts within the Paris police force to ensure that the matter is taken seriously.

Jean-Guy now works in Paris for a firm, GHS Engineering, and gradually becomes suspicious that all is not as it should be. As he and Armand investigate the Stephen Horowitz case they become convinced that GHS Engineering is somehow involved.

The solving of a crime is only one aspect of this book series. The relationships between the characters and their interactions with each other are important features. In this series Armand endeavours to discover what has caused the breakdown between him and his son, Daniel, and attempts to resolve it. 

In this novel a number of characters provide expertise in solving the crime including Reine-Marie, a retired librarian, and a number of her friends who are archivists and librarians in Paris. The city of Paris and its history also play an important role in the story. 

I am really looking forward to meeting Armand Gamache and his family and friends again in the next book in series.

A Better Man

 I always enjoy returning to the community of Three Pines and becoming, once again involved in the life and work of Armand Gamache and his family and friends.

Armand Gamache returned to work at the Surete du Quebec to find animosity, not from his immediate colleagues, but from those higher up the ladder. A vicious campaign on Twitter has been instigated to destroy his reputation.

However there is work to be done especially as a severe flood alert has been issued for the region. There is also a crime to solve. A young woman has been reported missing and there are fears for her safety.

This is Jean-Guy Beauvoir's final case before he and his family start a new life in Paris. Once again the story centres around the small settlement of Three Pines where the inhabitants work together to construct a wall of sand bags to try and save the village from the rising flood waters. Clara's confidence has also been shattered by the barrage of Twitter hateful comments that are circulating about he art. As to be expected the inhabitants of Three Pines work together to support each other.

Like the other crime novels by Louise Penny this story is largely about people, their relationships and how they cope in good times and in times of stress. In this book the use of social media to inflict harm is also a theme.

Kingdom of the Blind

The Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series of books written by Louise Penny are addictive. The Kingdom of the Blind is number 14 in the series and it takes only a page or two to once again become immersed in the world of the village of Three Pines and its wonderful characters.

Armand Gamache, Myrna Landers and Benedict Pouliot are summoned in midwinter to an old farmhouse not far from Three Pines to discover why they have been nominated as executors of a bizarre will of a woman they have never met. Gamache and his friends and family members at Three Pines investigate the background story of the dead woman as well as other family members who may, or may not, inherit a fortune from another will made 130 years previously. When a body is later discovered at the farmhouse, Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabel Lacoste investigate. However this is not the only investigation demanding the attention of Gamache. Serving a suspension from the Surete du Quebec due to a supply of new drugs going missing Armand Gamache is determined to stop the drugs being released on to the streets.

These books also contain references to poetry, not only because one of the residents of Three Pines is a poet but also because Armand like to quote lines of poetry. "In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king" (Erasmus), one of the many quotes used by Armand Gamache in this book, is significant to one of the narratives in the novel.

Once again this was a book that I didn't want to put down. This has to be one of my favourite series of books.

Glass houses

The book opens on a hot summer's day with Chief Superintendent Armand Gamache being questioned during a murder trial. The previous Halloween a figure, robed in black and wearing a mask, appeared on the Green in the village of Three Pines. The figure remained still but appeared to be staring at someone, but who? Not unsurprisingly the inhabitants of Three Pines became unsettled by the presence of this sinister looking figure, especially as it remained on the Green for several days. Then one morning the figure vanished. The relief did not last for long as later in the day a body was found in the church.

The story unfolds through testimony provided at the trial as well as a parallel unveiling of the events that occurred in Three Pines the previous autumn. Solving the murder is only one challenge for Gamache and his team, including Jean Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste. The greater challenge is to stop the distribution of drugs via Canada to the United States.

Louise Penny's books are not just crime stories. In each book we learn more about the main characters as the author shows us their thoughts and concerns while they work to solve the crime. In this book the focus is also on attempting to prevent future crime, particularly the potential deaths of thousands of people due to the increased supply of drugs in the community.

As you would expect, the other characters from Three Pines, including Ruth and Rosa, Myrna and Clara, plus Olivier and Gabri, as well as Reine-Marie, play important roles in the story.

Glass Houses is thirteenth book in the series. The next book, The Kingdom of the Blind, is due for publication in November 2018 and I look forward to reading the next installment.

A great reckoning

Armand Gamache has a new position as head of the Surete Training Academy in Louise Penny's latest novel, A great reckoning. The corruption which infiltrated the Surete has affected the training of new police recruits and not everyone is happy with Armand's appointment to rectify this situation. When one of the staff is murdered Isabelle Lacoste and her team arrive to investigate but to show impartiality a RCMP officer is also appointed to observe the investigation. One of Commander Gamache's first tasks in his new role was to check the application forms for the new intake of students. The choice of Amelia Choquet as a student amazes Gamache's colleagues, especially when she is considered as a prime suspect for the murder. However it soon becomes obvious that some of the investigators also consider Gamache to be the murderer.

Armand and his wife continue to live at Three Pines though he occasionally spends nights in his rooms at the Academy. Back at Three Pines a map of the village and surrounding area has been found hidden in a wall. Gamache takes a copy back to the Academy and when some of the students show an interest he gives them the task of determining the significance of the map and the reason it was hidden.

A reason that I enjoy reading these books by Louise Penny is not only for the resolution of the plot but for the continuing story and development of the main characters at the Surete and at Three Pines.

The nature of the beast

Time has passed. Armand Gamache has retired with his wife, Reine-Marie, to live in the village of Three Pines. Isabelle Lacoste is now chief inspector while Jean-Guy Beauvoir remains an inspector in the Surete du Quebec.

One afternoon, nine year old Laurent Lepage ran into the bistro telling those present that he had seen a huge gun with a monster on it in the forest. As Lauent was known to have a vivid imagination no-one believed him. The next day Laurent is found in the forest, dead. Armand becomes involved in the investigation to discover the boy's killer. As the investigation continues it is obvious that a force of evil has been present in Three Pines but who, or what, is it?

The Nature of the Beast is the twelfth volume in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamanche series of books by Louise Penny. Once again this book is not just an investigation of a crime but is a study of strengths and weaknesses of individuals as they struggle with present and past events in their lives.

The long way home

Inspector Gamache and his wife have retired to Three Pines where the inspector is recovering from wounds, both physical and emotional, received during his last case. The peace of Three Pines is having its effect until one of the inhabitants asks for his assistance. Clara's husband has disappeared and Armand, Jean-Paul and Myrna help Clara in the search for Peter. Louise Penny is interested in the development of her characters as well as the plot and in this novel we once again explore the challenges and decisions made as the members of this quartet navigate their way on their quest. The book also explores relationships, including jealousy, and the need to be able to accept the talent of others.

How the light gets in

Another installment in the excellent series of Chief Inspector Gamache books by Canadian author, Louise Penny. How the light gets in ties together many of the threads from the earlier novels in this series but as the story progresses, for those starting with this title, the author provides an outline of what has happened previously. However, to get the most from this series of books, they should be read in order.

When Armand Gamache is contacted by Myrna Landers about a friend who is missing, he goes to Three Pines to hear the full story. This leads to the discovery of a murder and a story that began in the 1930s. Solving this mystery is only one of the threads in this book as internal problems in the Surete de Quebec have intensified resulting in members of Armand Gamache's team being dispersed throughout other departments in the Surete. Chief Inspector Gamache is particularly concerned about the welfare of Jean-Guy Beauvoir whose health and mental state continues to decline. With his few remaining supporters, plus the assistance of his friends at Three Pines, Armand Gamanche is determined to find out what is going on at the Surete and who is trying to destroy him, even though it may mean him losing his job and possibly his life.

Louise Penny not only writes about crime, she writes about people and the reader becomes immersed both in the story plus the lives of the characters and the often difficult decisions they have to make. A range of emotions are encountered when reading these books as the characters encounter the good and evil that makes up life. It is extremely easy to become totally involved in this world created by Louise Penny and not want to do anything else until reaching the end of the novel.

The beautiful mystery

The latest novel in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Canadian writer, Louise Penny, is set in a monastery in a Quebec forest. Garmache and Beauvoir visit the monastery when a body is discovered in the abbot's garden. Only 24 monks live in the monastery so one of them must be the murderer. The brothers in the monastery normally live under a vow of silence but they are famous for their singing of Gregorian chants. In this novel Louise Penny explores the power of music and the power of silence. Music, particularly the Gregorian chants - the beautiful mystery - forms an important thread throughout the novel. The use and impact of light throughout the building is also a feature.   On the surface the monastery appears to be a place of peace and harmony, until the murder, but as Gamache and Beauvoir discover this is really a divided house with undercurrents of fear and mistrust amongst the inhabitants.

Corruption in the upper levels of the Surete du Quebec continues as a theme in this book. Parallel with the life in the monastery Gamache and Beauvoir are still recovering from wounds, both physical and mental, received in an incident some months earlier. They respond to the quiet and routine of monastic life in different ways and were both making a slow recovery until Superindent Francoeur arrived at the monastery with his own agenda.

Once again Louise Penny presents the reader with a memorable plot, great descriptions of the location and the further development of the characters of Amand Gamarche and Jean-Guy Beauvoir along with the other participants in the story. The ending makes it clear that the story has not ended and I look forward to the next installment.

A trick of the light

The opening of Clara's art show at the Musee d'Art Contemporain in Montreal is a focal point of this book. Finally she is recognised as an artist but not everyone is happy about this including Peter, her husband, who for many years has been jealous of the talent of his wife. When on the day after the opening a body is found in Clara and Peter's back garden Chief Inspector Gamache and Inspector Beauvoir once again visit Three Pines to identify the body and solve the murder. They are both still recovering from being seriously wounded six months previously and although the physical healing is progressing there are still mental scars not helped by a video of the event being made available online by a person unknown. Louise Penny's novels concentrate not only on the solving of a crime but also allow the reader to learn more about the main characters with each book published. This book also explores aspects of the world of contemporary art focusing on the artists, effects of reviews, art dealers and managers. What I particularly like is the continuation of threads relating to the characters which are unveiled as the series progresses. To really enjoy the books they should be read in order though they could be read as stand alone stories.

Bury your dead

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife are on holiday in Quebec visiting Emile Comeau, the former police officer who had been the initial supervisor of Gamache and who had greatly influenced the future decision making of the young policeman. A recent event had resulted in the death of four officers and serious injuries to others including Gamache and his friend and fellow officer, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Memories that haunt both Gamache and Beauvoir reveal the details of the past horrors as the two men are investigating two other incidents. While Armand is in Quebec there is a murder at the Literary and Historical Society library, the organisation that he frequently visits to research early Canadian history, and reluctantly he agrees to act as a consultant on the case. Meanwhile Inspector Gamache has asked Beauvoir to go back to Three Pines on holiday but in reality to reinvestigate a previous murder investigation as doubts have arisen about the guilt of the man arrested.

Burying the dead, by Louise Penny, therefore contains three interwoven plots to intrigue the reader. The author also provides an insite into the history of the city and its founders resulting in the tensions between the English and French that can surface in Quebec - a city with many cultures. Throughout the book the feelings of guilt about decisions made in his attempts to save his kidnapped officer haunt Gamarche and it is not until the end that he finally comes to terms with the realisation that he and his team need to 'bury their dead'.

The Brutal Telling

The fifth book in the Armand Garmarche series by Louise Penny returns us to the village of Three Pines where a body has been found lying on the floor of the Bistro. Inspector Gamarche and his team encounter a web of secrets as they attempt to discover the name of the victim, how long he had lived in the area, how his body came to be in the Bistro as well as who murdered him. Early indications implicate Olivier and the police and his friends have to work very hard to try and clear his name. Part of the plot is revealed to the reader before the police begin their investigations and this helps add to the intrigue as the layers of the story unravel. Meanwhile other characters continue their lives in the village, especially Ruth with her duck, Rosa and Peter and Clara as they continue to gain recognition as artists. Another intriguing mystery novel continuing the saga of Three Pines.

Dead Cold, The Cruelest Month and A Rule Against Murder

Dead Cold (also published as A Fatal Grace), The Cruelest Month and A Rule Against Murder are the follow up volumes to Still Life - a series of detective novels - written by Louise Penny. In each volume there is a murder for Inspector Armand Gamache and his team to solve but the books also have another story evolving in the background. In Still Life a sub plot concerned an event that had occurred in the police force some years previously. In the next two books this sub plot is further developed as the reader becomes aware that someone in the police hierarchy is determined to destroy the career of Inspector Gamache. It also becomes obvious that a member of his team is spying on the inspector. In A Rule Against Murder the sub plot concerns the actions of the father of Inspector Gamache during the war.

The books are set in picturesque locations in Canada. The first three books are set in the village of Three Pines while the action of the fourth is centred at a hotel in the next valley. The author introduces the reader to a range of interesting and often quirky characters, some of whom appear in more than one book. As the series progresses more is learned about the main character, Armand Gamache, and his wife with whom he discusses his cases. In some cases this relationship is reminiscent of the relationship of Commissario Guido Brunetti and his wife in the Donna Leon novels of crime set in Venice. In both series of books the location of the plot is important in the telling of the story. In the Louise Penny novels French words and phrases, without English translation, flow easily throughout the text, adding to the atmosphere of the special setting portrayed.

I look forward to reading the next four volumes in the series to reacquaint myself with the world of Armand Gamanche and his team.

Still life

On Tuesday, while I was helping a patron reserve a copy of Louise Penny's latest book, I was asked if I had read any books by this Canadian author. She told me that they were well written mystery / crime novels set in a Canadian village near the American border. She particularly liked the portrayal of the main characters, especially Armand Gamache who leads the investigations, as well as the French / English setting of the novel. I was also told that in order to really enjoy the books I should begin at the first book.

I have now read Still Life the first book in the Armand Gamache series and have already placed reservations to read the next three volumes - there are eight volumes in the series so far. I had not heard of this author previously and now wonder how many other enjoyable books to read that I have missed.

Still Life is set in the village of Three Pines hidden in the middle of a forest. All appears to be quiet in this small community until the body of Jane Neal is discovered in the forest. She has been shot with an arrow. As this is hunting season the death is at first considered to be accidental however when this is proved not to be the case unease spreads as the residents wonder who killed  among them their friend. This could just be a run of the mill crime story but the development of the characters - the local and the police - combined with the descriptions of the rural setting and lifestyle make this book more than a who-done-it.

The website of Louise Penny provides additional information about the author and this series of books published since 2006. Plans for a film based on Still Life have also been announced.