Synopsis -
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.
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.
Review -
I am a huge Louise Penny fan, having read and enjoyed every book in her Gamache series. This title was no exception. It again features great characters, suspense that builds, hidden enemies, and a frightening plot to poison the drinking water which would kill thousands of innocent people. Over the course of the book we first learn of the plot, and then the why behind it - absolute power of course. The how it will be accomplished and the who behind it take longer to figure out. The who, of course, turns out to involve a few Gamache thought were trusted friends and the how is hidden beneath layers of possibilities.
While I loved this book just as much as the author's previous titles in this series, I did feel that there was one negative. The story arc, while different in the who and how, feels familiar. Hidden forces in government and/or the Sûreté du Québec are plotting something devastating. Gamache has only hints something is afoot at the start, and no clear understanding of who the good guys and bad guys are. It is up to he and his team to figure it out before the worst happens. The elements, however, are new.
Penny is a brilliant story crafter and The Grey Wolf is a great read with a plot full of enough twists and turns to keep you reading into the wee hours.
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