A Better Man by Louise Penny

I have posted frequently about Louise Penny’s series of mysteries featuring Armand Gamache from the Quebec village of Three Pines. Her latest, just published this week, is titled A BETTER MAN and focuses on what is likely to be the last case shared by Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir due to the latter’s move to Paris. There are numerous references to past events in the series, especially concerning Gamache’s career and Clara’s progress as an artist, and it is a wonderful adventure to join familiar characters in the small Quebec village. That community once again holds together in the face of threatening natural disaster and psychological pummeling for its inhabitants.  Also tested are the professional relationships between Beauvoir (now commanding his former mentor), Gamache, Isabelle Lacoste, and others.  All of this is deftly developed and portrayed by Penny against the background of a case involving spousal abuse and the tragic death of a young, pregnant woman named Vivienne. As always, I am highly recommending this mystery series by an award-winning author.  Booklist, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly all gave A BETTER MAN starred reviews.

Glass Houses by Louise Penny

GLASS HOUSES by Louise Penny is another excellent mystery (following A Great Reckoning and The Nature of the Beast) featuring Armand Gamache, his wife Reine-Marie, son-in-law and colleague Jean-Guy, plus numerous village residents and members of the judiciary and police forces.  In this stellar addition, Penny divides the narrative between Judge Maureen Corriveau’s first homicide case in Montreal (where Gamache is testifying) and the Quebecois village of Three Pines where a murder occurred.  The deceased was wearing a black hood and robes, perhaps acting as a “debt collector,” or Conscience, of sorts. But who was the target? Someone from the village or one of the college friends making an annual visit to the B and B? As Gamache and his force try to solve the local murder, they are also battling widespread drug trafficking and powerful cartels. Consequently, GLASS HOUSES explores moral questions from several perspectives.  And, as always, Penny weaves a suspenseful tale, culminating in exciting, action-filled scenes. GLASS HOUSES received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Library Journal.  

This series is an absolute favorite and highly recommended. Not to be ignored is the Author’s Note with Penny’s comments about Three Pines: “The village does not exist physically.... Three Pines is a state of mind. When we choose tolerance over hate. Kindness over cruelty. Goodness over bullying. When we choose to be hopeful, not cynical.  Then we live in Three Pines.”

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny

I just finished reading A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny, the latest (August 30 release) in her Chief Inspector Gamache stories set in the tiny village of Three Pines in Quebec. By chance, I came across some notes and an appropriate quote from Penny’s earlier work, When the Light Gets In:

“Armand Gamache had always held unfashionable beliefs.  He believed that light would banish the shadows. That kindness was more powerful than cruelty, and that goodness existed, even in the most desperate places.  He believed evil had its limits.” A Great Reckoning describes yet another test of those beliefs, as Gamache takes on the responsibility of leadership at Quebec’s Surete Academy, seeking to reform the educational experience of future law enforcement officers.

In the process, he has to solve a murder and protect four young cadets, one of whom seems to despise him and another for whom Gamache seems to have a strong connection.  All four young people spend time with the inhabitants of Three Pines and all struggle to find themselves as adults and professionals. A mysterious map of Three Pines offers insight into the village history and provides additional twists for the reader.

While A Great Reckoning is another terrific story about Armand Gamache, it was made even more special by the author’s note and recognition of the personal difficulties which Louise Penny has faced while continuing to write about her beloved character.  I would recommend this series to mystery fans and since A Great Reckoning is one of my favorites in the series, I am pleased to note that this new title received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus AND Library Journal. 

Mystery fans may also want to mark their calendars since Julia Keller (Sorrow Road) and Elsa Hart (Jade Dragon Mountain) will be appearing locally at the Bookstall next Thursday, August 25 at 6:30pm. 

Although Sorrow Road is one of at least a half dozen novels in the Bell Elkins series, it is the first one I have read. Keller skillfully fills in the background about the characters: prosecutor and Georgetown Law School grad Bell Elkins, her much younger boyfriend Clay Meckling, her daughter Carla and other West Virginia residents.  However, I was disappointed since based on the title’s description, I expected much more about WWII and felt that the pace was a bit slow. Professional reviewer opinions were split:  Kirkus says that Sorrow Road “isn’t the best of Keller’s deeply nuanced, beautifully written examinations of life and death in hardscrabble coal country” while Booklist gave it a starred review.  Jade Dragon Mountain is set in the mountains of China and Tibet in 1708 and features Li Du, a former imperial librarian who works to solve a murder. Hart’s debut novel (a second work about Li Du will be released soon) is on my “to read” list and has received generally positive reviews, including one from Louise Penny.