I normally enjoy this series but this was my least favorite so far. Gamache is started a new job at the Surete. Meanwhile in Three Pines and old map was found in the walls of the Bistro. There are two mysteries, one is the mystery of the map and the other is the murder of an instructor at the Surete. I enjoyed the map mystery but the murder mystery was weak and easy to solve. The writing is good as always but there were lot of plot holes. This series should be read in order.

This novel in a beloved mystery series mixes old characters with new and is a satisfying addition from author Louise Penny.
Canadian author Louise Penny's twelfth entry in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, A Great Reckoning, opens where her previous mystery, The Nature of the Beast, leaves off with Gamache retired from the homicide department of the Sûreté du Québec and living with his wife, Reine Marie, in the peaceful village of Three Pines. Readers soon find however that he has been convinced to return to the workforce, taking command of the Sûreté Academy, the school that prepares new cadets to join the police force. Mysteries abound in this well-constructed complex novel, but at its core there are two: What is the origin and purpose of a WWI-era map found walled up in the Three Pines bistro, and who is responsible for the dead body discovered at the Academy?

As with Penny's previous books, A Great Reckoning is liberally sprinkled with red herrings, eccentric characters and the occasional dose of humor. Fans will be pleased that the residents of Three Pines whom they have come to know and love over the years are well-represented, playing a large role throughout. There are a lot of mystery series out there, but what has always made this one stand out are its recurring characters, utterly unique and yet familiar: bistro owners Olivier and Gabri; artist Clara Morrow; bookstore owner Myrna Landers; and of course the irascible poet Ruth Zardo and her duck Rosa. Long-time series readers encounter them as one might an old friend. In addition, setting the mystery in part at the Academy allows the introduction of several new equally intriguing players, which provides an opportunity to grow the series in future books.

The Great Reckoning is a perfect balance of old and new. This novel however, is not a good entry point to the series, which is worth getting into from the very first book, Still Life. Much of the plot here revolves around actions and events that occurred in earlier volumes, and without that background, most readers will likely feel they've missed something important. Gamache's decisions, too, only make sense in context, and those new to the series will lack that point of reference. I also think readers who haven't started from the first book might miss or misinterpret a lot of the subtle (and not-so-subtle) interactions between the characters. Their personalities are a large part of the author's success, and encountering them for the first time here may lead to misconceptions.

Readers who have kept up with the series, however, are in for a real treat. The novel is every bit as entertaining as Penny's previous works. The writing is lush and descriptive, creating beautiful scenes in exquisite detail.

The flurries had stopped in the night, leaving just a thin layer barely covering the dead autumn leaves. It seemed a netherworld. Neither fall nor winter. The hills that surrounded the village and seemed to guard it from an often hostile world themselves looked hostile. Or, if not actually hostile, at least inhospitable. It was a forest of skeletons. Their branches, gray and bare, were raised as though begging for a mercy they knew would not be granted.

The author's emphasis on quality writing and character development necessitates more setup on the front end of the narrative. The action doesn't get rolling until perhaps a third of the way in. These sections are so well written that the book never drags – I advise readers to set aside uninterrupted time to read the last 50 pages, as they likely wouldn't want to be disturbed as the book speeds to its conclusion.

Three Pines itself has always seemed somewhat of a throwback — a preternaturally quiet place isolated in time and space. In some respects the plot enforces this feeling; Three Pines doesn't have Internet access, it's a long, confusing drive to get there and it isn't registered on any map of Canada, making it appear almost mythical. Nevertheless, Penny goes out of her way to make the story relevant, addressing issues such as racism and gun control that strongly echo current social discussions. There are at least five different mysteries of varied seriousness embedded in the book (at the lowest tier: what is that little creature Reine Marie rescues and subsequently adopts?). While the major whodunit is exceptionally satisfying, I found one of the other plot lines less so.

Penny might just be my favorite mystery writer, and A Great Reckoning is certain to become a favorite entry in the series; it's highly recommended to those who've read the previous novels.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. Louise Penny knocks it out the park again. I love books like this - well written, great storyline and characters that you love to read about. I will be recommending this book!

I have loved all of the books that I've read in this series. The story and the characters draw you in and you don't want to leave. Although this is a murder mystery, the other stories that are happening in the book are just as engaging and intriguing. Another great book by Louise Penny!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

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.

Quite possibly my favourite Canadian author right now, I have read pretty much all of this series, on and off, over the years and have never found one that I could say wasn't good. They are always fresh and inviting, dragging you into the lives of the people in Three Pines and the Surete Academy.

You can go anywhere and find a good mystery novel. Will a little research, you can find a good mystery with excellent characters. Look a little harder and you find one that has a sensational setting...but it is a rare phenomenon to find all of those things - and have that sense of returning to visit friends when you open that first page. And that's what this novel was like. And, to be fair, that's what most of Louise Penny's novels are like.

If you like the sound of that, give her a try. I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series and take in all the character development that happens along the way. A fabulous addition to this series.


Paul
ARH