“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light
gets in.” —Leonard Cohen
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?