For decades, the former Chief Inspector Armand Gamache
had been head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec's
provincial police force. He had taken an early retirement
after the battle to kill the corruption there had taken
its heavy toll. The rest and good food he has shared
with his beloved wife Reine-Marie, in their "retirement
home" in the small village of Three Pines, a small town
in the eastern Townships south of Montreal, has restored
his spirit and he is now ready for his new challenge in
life as the Commander of the Sûreté Academy de Québec and
the future of policing in the force.
Many offers had come his way and Gamache, a very
honourable and intelligent man, surprises a few people
with his choice. Now, he ponders his moves and what
students he will select. Gamache is determined to stamp
out the corruption in what has proven to be a training
ground in the past. There will be many eyebrows raised at
his choices both of cadets and instructors, yet. Gamache
contemplates and mulls over his moves just as a master
player would in a high stakes game of chess, only this
game is far deadlier. Has he mapped out his long game
well enough to accomplish what he wants? Has he truly
considered and made plans for the moves and actions of
corrupt and depraved opponents?
To tell anymore will only spoil the full enjoyment and
anticipation of the many legions of fans who have
eagerly awaited the arrival of A GREAT RECKONING by the
#1 New York Times best-selling author Louise Penny. It
is the twelfth mystery in the Gamache series and is just,
if not more, spellbinding and brilliantly written as the
other eleven books. Yes, it can nicely be read as a
standalone novel, but please, please do not deprive
yourself of the richness and underlying complexities in
the plot of this mesmerizing mystery as you learn more
about the history of the wonderful village of Three Pines
and why Gamache feels so strongly about changing the
direction of the Academy.
Gamache is a terrific protagonist. He is a bilingual
Francophone with a love for the classics and a sharp eye
and ear for the little details that are the most telling
about another. He has both the physical and psychological
scars from his previous battles in life and yet, always
finds the time to enjoy the little things in life that
are important and how to turn opportunities into learning
experiences for others and to sharpen their skills and
development. He is a little more subdued in A GREAT
RECKONING, yet, still a powerful force and fans will
enjoy him in this new role in life.
If you are new to Three Pines in A GREAT RECKONING, you
will find that Gamache and all the rest of Penny's
characters instantly come to life for you as they are so
real in their quirks and quarks. For those who have been
to the village before, you will already know to change
into your comfy clothes when you arrive so you can relax
as you smell the aromatic flavours wafting from Olivier
and Gabri's bistro and enjoy a wonderful catch-up chat
with all your much loved characters in the village, such
as Myrna Landers, the lively bookstore owner, and Ruth,
the cranky, slightly mad, yet very sharp poet. You even
know how to avoid getting a nip or a quack from Ruth's
duck without spilling a drop of your delicious wine.
There are even some arrivals of friends from the Sûreté,
but they look a bit more serious. Why? Never mind, what
is this about a map?
As a totally unbiased fan, I cannot recommend A GREAT
RECKONING highly enough.
To me, Louise Penny is a Yoda master storyteller and each
book she writes is just as totally satisfying or better
than the previous ones. A GREAT RECKONING is an amazing
crime/police story with its perfect integration of plot
development, intriguing characters and a theme that adds
a whole new dimension to the story in A GREAT RECKONING
as well as to the Gamache series. As Penny notes on her
cover, "Every mystery is not a crime. But every crime
starts with a mystery."
So, grab your copy as soon as you can and find out the
mystery behind A GREAT RECKONING!
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.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny
pulls back the layers to reveal a brilliant and emotionally
powerful truth in her latest spellbinding novel.
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