The situation is dire and they are losing. No matter what
they do, they cannot keep up with the tide of crime against
them. They assess the situation from every angle, did the
research, and hope that it will work. Nothing else they
have been doing has worked for them. If this plan fails, it
will be a total failure: heads will roll and they will all
go down with it. Is it worth the risk? What choice do they
have? Would they survive the trial? The end of a career?
After taking a quiet retirement to his lovely house in Three
Pines, a quaint and hard to reach village in the south of
Québec, Armand Gamache decides to take the top position in
Quebec's police force as the Chief Superintendent for the
Sûreté du Québec. He is determined to finish what he
started. His actions as Chief have come under question and
now he is sitting in a hot courtroom on a muggy hot July day
in Montreal. Gamache certainly would prefer to be sitting in
his garden with a glass of wine and chatting with his wife,
Reine-Marie than sitting here in an uncomfortable situation.
Can he defend actions taken or not taken?
GLASS HOUSES is the latest offering from the internationally
renown and award-winning author Louise Penny and she has
definitely written a top of the class mystery. GLASS HOUSES
is sure to fully satisfy her legions of fans in many
countries who have read her previous twelve books in the
Armand Gamache series and have all been keeping their
fingers crossed and hoping for another Gamache book.
Gamache is definitely back in good form! Maybe a little
harder and determined; yet, still filled with compassion for
those who need it. Another of Penny's many skills and
talents is her ability to quickly develop her characters, so
they instantly spring alive in the reader's mind-eye and
are authentic to the culture of Quebec. Quite a number of
the secondary characters from Penny's previous books are
featured again along with new perspectives on their
characters. I particularly relished the insights Penny gives
her readers about Isabelle Lacoste, Jean-Guy Beauvoir and
especially about the very unique and insightful, the zany
Ruth Zardo and her ever present duck.
Similar to previous novels by LOUISE Penny, GLASS HOUSES is
complete enough on its own as a wonderful mystery with many
intriguing historical and literary connections that still
can be read as a stand alone book as well as a continuation
of the series featuring this terrific protagonist. Given
that, as many of Penny's fans will attest, the story line
is just so much richer and delightful if the reader has read
at least a few of the previous books. For myself, just
reading a line about a glance between two characters will
bring back to my mind the whole story from an earlier book
in the series. Personally, I recommend reading at least some
of the more recent books to fully appreciate the
relationships, skills and small flaws of the characters, so
reading GLASS HOUSES will have richer meaning for you. But,
do not let that stop you from picking up GLASS HOUSES even
if it is the first time you discover a Louise Penny book -
it still will be an incredible treat!
Penny's writing style is brilliant. It is easy to read, her
words perfectly and vividly bring her stories to instant
life and like others in the series, GLASS HOUSES has a
complex plotline that belies its simplicity. Conversations
flow naturally with seemingly unrelated references to art,
poetry or philosophy that seamlessly further develop and
enhance the development of the story. What I FOUND
different in GLASS HOUSES is that the writing is tenser and,
like an echo, reflective of the unease of the people in the
village of Three Pines as they encounter the voiceless and
unusual black robed character. Penny's writing also
effectively mirrors the tension Gamache and his small team
has as they strive to plan and stick to a goal to battle a
much bigger and stronger foe fully funded by drugs and
corruption.
Once I started GLASS HOUSES, I just could not stop reading
from the first page to its surprising and unexpected ending.
I just can't recommend Penny's books enough for anyone who
loves a good mystery or enjoys the insights from police
procedural books. So, don't miss out on the incredible
story in GLASS HOUSES! It is yours to enjoy!
When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines one cold
November day, Armand Gamache and the rest of the villagers
are at first curious. Then wary. Through rain and sleet, the
figure stands unmoving, staring ahead.
From the moment its shadow falls over the village, Gamache,
now Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, suspects
the creature has deep roots and a dark purpose. Yet he does
nothing. What can he do? Only watch and wait. And hope his
mounting fears are not realized.
But when the figure vanishes overnight and a body is
discovered, it falls to Gamache to discover if a debt has
been paid or levied.
Months later, on a steamy July day as the trial for the
accused begins in Montréal, Chief Superintendent Gamache
continues to struggle with actions he set in motion that
bitter November, from which there is no going back. More
than the accused is on trial. Gamache’s own conscience is
standing in judgment.
In her latest utterly gripping book, number-one New York
Times bestselling author Louise Penny shatters the
conventions of the crime novel to explore what Gandhi called
the court of conscience. A court that supersedes all others.