The nineteenth book in the series following Chief Inspector Armand Gamache spans the Canadian landscape from town streets to a monastery in the wilds of the woodlands. THE GREY WOLF starts in the Québec village of Three Pines where faithful wife Reine-Marie enjoys relaxing with the good Chief Inspector Gamache. As usual in detective stories, a crime disturbs the peace.

A lengthy and baffling series of events ensues, with a burglary, a jacket stolen and returned, and a note in its pocket. The man who may or may not be responsible meets Gamache and lies throughout, changing his story, and makes an involuntary exit. I wished the writer didn’t refer to whipped cream so often in the first third of the book – maybe she was trying to unify the fragments. Because fragments there are, with the focus suddenly turning to trust or distrust of others, and then a meaning for the note. Topics and scenes shift and we still don’t get clear answers as to whether Gamache can trust his fellows. The one man he can rely on has to be his sidekick, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, who is also his son-in-law, which sounds like nepotism to me. Wouldn’t this officer need to move to another department when he married his boss’s daughter? I don’t know how the police in Canada work.

A threat emerges to water, something which Canada has plenty of, as many characters remark. With a hair-raising flight through a storm as its best feature, THE GREY WOLF asks pointed questions about modern society and its dependence on engineering. I don’t think we can do much about society as presented, but we can all try to protect clean water. Louise Penny brings many characters from her series into the tale so that new readers will be at a disadvantage. With strong language and violence, the book moves into the thriller domain, so I don’t recommend it for cosy crime lovers. However, if you are looking for something different, not set in a major city, this summertime adventure in Québec will provide a good escape, action, and a set of puzzles.