A World of Curiosities: A Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery, NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES CALLED THREE PINES

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In a separate plot thread, Gamache is called upon to solve the mystery of a secret room discovered in the attic of the village bookstore. Inside, the villagers discover a long lost copy of a “grimoire” an old book thought to have been used by witches to summon demons. Nearby is a huge painting. She reuses the bad cops want to kill good cops as well as a an escape from prison due to corrupt jail warden. The killer is a psychopath who decapitates his victims. She repeatedly alludes to photos showing his horrific crimes, planting images in your mind. A World of Curiosities” is Penny’s 18th novel, not counting “State of Terror,” the bestselling 2021 thriller she co-wrote with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Despite the ravioli and eclairs, this is no cozy mystery. More nuanced with every development, riding a theme of forgiveness, past and present colliding, it’s a full symphony piece with choir—think Beethoven’s ninth. The 2022 crime mystery book follows the investigation into a series of murders in Quebec, and briefly references the real life 1989 École Polytechnique massacre. I’m always a little surprised to hear Louise Penny’s mysteries featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache referred to as “cozies.” Perhaps those readers are responding to the charming Quebec town of Three Pines that’s home to Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, a postcard-worthy hamlet with a population of quirky but lovable characters. The world is fueled by an inner desire to see experiences as a means to fulfillment. But just which side of the dark/light road leads us to that end?

In addition to an excellent mystery, Penny explores sexual abuse of children, misogyny, and gun crimes while holding me in the safety and comfort of Three Pines and the familiar cast of characters. That had been years ago, but the rabbit habit hadn’t wholly taken. Most months Harriet remembered, but of course this month, when she needed it most, she’d forgotten. Though she knew it was probably because she had so much else on her mind. Never has this reviewer written such a long synopsis. Never has Penny written such a book where this long a synopsis was needed. This is not a bad thing. This is a hugely satisfying mystery of course, but more than that, it’s a chilling morality tale. Nobody does evil quite as scarily as Louise Penny’ ANN CLEEVES

This is, at a glance, many of Goodreads Penny fans’ favorite book. It’s obviously well-crafted and very ambitious, (though maybe too much so; see below), as Penny tries to connect the dots between all sorts of important historical and fictional entities: But he, of course, did none of those things. Instead, with immense stillness, he continued to stare. To take in every detail. What could be seen, and what could not. He didn’t have to guess her age, he actually knew exactly how old she was. Thirty-six. And he knew her name, though they hadn’t yet searched her body for ID, and no formal identification had been made.She was an engineer, she told herself as she prepared for her morning run. A rational human being. But then so was her aunt. Did Auntie Myrna even do it? Or had it been a joke the timid child had taken to heart? Penny delves into the nature of evil, sensitively exploring the impact of the dreadful events she describes while bringing a warmth and humanity to her disparate cast of characters that, unusually for a crime novel, leaves you feeling better about the world once you’ve finished’ BOOK OF THE MONTH, OBSERVER Kudos, Madam Penny, for proving that Canada does deserve its placate on the map of strong settings for stellar mysteries! One is Harriet Landers, the niece of Myrna Landers, who owns the bookstore in Three Pines and is a close friend of the Gamaches. The other is Fiona Arsenault, whom they have helped in the years after her mother’s murder.

A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.

In the novel’s present day, Gamache and his wife are attending a ceremony at the college that combines a remembrance of the victims and the graduation of a new class of engineering students that includes two young women close to them. There are few authors I have discovered over the years who can write so fluidly and enticingly about Canada than Louie Penny. She knows her stuff and keeps the reader in the middle of each story. Strong writing and powerful plots are complemented by characters who evolve and devolve simultaneously, but never to the point of disappearing completely. While Three Pines may be a lovely destination, it is anything but boring with Louise Penny’s pen. Culley, Joanne (2023-03-11). "Otonabee Ward: Books can help us get through the last days of a Peterborough winter". The Peterborough Examiner . Retrieved 2023-03-26. My life has always revolved around the written and spoken word. I worked as a journalist for nine years then in international corporate communications I’d rate most of them in the 3-4 star range: they’re engrossing but flawed. The series’ hero worship of Gamache is always too cloying, and it starts out strong in this novel with the narrator reminding us how good, kind, and honest Gamache is. Although he’s been exposed, as the head of homicide, to the worst of humanity, the novel tells us that Gamache remains hopeful, compassionate, and relatively emotionally healthy. I should add that he remains all this even when the series has taken some of the people closest to Gamache and turned them into murderers. For me, that’s a cheap and unrealistic plot device that the series overrelies on.