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Louise Penny

    July 1, 1958

    Louise Penny is the celebrated author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, which consistently tops bestseller lists. Her works delve deeply into human psychology and the complexities of relationships, often set against the backdrop of idyllic Quebec villages. Penny masterfully weaves compelling mysteries with profound explorations of guilt, forgiveness, and the essence of community. Her distinctive style and knack for creating memorable characters solidify her place as a preeminent voice in contemporary crime fiction.

    Louise Penny
    Chief Inspector Gamache: A Trick of the Light
    Bury Your Dead
    A Great Reckogning
    Glass Houses
    A Great Reckoning
    HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN
    • HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN

      • 432 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      Struggling to maintain the Homicide group during the holiday season in the wake of interdepartmental estrangements, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache quietly investigates the disappearance of a woman who was once one of the most famous people in the world and now goes unrecognized by virtually everyone except the mad, brilliant poet Ruth Zardo

      HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN
      4.6
    • WINNER of the the Barry, Macavity, & Anthony Awards for Best Novel WINNER of the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Crime Novel 'Outstanding' THE NEW YORK TIMES There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. Former Chief Inspector Gamache has been hunting killers his entire career and as the new commander of force, he is given the chance to combat the corruption and brutality that has been rife. But when a former colleague and professor is found murdered, with a mysterious map of the village of Three Pines, Gamache's home, in his possession, Gamache has an even tougher task ahead of him. When suspicion turns to Gamache himself, and his possible involvement in the crime, the frantic search for answers takes the investigation to Three Pines, where a series of shattering secrets are poised to be revealed ... Millions of readers worldwide. One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.

      A Great Reckoning
      4.5
    • Glass Houses

      • 512 pages
      • 18 hours of reading

      From the moment its shadow falls over Three Pines, Gamache suspects the creature has deep roots and a dark purpose. When it suddenly vanishes and a body is discovered, it falls to Gamache to discover if a debt has been paid or levied.

      Glass Houses
      4.4
    • Former Chief Inspector Gamache has been hunting killers his entire career and as the new commander of the Surete Academy, he is given the chance to combat the corruption and brutality that has been rife throughout the force. But when a former colleague and professor of the Surete Academy is found murdered, with a mysterious map of Three Pines in his possession, Gamache has an even tougher task ahead of him. When suspicion turns to Gamache himself, and his possible involvement in the crime, the frantic search for answers takes the investigation to the village of Three Pines, where a series of shattering secrets are poised to be revealed ... Ingenious, gripping, and powerful, A Great Reckoning is the new spellbinding novel from number one bestseller, Louise Penny. Evocative and atmospheric, this magnificent work of crime fiction will stay with you long after you turn the final page

      A Great Reckogning
      4.5
    • 'Outstanding' THE NEW YORK TIMES 'No one writes evil like Louise Penny' ANN CLEEVES There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. As Quebec City shivers in the grip of winter, its ancient stone walls cracking in the cold, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache plunges into the strangest case of his celebrated career. A man has been brutally murdered in one of the city's oldest buildings - a library where the English citizens of Quebec safeguard their history. And the death opens a door into the past, exposing a mystery that has lain dormant for centuries . . . a mystery Gamache must solve if he's to catch a present-day killer. Millions of readers worldwide. One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.

      Bury Your Dead
      4.4
    • "Hearts are broken," Lillian Dyson carefully underlined in a book. "Sweet relationships are dead." But now Lillian herself is dead. Found among the bleeding hearts and lilacs of Clara Morrow's garden in Three Pines, shattering the celebrations of Clara's solo show at the famed Musée in Montréal. Chief Inspector Gamache, the head of homicide at the Sûreté du Québec, is called to the tiny Québec village and there he finds the art world gathered, and with it a world of shading and nuance, a world of shadow and light. Where nothing is as it seems. Behind every smile there lurks a sneer. Inside every sweet relationship there hides a broken heart. And even when facts are slowly exposed, it is no longer clear to Gamache and his team if what they've found is the truth, or simply a trick of the light.

      Chief Inspector Gamache: A Trick of the Light
      4.4
    • All the Devils Are Here

      • 528 pages
      • 19 hours of reading

      *** WINNER OF THE AGATHA AWARD FOR BEST MYSTERY NOVEL 2021*** 'Makes most of her competitors seem like wannabes' THE TIMES There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather for a family dinner with Armand's godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. But the evening ends in horror when Stephen is knocked down and critically injured in what Armand is convinced is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on an elderly man's life. When a strange key is found in Stephen's possession it sends Armand on a desperate search for the truth that will take him from the top of the Tour Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives. And as Armand begins to uncover the secrets his godfather has kept hidden for decades, he finds himself ensnared in a web of lies and deceit that threatens to destroy everything - and everyone - he holds dear. For even the City of Light casts long shadows. And in that darkness devils hide . . . Ten million readers. Three pines One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache 'The series is deep and grand and altogether extraordinary . . . Miraculous' Washington Post

      All the Devils Are Here
      4.4
    • A World of Curiosities

      • 400 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns in the eighteenth book in #1 New York Times bestseller Louise Penny's beloved series.

      A World of Curiosities
      4.4
    • The New York Times Bestseller 'Penny . . . is at the top of her game' (Toronto Star) When Chief Inspector Gamache arrives in picturesque Three Pines, he steps into a village in chaos. A man has been found bludgeoned to death, and there is no sign of a weapon, a motive or even the dead man's name. As Gamache and his colleagues start to dig under the skin of this peaceful haven for clues, they uncover a trail of stolen treasure, mysterious codes and a shameful history that begins to shed light on the victim's identity - and points to a terrifying killer...

      The Brutal Telling
      4.3
    • Kingdom of the Blind

      • 400 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      When a peculiar letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, the former head of the Sûreté du Québec discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will. Still on suspension, and frankly curious, Gamache accepts and soon learns that the other two executors are Myrna Landers, the bookseller from Three Pines, and a young builder. None of them had ever met the elderly woman. The will is so odd and includes bequests that are so wildly unlikely that Gamache and the others suspect the woman must have been delusional. But what if, Gamache begins to ask himself, she was perfectly sane? When a body is found, the terms of the bizarre will suddenly seem less peculiar and far more menacing. But it isn't the only menace Gamache is facing. The investigation into what happened six months ago -- the events that led to his suspension -- has dragged on, into the dead of winter. And while most of the opioids he allowed to slip through his hands, in order to bring down the cartels, have been retrieved, there is one devastating exception. Enough narcotic to kill thousands has disappeared into inner city Montreal. With the deadly drug about to hit the streets, Gamache races for answers. As he uses increasingly audacious, even desperate, measures to retrieve the drug, Armand Gamache begins to see his own blind spots. And the terrible things hiding there

      Kingdom of the Blind
      4.3
    • A Better Man

      • 512 pages
      • 18 hours of reading

      'One of the greatest crime writers of our times' DENISE MINA 'No one does atmospheric quite like Louise Penny' ELLY GRIFFITHS There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. The air is unbearably tense as Armand Gamache returns to work since being demoted from its command to head of homicide. Amid blistering personal social media attacks, Gamache sets out on his first assignment. He has been tasked with finding a missing woman, but while he leads the search for Vivienne Godin, his home of Three Pines itself is threatened when the river breaks its banks, and an emergency is declared. As the waters rise, a body is discovered - and the victim's distraught father contemplates revenge. Gamache is a father himself, and is haunted by a question . . . what would he do, if his child's killer might walk free? Millions of readers worldwide. One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.

      A Better Man
      4.2
    • A MONASTERY Hidden deep in the wilderness are the cloisters of two dozen monks - men of prayer and music, famous the world over for their glorious voices. A MURDER But a brutal death throws the monastery doors open to the world. And through them walks the only man who can shine light upon the dark deeds within: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. A MYSTERY Who among the brothers has become an angel of death? As the peace of the monastery crumbles around him, Gamache finds clues in the divine, the human, and the cracks in between. Ingenious, gripping, and powerful, The Beautiful Mystery is the most outstanding novel yet from international bestselling phenomenon Louise Penny.

      The beautiful mystery
      4.2
    • The Nature of the beast

      • 496 pages
      • 18 hours of reading

      Hardly a day goes by when nine year old Laurent Lepage doesn't cry wolf. From alien invasions, to walking trees, to winged beasts in the woods, to dinosaurs spotted in the village of Three Pines, his tales are so extraordinary no one can possibly believe him. Including Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, who now live in the little Quebec village. But when the boy disappears, the villagers are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true. And so begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth. What they uncover deep in the forest sets off a sequence of events that leads to murder, leads to an old crime, leads to an old betrayal. Leads right to the door of an old poet. And now it is now, writes Ruth Zardo. And the dark thing is here. A monster once visited Three Pines. And put down deep roots. And now, Ruth knows, it is back. Armand Gamache, the former head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec, must face the possibility that, in not believing the boy, he himself played a terrible part in what happens next.

      The Nature of the beast
      4.2
    • The Black Wolf

      The Brilliant New Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

      • 374 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding. Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf. But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realized that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the beginning. Perhaps even a deliberate misdirection. One he fell into. Something deeper and darker, more damaging, is planned. Did he in fact arrest the Black Wolf, or are they still out there? Armand is appalled to think his mistake has allowed their conspiracy to grow, to gather supporters. To spread lies, manufacture enemies, and feed hatred and division. Still recovering from wounds received in stopping the first attack, Armand is confined to the village of Three Pines, leading a covert investigation from there. He must be careful not to let the Black Wolf know he has recognized his mistake. In a quiet church basement, he and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste, pore over what little evidence they have. Two notebooks. A few mysterious numbers on a tattered map of Québec. And a phrase repeated by the person they had called the Grey Wolf.

      The Black Wolf
      3.9
    • 'No one does atmospheric like Louise Penny' ELLY GRIFFITHS There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. It's Easter, and on a glorious Spring day in peaceful Three Pines, someone waits for night to fall. They plan to raise the dead . . . When Chief Inspector Gamache of the Surete du Quebec arrives the next morning, he faces an unusual crime scene. A séance in an old abandoned house has gone horrifically wrong and someone has been seemingly frightened to death. In idyllic Three Pines, terrible secrets lie buried, and even Gamache has something to hide. One of his own team is about to betray him. But how far will they go to ensure Gamache's downfall? Ten million readers. Three pines. One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache. 'The series is grand and deep and altogether extraordinary' WASHINGTON POST

      The Cruellest Month
      4.1
    • Dead Cold

      • 416 pages
      • 15 hours of reading

      Winter in Three Pines and the sleepy village is carpeted in soft white snow. While children frolic on the ice, sensible folk curl up indoors. It's a time of peace and goodwill - until a scream pierces the biting air. There's been a murder. Called in to head the investigation, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache unravels the victim's past and discovers a life full of secrets and enemies. But Gamache has enemies of his own.

      Dead Cold
      4.1
    • 'Compelling . . . An original voice' PETER JAMES 'Penny twists and turns the plot, expertly tripping the reader up just at the moment you think you might have solved the mystery' DAILY EXPRESS There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. Clara Morrow's husband is missing. When he fails to come home on the first anniversary of their separation, as promised, Clara asks the only person she trusts to try and find him: former Chief Inspector of Homicide, Armand Gamache. As Gamache journeys further into the case, he is drawn deeper into the tortured mind of Peter Morrow, a man so desperate to recapture his fame as an artist that he would sell his soul. As Gamache gets closer to the truth, he uncovers a deadly trail of jealousy and deceit. Can Gamache bring Peter, and himself, home safely? Or in searching for answers, has he placed himself, and those closest to him, in terrible danger? Millions of readers worldwide. One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.

      The Long Way Home
      4.1
    • As the New Year approaches, Armand Gamache faces accusations of cowardice while trying to enjoy a holiday in the Québec village of Three Pines. His family time is disrupted by a request to provide security for a seemingly innocuous lecture by Professor Abigail Robinson at a nearby university. Initially baffled by the assignment, Gamache soon uncovers a disturbing agenda behind Robinson's views. Despite his concerns, the university refuses to cancel the lecture, defending academic freedom and accusing him of censorship. As Robinson's controversial ideas infiltrate conversations, the community becomes polarized, blurring the lines between truth and delusion. What begins as casual discussions escalates into heated arguments and conflict, fueled by Robinson's promise that following her will lead to well-being. However, Gamache and his team realize the danger this presents. When a murder occurs, it falls to them to investigate not only the crime but also the extraordinary delusion gripping the town. In the face of escalating madness, Gamache must navigate a landscape where reality is increasingly distorted, and the stakes are life and death.

      The Madness of Crowds
      4.1
    • The Grey Wolf

      • 432 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      Relentless phone calls disrupt a warm August morning in the small village of Three Pines, Quebec, as Armand Gamache, head of homicide, enjoys a quiet moment with his wife. The first call ignites his anger, signaling the start of a series of unsettling events. Initially minor—such as a missing coat and a cryptic note for Gamache—these incidents escalate when a murder occurs. Chief Inspector Gamache and his team soon realize they are facing a far greater threat than a single crime; something sinister is looming. Louise Penny's writing delves into the nature of evil, exploring the impact of horrific events while infusing warmth and humanity into her characters. This approach leaves readers with a sense of hope, even after confronting dark themes. Critics praise her for her atmospheric storytelling and complex characters, with many considering her one of the greatest crime writers of our time. The tension builds as Gamache navigates the unfolding mystery, revealing layers of intrigue and danger that challenge the tranquility of Three Pines.

      The Grey Wolf
      4.0
    • State of Terror

      • 400 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      State of Terror follows a novice Secretary of State who has joined the administration of her rival, a president inaugurated after four years of American leadership that shrank from the world stage. A series of terrorist attacks throws the global order into disarray, and the secretary is tasked with assembling a team to unravel the deadly conspiracy, a scheme carefully designed to take advantage of an American government dangerously out of touch and out of power in the places where it counts the most.

      State of Terror
      4.0
    • A Rule Against Murder

      • 424 pages
      • 15 hours of reading

      'No one does atmospheric quite like Louise Penny' ELLY GRIFFITHS There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. It's the height of summer, and the wealthy Finney family have gathered at the Manoir Bellechasse to pay tribute to their late father. But as the temperature rises, old secrets and bitter rivalries begin to surface. When the heat wave boils over into a mighty storm, a dead body is left in its wake. Chief Inspector Gamache, a guest at the Bellechasse, finds himself with a building full of suspects. With the hotel locked down, the murderer is trapped. But a cornered predator is always the most dangerous of all... Ten million readers. Three pines. One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache. 'Impossible to put down' GLOBE AND MAIL

      A Rule Against Murder
      3.9
    • Still life

      • 377 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      "In a small town in Quebec a women supposedly loved by her community is found in the woods, murdered. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache looks for the small clues which will point him to the killer."--Source inconnue.

      Still life
      3.9
    • The Black Wolf

      A Novel - International Edition

      • 384 pages
      • 14 hours of reading
      The Black Wolf
    • Роман «Время предательства» продолжает серию расследований старшего инспектора Армана Гамаша. Этот обаятельный персонаж создан пером Луизы Пенни, единственного в мире пятикратного лауреата премии Агаты Кристи. Психологическая острота и динамизм повествования, присущие всем детективам Пенни, обещают читателю захватывающее путешествие по перипетиям сюжета вплоть до самой развязки. Для Армана Гамаша настали трудные времена. Его самый верный и преданный помощник отвернулся от своего наставника. Отдел по расследованию убийств, который Гамаш кропотливо создавал многие годы, расформирован, все сотрудники переведены в другие отделы, а на их место приняты бездельники и наглецы. Самого Гамаша всячески вынуждают уйти в отставку. Но прежде чем сделать это, он должен провести последнее расследование. Из деревни Три Сосны ему приходит сообщение о том, что пропала подруга Мирны Ландерс, обещавшая приехать к ней на Рождество. Начиная поиски пропавшей женщины, Гамаш еще не знает, что под именем Констанс Пино скрывалась одна из самых знаменитых личностей не только Канады или Северной Америки, но и всего мира...

      Время предательства. Vremya predatel'stva
      4.5
    • Старший инспектор Арман Гамаш из полиции Квебека приступает к расследованию подозрительной смерти в деревне Три Сосны, что к югу от Монреаля. Тело Джейн Нил, бывшей учительницы, которая пользовалась всеобщей любовью и уважением, найдено в лесу на окраине деревни. Смерть наступила в результате выстрела из лука. Местные жители уверены, что это несчастный случай на охоте, но у Гамаша возникает смутное предчувствие, что не все здесь так очевидно. И искать нужно не незадачливого стрелка, а безжалостного убийцу...

      Убийственно тихая жизнь
    • Der letzte Weckruf

      • 432 pages
      • 16 hours of reading

      Nur widerwillig trifft sich die Foodbloggerin Alice Li mit ihrer Mutter Vivien Li, einer Ikone der chinesischen Diaspora und Menschenrechtsaktivistin, zum Brunch. Neben ihrer überlebensgroßen Mutter fühlt Alice sich wieder wie ein Kind. Plötzlich, um 10:09 Uhr EST, schrillen alle Alarme im Gebäude, Chaos und Panik brechen sich Bahn, alle versuchen zu flüchten. Aber wohin? Alice dämmert, dass nicht nur das Luxushotel in Washington, D.C., betroffen ist. Jedes Sicherheitssystem weltweit hat zeitgleich ausgelöst. Dann ist auf einmal alles vorbei. Die größte Cyberattacke, die die internationale Gemeinschaft je erlebt hat. Aber mit welchem Ziel? Der Angriff lässt sich nach China zurückverfolgen. Steckt das Regime dahinter? Angst und Misstrauen sind gesät. Alice, deren größte Sorge eben noch die Schwärmerei für Studienfreund Liam war, findet sich plötzlich im Weißen Haus wieder. Ihre Welt steht Kopf: Liam ein Geheimagent, in Hongkong ermordet? Ihre Mutter eine Vertraute des amerikanischen Präsidenten? Das ungleiche Mutter-Tochter-Duo muss seine unterkühlte Beziehung überwinden, um einer globalen Bedrohung auf den Grund zu gehen.

      Der letzte Weckruf
    • Další z případů vrchního inspektora Gamache zavádí čtenáře do prostředí gilbertýnů, tajemstvím zahaleného mnišského řádu, jehož utajený klášter se stal místem podivné smrti. V před světem uzavřeném klášteře Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups žije v poklidu a modlitbách dvacet mnichů. Ironií je, že společenství, které přijalo slib mlčení, se stalo proslulým pro svůj nádherný zpěv, jehož působení na posluchače je tak hluboké, že se mu přezdívá "krásné tajemství". Až když je zavražděn známý sbormistr, brána kláštera se otevře a vpustí vrchního inspektora Armanda Gamache ze slavné quebecké Sureté, který zde objeví neklid ve zdánlivé harmonii a je nucen konfrontovat se i se svými vlastními démony. Před odhalením vraha, před obnovením míru musí vrchní inspektor nejprve zvážit božské i lidské a zacelit trhliny mezi nimi. Nakladatelská anotace. Kráceno.

      Krásné tajemství : případy vrchního inspektora Gamache