The Grey Wolf: A Novel (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #19) [B1811]

2024 HCDJ in nice clean condition. The 19th mystery in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Armand Gamache series. Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning. That's only the first in a sequence of strange events that begin THE GREY WOLF, the nineteenth novel in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times-bestselling series. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading "this might interest you", a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list-and then a murder. All propel Chief Inspector Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization. Something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching. Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. Determined to track down the threat before it becomes a reality, their pursuit takes them across Québec and across borders. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate, even frantic, as the enormity of the creature they're chasing becomes clear. If they fail the devastating consequences would reach into the largest of cities and the smallest of villages. Including Three Pines.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Exceptional book of this series. The author has so many talents - the characters, the plots, the amazing emotional response... I could go on and on. This one has a very nasty plot for Gamache and his fellow agents and friends to untangle. It is so insidious and twisted and layered! Characters from previous books pop up in this one. At risk is the city of Montreal - or possibly much more. Excellent read!"; "Continues to be a well written series as the Inspector is aging. Some nice twists, and some real action. Always enjoy her writing."; "This felt a little over the top/Tom Clancy-ish. I fear this has gone the way of most long-running mystery series: if every book has to be bigger and better, it eventually loses its way."; "Always love Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache. An exciting plot for sure. I did miss the usual cast of characters from Three Pines as they were less present in this story. But now on to The Black Wolf, to continue the story begun here."