The Black Wolf by Louise Penny

THE BLACK WOLF by Louise Penny is the latest in her series about Inspector Gamache and the Canadian village of Three Pines. This novel picks up where The Grey Wolf ended, with a terrorist plot foiled and the instigator jailed, but something does not seem right to Gamache and his trusted team of Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste. Plot points involving immoral officials, climate change, and manipulation of social media make this title very relevant; so much so that Penny includes an introductory Author’s Note about how she finished the draft in September 2024 only to be surprised herself in January 2025 “when I started spotting headlines that could have been ripped right from the book.” THE BLACK WOLF received a starred review from Publishers Weekly who summarized this absolutely excellent book perfectly: “Penny’s talent for nail-biting suspense and quiet character moments fuse with surprisingly topical subject matter to deliver an unputdownable installment of an ever reliable series. Readers will cheer.” It will have you thinking …

She writes, “Three Pines is a state of mind. A place we carry with us always and live in when we see the chance for the clever, often cutting, remark, but choose kindness. When we are forgiving, as we sometimes need to be forgiven. When we choose decency, and acceptance. When we have integrity and the courage to stand up for what we know to be right. Even at some personal cost.”