A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES by Louise Penny is another excellent mystery novel set in the village Three Pines and featuring Armand Gamache, the head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec. Tom Nolan’s Wall Street Journal review noted, “Gamache once again proves himself to be ‘a brave man in a brave country’—never more heroic than when uttering one of the ‘four statements that lead to wisdom’: ‘I’m sorry,’ ‘I was wrong,’ ‘I don’t know’ and ‘I need help.’ … This is a spooky and sometimes hair-raising book, perhaps Ms. Penny’s best.” I agree: Gamache and his associates, especially son-in-law Jean-Guy Beauvoir, are faced with the consequences of their first case together. It involved child abuse of a ten-year old boy named Sam and his thirteen-year old sister, Fiona, and the murder of their mother. Did one or both of these children commit murder? Gamache and Jean-Luc feel differently towards the two children and stay connected so the novel spans a decade or more. As the now-adult siblings arrive in Three Pines, so do multiple puzzles – the discovery of a walled-off, hidden room above the bookstore, the mysterious painting of the title, a book of spells, and possible danger to their family and friends. Once again, Penny conjures evil and readers will marvel at Gamache’s resolve. Number eighteen in the series, A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

THE GREY WOLF by Louise Penny is number 19 in the Inspector Gamache mystery series set in Three Pines, Quebec. The title comes from a tale about a Cree elder who referred to two wolves who war inside each of us. One is strong and compassionate, wise and courageous, the forgiving Grey Wolf; the other, the Black Wolf, is vengeful, unforgiving, cruel, cunning and brutal. And once again, Gamache faces evil – this time related to a threat to the infrastructure and an environmental challenge: “How lucky he'd been. To be of a generation that believed it would last forever. The forests and clean rivers, the fresh air. His was the last generation, as it turned out.” Jean Guy and Isabelle are stalwart aides as they seek to prevent terrorism and to root out treachery and corruption, travelling to homeless shelters, remote monasteries, and the Vatican itself. In her Acknowledgements, Penny provides an eloquent summary: “The Gamache books are proudly crime novels, … but at their core they are about community. Acceptance. Belonging. Courage. The books are about the triumph of love and the power of friendship about trying to do better. Progress, not perfection.” THE GREY WOLF received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly (“one of the series’ best”). I was sorry to learn that Book People had run out of copies when I visited, but it appears they have restocked and they conveniently list ALL of the titles in this excellent series. Note: number 20, The Black Wolf, is scheduled for 2025!

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.”

All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny

ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE by Louise Penny is mystery number sixteen in the excellent Chief Inspector Gamache series. As the cover suggests, this title is set in Paris where Armand and Reine-Marie are visiting their grown children, Daniel (now a venture capitalist pursuing investment strategies) and Annie (pregnant and married to Armand’s former assistant, Jean-Guy Beauvoir). Paris is also where a key influence in Armand’s youth, financier and honorary guardian Stephen Horowitz, lives. Sadly, Horowitz is almost killed after a celebratory dinner and Armand sets about finding why. In addition to exploring family dynamics, Penny also continues to offer wry social commentary: “Don’t believe everything you think. Chief Inspector Gamache wrote that on the board for the incoming cadets at the start of every year.” Another character later comments, “people believe what they want to believe, beginning with their own lies.” Penny’s tale is full of twisty relationships and her trademark suspense. This story involves corporate finance, possible police corruption, and jealousy – both personal and professional. ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly. This mystery is another engrossing puzzle from a favorite author – enjoy!

Give Unto Others by Donna Leon

GIVE UNTO OTHERS by Donna Leon is book 31 in the mystery series set in Venice which features Commissario Guido Brunetti. In this latest selection, we need to talk about Bruno del Balzo, the husband of Elisabetta Foscarini, herself a former neighbor of Brunetti. Initially Elisabetta asks for Brunetti’s unofficial help due to disquiet about her daughter and accountant son-in-law; there’s an implication that it involves some financial irregularities and Brunetti struggles with questions of loyalty and whether he should be asking his colleagues to investigate this rather personal matter. Without a murder or actual crime, the story revolves more around the psychological motivation of characters and Leon assumes that readers are familiar with long-time colleagues of Brunetti. An engaging story in a beautiful setting, GIVE UNTO OTHERS received a starred review from Booklist. Donna Leon is a mystery writer often recommended by Hillary Clinton and two other recent mysteries worth reading are State of Terror, co-written by Clinton and Louise Penny, plus The Madness of Crowds, Penny’s latest in the Inspector Gamache series. Secretary of State Ellen Adams takes on international terrorists and contemporary, power-hungry Washington in State of Terror; we enjoyed the audiobook version on a recent road trip. The Madness of Crowds has a beautiful cover and received multiple starred reviews (Booklist, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly) for another mystery set in Three Pines where, Gamache, too, has to struggle with ethical questions. 

The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung

THE LAST MANDARIN by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung is a stand-alone political thriller. In this novel, modern day terrorist attacks are occurring simultaneously all over the globe and a Chinese dissident, Vivien Li and her food-blogger daughter, Alice, are drawn into a mystery which even leading intelligence agencies are struggling to decipher. As readers would expect from Penny (Inspector Gamache series), there are numerous plot twists and surprises. She and Fung (an award-winning Canadian journalist) also convey the political intrigue (e.g., betrayal by supposedly loyal staff) and behind the scenes maneuvering (including a unique back channel for communications), in a manner reminiscent of writers like Allen Drury or Gore Vidal. Library Journal says, “this book is character-driven and nuanced,” and Publishers Weekly calls THE LAST MANDARIN “an eerily plausible nail-biter.” Louise Penny herself writes, “This is the story of political intrigue but it is, at its heart, about that relationship. About the wounds the struggles the need to connect with the parent.” Enjoy the rapprochement and the adventure!!

The audiobook is narrated by Eunice Wong who does an absolutely excellent job. A favorite scene is the online gathering of the experts from several countries and Wong’s ability to use her voice and convey their biases and country of origin.  Barnes & Noble and Abe Books each recommend more authors/titles in this genre. Looking for a political thriller in movie form? Try these suggested by IMDb.