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A Great Reckoning (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #12)

by Louise Penny

4.52 · Rating Details · 13,273 Ratings · 2,101 Reviews

The next novel in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.

When an intricate old map is found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in Three Pines, it at first seems no more than a curiosity. But the closer the villagers look, the stranger it becomes.

Given to Armand Gamache as a gift the first day of his new job, the map e ...more

Hardcover, 389 pages

Published August 30th 2016 by Minotaur Books

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Lists with This Book

Booklist Best Mystery Fiction 2016 (Part 1 of 2)

139 books — 72 voters

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My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

Adult novels coming in 2016

42 books — 16 voters

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Community Reviews

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Jun 21, 2016 Diane S ☔ rated it it was amazing

To say she has done it again is an understatement. I very seldom rate mysteries five stars but in this case it is well deserved. Gamache accepts a job as the head of the Surete, the school where cadets train. But why and what does he hope to accomplish there? Some of the most well known players from previous books return. There is a murder and a map, a new cadet with ties to Gamache. Three Pines is featured prominently in this one, the characters, the church. Old mystery, new mystery.

Louise Pen ...more

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Aug 24, 2016 Paromjit rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, crime-fiction, thriller, mystery

This is a character driven mystery crime novel which engages the reader effortlessly. Louise Penny returns to Three Pines, and the eccentric, wonderful and comical characters that reside there. Armand Gamache, after almost dying in his efforts to cleanse the dirty cops in the Quebec Surete, has a new challenge in his life. He is the Commander of the Surete Training School for which his wife Reine-Marie is grateful as she imagines he will be safe. However, Armand's unenviable task is to root out This is a character driven mystery crime novel which engages the reader effortlessly. Louise Penny returns to Three Pines, and the eccentric, wonderful and comical characters that reside there. Armand Gamache, after almost dying in his efforts to cleanse the dirty cops in the Quebec Surete, has a new challenge in his life. He is the Commander of the Surete Training School for which his wife Reine-Marie is grateful as she imagines he will be safe. However, Armand's unenviable task is to root out the corruption and ugly practices that have in turn produced numerous brutal and cruel officers in the Surete.

Armand plays a dangerous game in dismissing and appointing staff in the expectation that there will be a conflagration. This would allow him to gather evidence for arrests to take place and to identify the powerful figure outside who has instigated the corruption. This backfires as he misjudges the depths of cruelty and brutality of the corrupt and arrogant Serge Leduc. Leduc is discovered dead in a carefully stage managed manner with the murder weapon, a revolver. Perceiving those cadets closest to Leduc to be in danger, Armand locates them to Three Pines with the task of investigating a mysterious map found in the walls of the Bistro. Overlooking Lacoste's investigation into the murder is Assistant Commissioner Gelinas of the RMCP who takes an inordinate interest in Armand. Questions are asked about the nature of the relationship Armand has with the unconventional but bright cadet, Amelia.

What really drives this novel are the characters in all their flawed depths and humanity. Armand is a towering figure who understands the strengths to be found in kindness and humanity. The complexities in relationships are what make this riveting reading. The village characters add charm and comic touches to the story. There is the bickering relationship of Olivier and Gabri, the cantankerous and querulous poet, Ruth, not to mention Clara, the artist and Myrna. The tale is peppered with wisdom coming from a number of quarters. The tragedies associated with the First World War at Three Pines add multiple layers to the book. It is beautifully plotted and an absorbing read. I would urge others to read this. Highly recommended and a superb read. Thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC. ...more

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Sep 05, 2016 Esil rated it it was amazing

I had a really good time on our annual date, Armand. Either I'm old enough to find the familiar uplifting and comforting or maybe you're just really good at keeping things fresh and interesting. Whatever it is, this was definitely one of our best dates. I hope Reine Marie isn't too jealous...

At the end of every August, my consolation for seeing the end of the summer is that Louise Penny publishes a new mystery featuring Armand Gamache and the village of Three Pines. I love the series. I love the I had a really good time on our annual date, Armand. Either I'm old enough to find the familiar uplifting and comforting or maybe you're just really good at keeping things fresh and interesting. Whatever it is, this was definitely one of our best dates. I hope Reine Marie isn't too jealous...

At the end of every August, my consolation for seeing the end of the summer is that Louise Penny publishes a new mystery featuring Armand Gamache and the village of Three Pines. I love the series. I love the characters Penny has created and the familiar Quebec cultural setting with all of its bilingual complexities. It's a bit crazy, but as my husband and I were driving through the Eastern Townships earlier in August, I had this flitting thought that it would be lovely to stumble upon the village of Three Pines.

Anyways, I haven't liked each book in the series equally, but I must say that A Great Reckoning is definitely one of my favourites. It skilfully intertwines Gamache's complex history as a police officer with some great new characters and a compelling mystery. Gamache is now head of the police academy. The story focuses on the inner workings of this previously corrupt institution and Gamache's unconventional attempt to clean it up, and intertwines this context with the history of the mysterious village of Three Pines. I won't say more to avoid spoilers.

But I will note that I was all set to give this one a high 4 star rating, when I came across a tear inducing pitch perfect few paragraphs showing the deep love and relationship between Gamache and his wife of many years Reine Marie. It's hard not to link their relationship with Penny's own relationship with her husband Michael, who she has previous advised is her model for Gamache and who she mentions in the acknowledgements is now suffering from dementia. This passage really brought home Penny's unique skills at depicting complex human emotion. These books probably bear no relationship to what it really feels like to work in the provincial Quebec police force, but Penny sure knows how to use this context to stir up human emotions -- all the nasty ones and all the ones to aspire too.

Anyhow, if you're a fan, this is another great addition to the series. If your enthusiasm for the series has waned, it might be worth one more try. And if you haven't tried this series, it's definitely worth a try. These are not cozy mysteries nor are they particularly gritty or violent -- the series is very much its own intelligent character driven universe.

I ramble on uncharacteristically because I'm trying to prolong our time together, Armand. Sigh. See you next year. I already miss you. ...more

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Oct 05, 2016 Linda O'Donnell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: louise-penny, 5-star-winners, mystery-thrillers

"Things are strongest where they're broken," said Commander Gamache, his voice deep and calm and certain.

I must tell you.

I don't know where the magnitude of strength came from that propelled Louise Penny to write this most beautiful of life sonnets to her husband, Michael. She penned A Great Reckoning while her husband battled dementia. "Dementia is a marauder, a thief. But every hole it drills has been filled by our friends. By practical help and emotional support."

And her beloved character of ...more

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Sep 18, 2016 Brenda rated it it was amazing

I have read the previous 11 Armand Gamache books, and they all led to the events and revelations in this, the 12th. I felt like I was coming home as I started the book. I wanted to go slow and immerse myself in Three Pines, and I was successful until I had to know the secrets and I couldn't stop reading. Many people talk about certain books as if they were peeling away layers of an onion. To me, this story was like a rose, opening petal by petal.

Armand has found a new purpose as the Commander o ...more

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Oct 03, 2016 Cathrine ☯ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-for-a-challenge

5 Shining so brightly!
While the author was writing this 12th book in her Inspector Gamache series her husband was in the last stages of Alzheimer’s disease and passed away shortly after its publication. In the acknowledgements she writes tenderly and lovingly about him and the many friends, neighbors, and colleagues whose help and emotional support were invaluable to her. That list included “Armand, Reine-Marie, Clara, Myrna, Gabri, Ruth, et al.”
Those of us who love this series can understand t ...more

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May 07, 2016 Sharron rated it it was amazing

Every time I read a title in this series, I think how could it possibly be better than the last, and yet it is. Penny writes with a depth of complexity that reaches out and draws the reader in.

In this latest title Gamache has taken his quest to clean up police corruption to its very beginning, the police academy. Where better to stop corruption than to prevent it from starting. It soon becomes clear that it won't be an easy task, old foes and forces are still at work.

When murder arrives at the ...more

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Aug 31, 2016 Suzanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: keepers-general, mystery

Love this series, but this book is possibly the best in the series yet. Emotional, layered, and thoughtful.

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Dec 29, 2016 DeB MaRtEnS rated it really liked it

Shelves: memorably-good, canadian, crime-mystery, it-s-a-series-whodunnit-canadian

It is always terrific to return to Three Pines, the neighbourly if eccentric cast and catch up with Armande Gamache and his family. Louise Penny has created a unique series, close to being "cozy" and driven by the Inspector's keen intelligence and compassionate soul. At the same time, the mysteries are intense and multi-layered, with unexpected solutions.

In the latest book in the series, Armande Gamache has accepted a job with the Police Training Academy. Le Sûreté has recovered from the corrup ...more

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Aug 30, 2016 LJ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, police_procedural, contemporary_post_1945, canada, female_author, foodie

First Sentence: Armand Gamache sat in the little room and closed the dossier with care, squeezing it shut, trapping the words inside.

No longer the head of homicide for the Sûreté du Quebec, Armand Gamache has finally decided on his next position, and the people with whom he wants to work. It's a position where he feels he can made a difference and a correction to something gone very wrong. When one person dies, the situation becomes even more dire then simply uncovering the facts behind the crim First Sentence: Armand Gamache sat in the little room and closed the dossier with care, squeezing it shut, trapping the words inside.

No longer the head of homicide for the Sûreté du Quebec, Armand Gamache has finally decided on his next position, and the people with whom he wants to work. It's a position where he feels he can made a difference and a correction to something gone very wrong. When one person dies, the situation becomes even more dire then simply uncovering the facts behind the crime. Yet even before beginning, the ladies of Three Pines investigate the contents of a chest; document found in the walls of the bistro during renovation. Among them is a most unusual map with all roads leading to Three Pines, a town which doesn’t exist on any official maps. Can this map lead everyone to their own sense of home, including Gamache?

Penny is a remarkable visual writer—“The curtains of his study fluttered and he could feel a cold draft coming in through the slightly open window. And he knew if he draw back the curtains and turned on the porch light, he would see the first snow of the season swirling in the light. Falling softly and landing on the roofs of the homes in this tiny village of Three Pines.” She doesn’t just tell you, she brings you into the story and allows you to see alongside her characters.

Penny enables you to see her characters as well—“It was a care-worn face. But most of the lines, if followed back like a trail, would lead to happiness. To the face a face made when laughing or smiling, or sitting quietly enjoying the day. Though some of those lines led elsewhere. Into a wilderness, into the wild. Where terrible things had happened. Some of the lines of his face led to evens inhuman and abominable. To horrific sights. To unspeakable acts. Some of them his.” It's that descriptiveness that truly brings everything to life.

Her characters, particularly Gamache, surprise you, but they are real, flesh and blood, and nuanced. The circle of friends in Three Pines, are those among whom you want to be, even the irascible Ruth. Their friendship is loyal, strong and insightful. The wonderful meals they share are a part of that bond—“They’d gathered at Clara’s place this wintery night for a dinner of bouillabaisse, with fresh baguette from Sarah’s boulangerie. Clara and Gabri were in the kitchen just putting the final ingredients into the broth….A delicate aroma of garlic and fennel drifted into the living room and mingled with the scent of wood smoke from the hearth.” Penny's dialogue is as real as her characters, particularly those scenes involving Ruth. She makes you smile, but she makes you think.

Penny is an author with a beautifully lyrical style who causes you to pause and consider; to see things, and people, in a new way, sometimes through the scene, and sometimes through literary references—“Don’t believe everything you think.” The dialogue is realistic, and occasionally humorous—“Through the kitchen window, they saw Commander Gamache supporting Ruth, Keeping her upright on the icy road….”Alzheimer’s?” asked Huifen. “Reine-Marie shook her head. “Poetry.”” She is an author whose work one finds oneself re-reading as in the end, her stories are about love, trust, and redemption.

“A Great Reckoning” is a wonderful story that touches all the emotions. The plot that is layered and puzzled; not in a way which is difficult to follow, but in a way such that one can’t help but admire the thinking that created it. As with life, there are numerous situations and threads, involving different characters in different ways, yet all roads lead us back to Three Pines.

A GREAT RECKONING (Pol Proc-Armand Gamache-Canada-Contemp) – Ex
Penny, Louise – 12th in series
Minotaur Books – Aug 2016 ...more

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Sep 19, 2016 Truman32 rated it it was amazing

I love the Fall. It’s the season where the weather is more moderate--better for running. Football starts. There’s usually a new iPhone coming out, pumpkins can be found everywhere from front porch stoops to fancy coffee drinks, and it is the season where the new books from my authors (usually mystery series) are released.

Louise Penny is right on schedule this September with her newest Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery, A Great Reckoning and it’s sensational. I can’t say this series is unde I love the Fall. It’s the season where the weather is more moderate--better for running. Football starts. There’s usually a new iPhone coming out, pumpkins can be found everywhere from front porch stoops to fancy coffee drinks, and it is the season where the new books from my authors (usually mystery series) are released.

Louise Penny is right on schedule this September with her newest Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery, A Great Reckoning and it’s sensational. I can’t say this series is underappreciated anymore seeing as how this book has ascended to the pinnacle of the bestseller lists, last week debuting at #1, but it still does not get near as much press as it should.

The Gamache books have always been a strange mixture of locked-room murder mystery and police procedural, mixed with a heaping helping of conspiracy, and laboriously garnished with a healthy amount of warmth and heart. And it works. Oh, it works quit well. Penny’s accomplished writing brings everything together into a soufflé of exquisite sumptuousness.

In A Great Reckoning, Gamache now retired from investigating homicides for the Surete du Quebec, has taken the reins of an out of control police-training academy. His new goal is to weed out the corrupt administrators and professors who have infected the force. One particularly pernicious and sadistic weed, the creeping thistle who was previously the academy’s original commander is found murdered with a bullet to the head and the chase is afoot. Meanwhile back in the cozy hamlet of Three Pines, home to Gamache and his friends, a mysterious map is discovered inside the wall of the local Bistro. It seems to be from around the time of World War 1. Is there a connection to this map and the murdered academy administrator?

Penny, historically the only Canadian author of note (not counting the esteemed memoirist and sci-fi guru William Shatner) has the skills to make many of the current crop of mystery writers nervous at being exposed as 5-cent hacks. If Penny’s body is ever found in a deserted patch of Canadian woodlands and the Mounties label her death foul play, you will need only to look at the current crop of writers on the New York Bestseller list for your suspects. Penny’s writing is funny, suspenseful, and warmer than the gravy on a recently delivered order of poutine. There is real humanity behind her characters and a goodness in humanity not found in the conspicuously jaded modern mystery titles found on the shelves at your local Barnes and Noble.

Any of the Armand Gamache books are good, but A Great Reckoning is wildly excellent. It’s rich and poignant. There are moments you will want so badly to see how high pressure situations get resolved you must force yourself not to skip ahead, and moments of piercing pathos that you must remind yourself you are in a public area and you must not break down bawling. Great addition to the series and highly recommended.
...more

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Nov 20, 2016 Kevin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-thrillers, favorites, library-ebook, canada

I purposefully took my time with this book, savoring every chapter. You can't define this book or this series as only mysteries but as true literary works of art. 12 novels, 10 of which I gave 5 shining stars and list as some of my favorites! This story describes a place where I could see myself living, croissants I wish I was eating, characters I wish were my friends and others who feel like family. At points this book made me laugh out loud, at another time I was brought to the edge of tears b ...more

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Sep 12, 2016 Jacque rated it it was amazing

I'm such a fan of Louise Penny's books! As I anxiously anticipate each new title, I worry just a little that I'll be disappointed, but only because my expectations are so high. Well, I vow to stop doing that! This one may be my favorite so far. You can read the synopsis elsewhere, so I won't repeat it here. The story is complex, with the beloved characters in attendance as well as some interesting new ones. Once again, Penny keeps the murder's identity well disguised. The clues are there, but sh ...more

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Sep 18, 2016 Sandy rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, historical, police-procedural, canadian-authors, detectives, contemporary-fiction, suspense, favourite-authors, crime, family-drama, series, conspiracies, literary-fiction

4.5 stars

Wow. As usual, the combination of Ms. Penny's sublime prose & a twisty mystery with several sub plots creates a story that guarantees you'll be packing this with you everywhere until you're done. The last book almost felt like she was ending the series. It answered a lot of questions, tied up story lines & I wondered if Armand & Reine-Marie were riding off into the sunset over Three Pines.
Here, they're back in fine form with a sinister murder taking centre stage. Wonderful ...more

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Sep 09, 2016 Nigel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-recent-ones, netgalley, arc, best-2016-books

Briefly - realistically 4.5/5 but happily rounded up. I'm inclined to think that this is maybe the best Louise Penny book I've read in the series.

In full - This is another tale of Armand Gamache and Three Pines. I came late to this series and Louise Penny however I felt at home immediately with the writing and characters. I've since read most of the earlier books and I would suggest reading them in order. It would be possible to read them as standalone books mostly (although one or two really do Briefly - realistically 4.5/5 but happily rounded up. I'm inclined to think that this is maybe the best Louise Penny book I've read in the series.

In full - This is another tale of Armand Gamache and Three Pines. I came late to this series and Louise Penny however I felt at home immediately with the writing and characters. I've since read most of the earlier books and I would suggest reading them in order. It would be possible to read them as standalone books mostly (although one or two really do follow on fully from each other). However throughout the books there is the overarching story of corruption in the Surete at the very highest levels. Gamache has been steadily dealing with the issue as well as the individual story lines. This one does come with a feeling of "A Great Reckoning" to this aspect of the story.

Having been semi-retired Gamache takes on the leadership of the Surete Academy. He suspects that all is not well there and that cadets are being trained in an inappropriate way at the very least. He considers this job to be "clearing out a cesspit". This book has a rather different approach to previous ones. There is no murder in Three Pines at the start and a quest for information about an old map forms a central part of the story. Four of the academy cadets stand out and there is obviously something rather special about one in particular.

So the question is - as I've enjoyed all the previous Gamache books why do I find this one more interesting and compelling than some? Louise Penny's writing is so well crafted however that is common to all the books. Reading them is so easy and it does indicate just how much work has good into the writing. This one seems to have a slightly different feel to me. Maybe it looks as though there may a resolution to the deep seated corruption in the Surete. The use of the old map in the story I really loved. The story line relating to Amelia - one of the four cadets - brings out such a fundamental characteristic of Gamache too and I loved that as well. I could argue that this is the best of the Armand books I've read. I'm sure he will forgive me the familiarity - to me he is an old friend. There is a depth and tenderness here - something unusual in a book dealing with murder and cruelty.

Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review

http://viewson.org.uk/police/great-re... ...more

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Aug 19, 2016 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: e, crime-mystery-thriller, netgalley

One glides into "A Great Reckoning" with ease, feeling the warmth of friendship renewed, as we catch up with the wonderfully quirky inhabitants of Three Pines again. Even Ruth, the crabby old poet, still clutching her duck Rosa and giving everyone the finger.

Very soon, however, Ms Penny introduces a more worrying emotion, and we set off on another crusade against evil - the stealthy, festering, insidious kind - in the reassuring company of Armand Gamache, the new Commander of the Sûreté Academy One glides into "A Great Reckoning" with ease, feeling the warmth of friendship renewed, as we catch up with the wonderfully quirky inhabitants of Three Pines again. Even Ruth, the crabby old poet, still clutching her duck Rosa and giving everyone the finger.

Very soon, however, Ms Penny introduces a more worrying emotion, and we set off on another crusade against evil - the stealthy, festering, insidious kind - in the reassuring company of Armand Gamache, the new Commander of the Sûreté Academy. The man who smells of sandalwood. With a slight hint of rosewater. A man to die for.

The plot carries you swiftly forward at a blazing, consuming, passionate pace: once things start moving, you just can't put the book down. Yet I found myself almost unwittingly re-reading many paragraphs because even small details seem to be of vital importance, to grasp and remember. The story conjures up so many different emotions, feelings of sadness, suspicion, fear and doubt, but also of laughter, love and loyalty… And you never quite know who to trust, who to blame... That's all part of the mastery of a Louise Penny novel.

"Don't believe everything you think"

Armand Gamache fans are really going to adore this new novel... Obviously. However, for readers who wish to discover the works of Louise Penny, I feel it would be a shame to treat "A Great Reckoning" as a stand alone novel, because there are so many references to what happened before Chief Inspector Gamache retired from the Sûreté. One has to wonder just how Ms Penny actually plots out the series - can she really cook up elements and threads that will be exploited several novels further on? This is undoubtedly a most remarkable talent!

"A Great Reckoning" is a great addition to a truly great series. And I surmise, from something Gamache says in the last chapter, that there will be more; which means Louise Penny's readership can, once again, look towards the future with delightful anticipation.

I received this book from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to netgalley.com, Little Brown Book group, and Louise Penny (5 stars very well deserved - you've done it again!).

...more

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Sep 06, 2016 debra rated it it was amazing

Really WONDERFUL!!!!!! See Diane S's review to see why it is so great.
PS A big THANK YOU to Diane S for making my reviews so easy to "write" -due to the excellence of hers!!!!

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Oct 17, 2016 Susanna - Censored by GoodReads rated it really liked it

I thought this was one of the stronger in the series.

I should like to visit Three Pines, were it not for the murder rate. (Though not room with Ruth Zardo, thank you. You can book me at the B&B next to the bistro.)

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Sep 09, 2016 Kathryn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: chief-inspector-armand-gamache, 2016

Out. Of. The. Park. Louise Penny has done it again. This story was incredible. I just have to quote the inside of the jacket from The New York Times Book Review as it says it all:

Penny writes with grace and intelligence about complex people struggling with complex emotions. But her great gift is her uncanny ability to describe what might seem indescribable - the play of light, the sound of celestial music, a quiet sense of peace.

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May 17, 2016 Claudia Silk rated it it was amazing

Just when you think this series can't get any better another one comes along! Louise Penny never disappoints and it is always a joy to go back to Three Pines and visit with the gang but of course there is always darkness hanging around the edges. I love her writing, I love her character, I love this series and it makes me miserable that I have to wait another year for the next installment.

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Oct 18, 2016 Kelly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: police-procedural, canada

One of the best books I've read this year.

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Oct 13, 2016 Pat rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle, one-of-mine, 2016

Absolutely fantastic! Book #12 of the Three Pines series contains all the best elements of the series.

First, this novel answers many questions about the village of Three Pines that have played a part or been referenced in the other books.
Second, as always, there is a great murder mystery to solve which has enough intricacies to keep a reader wondering what is going to happen and basically, who did it?
And the third element is a personal one for me because I grew up in the city of Clairton, PA jus ...more

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Aug 29, 2016 Lesa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: police-procedural, traditional-mystery, mystery-series, fiction, crime-fiction

I have a great problem with Louise Penny's A Great Reckoning. I read it twice, and still have no idea how to review it without spoiling the book. And, because I feel as if the book jacket summary is confusing, that doesn't help. It's a superb book, as beautiful as all of Penny's other writings, but a difficult one to discuss.

Once again, Penny combines two storylines, bringing the outside world to Three Pines. It all begins with a discovery in the wall of the bistro, newspapers and magazines. And I have a great problem with Louise Penny's A Great Reckoning. I read it twice, and still have no idea how to review it without spoiling the book. And, because I feel as if the book jacket summary is confusing, that doesn't help. It's a superb book, as beautiful as all of Penny's other writings, but a difficult one to discuss.

Once again, Penny combines two storylines, bringing the outside world to Three Pines. It all begins with a discovery in the wall of the bistro, newspapers and magazines. And, a map. It's certainly an odd map. And, Olivier and the villagers gift it to Armand Gamache when he takes over his new position at the Sûreté Academy, where they train young people to join the Sûreté de Quebec . It's a map that will impact Gamache's position, the investigation of a murder case, and four cadets from the Academy. In fact, because of that map, four young people will arrive at Three Pines, that magical village that appears just when people need it. And, those are four needy cadets.

There's really no need to summarize A Great Reckoning other than to say there are two investigations, one into a new murder, one into the story of the map. Gamache is the linchpin with his connection to Three Pines and the Sûreté Academy. And, because of that map, because of a cadet, Gamache himself is a suspect.

Louise Penny has had an overarching storyline in her books about power, and the corruption of power. In Gamache's new role,"He was judge and jury. The first and final word. And Armand Gamache realized, without great surprise, that it was a role he was comfortable with. Even liked. The power, yes. He was honest enough to admit that." Power.

Penny shows the use and abuse of power, along with the contrast between darkness and light. It's light that finally reveals the secrets and stories of the map. And, of course, there's Gamache himself, the symbol of light, with his kindness, his hope for the cadets, his power.

I read A Great Reckoning twice in the last week. When I read Louise Penny's books, I find myself savoring the words, the phrases. I reread the conversations involving Ruth. Those are often the humorous touches, the dry humor. I look up W.H. Auden's poems, such as "Herman Melville" to read the poem that Ruth and Gamache quote, lines about goodness and evil, the heart of Penny's books. Despite the beauty of the poem, of so many sentences, my favorite this time is from Gamache. "Not every mystery is a crime. But every crime starts as a mystery. A secret. Some hidden thought or feeling. A desire. Something not yet illegal that evolves, with time, into a crime. Every homicide I've investigated started as a secret."

What can I really say about A Great Reckoning? It's the best book I've read this year, the only one I've read twice. It's light and hope and kindness overcoming the darkness and ugliness of the world. It's one man, Armand Gamache, whose smile and kindness can change the future. It's Louise Penny's latest gift to readers. ...more

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Jul 06, 2016 Vicki rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, libraryreads, arcs2016, best-of-2016, 2016, libfaves16

After his retirement from the Surete, former Chief of Homicide Gamache has many offers to consider. From among them all, he decides to accept the position of Commander of the Surete training academy in an attempt to root out the corruption there and put the Surete motto of "service, integrity, justice" back into the heart of learning. Of course there is a mystery or two to solve with the help of the quirky inhabitants of Three Pines. But Penny does more than just tell an absorbing tale full of t ...more

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Sep 07, 2016 Michele Bond rated it it was amazing

Love the Armand Gamache novels, this one did not disappoint. A good read by a great author.

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Sep 25, 2016 Carol - Reading Writing and Riesling rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own

why haven't I discovered this author before now? Brilliant!

My View:
Outstanding! *loud cheer* Perfect character driven crime thriller!!!

I cannot believe that I have not read any of this series before now – fantastic does not go anywhere near describing how great this book was! Despite this being the 12th book in the series I had no problems keeping up with events and characters – the author does a superb job in informing the reader of past happenings without devoting chapters to this, it is ver ...more

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Sep 12, 2016 Julie Durnell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery

Another outstanding book in this well-written series! The travails of Armand Gamache are so worth reading, he is a man I would love to have coffee with! The circle of family, co-workers, and village neighbors make these books the best-selling series it has become. The only point taken off would be for the heavy hand with profanity, which seems to have increased in this latest book.

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Oct 18, 2016 Elaine Crockett rated it it was ok

I'm in the minority, but I thought this book would be terrific, and frankly, it isn't, and it certainly isn't what I expected based on the glowing reviews. I couldn't get past the half-way point because I felt no connection to these characters. The Chief Inspector is TOO perfect and the foul-mouthed old woman is TOO imperfect. And so it goes with the characters, everyone seemingly "good" or "bad." Maybe this series is an acquired taste because it has many wonderful reviews from fans who obviousl ...more

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Sep 08, 2016 Carol Jean rated it it was ok

EVERY FREAKIN' ONE OF HER BOOKS I start out enjoying the characters and the tension and end up face to face with a completely unbelievable situation. And that damn old poet and her duck. And that stupid fairy-tale village. ARRRGGGGHHHH. By now I should know better.

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Oct 16, 2016 Darlene rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

I have listened to the audiobooks of each and every installment in the 'Chief Inspector Armand Gamache' series by Louise Penny and have loved them all! After listening to 'The Nature of the Beast' which was #11 in the series, I wasn't sure the series had anyplace left to go. In 'The Nature of the Beast', Chief Inspector Gamache had retired from the Surete du Quebec after having been instrumental in bringing down the corruptive forces which had been plaguing the institution for years. Gamache had I have listened to the audiobooks of each and every installment in the 'Chief Inspector Armand Gamache' series by Louise Penny and have loved them all! After listening to 'The Nature of the Beast' which was #11 in the series, I wasn't sure the series had anyplace left to go. In 'The Nature of the Beast', Chief Inspector Gamache had retired from the Surete du Quebec after having been instrumental in bringing down the corruptive forces which had been plaguing the institution for years. Gamache had also had to deal with scandal and controversy concerning his own judgment in a police situation which had gone horribly wrong. He and his wife Reine-Marie had retired to the little village of Three Pines, hoping to put all of the unpleasantness behind them and find some peace of mind. I couldn't help but wonder… if Armand Gamache was to no longer be Chief Inspector of the Surete , would the series hold any interest for me?

Now that I have finished listening to the latest in this series, 'A Great Reckoning', I can answer that question with a resounding yes! 'A Great Reckoning' begins with Armand Gamache agreeing to take on a new job.. perhaps his most difficult.. that of Commander of the Surete Training Academy. To Gamache's thinking, weeding out the corruption in the Surete was only the first step. He had been aware for some time that the Surete Academy had been producing officers who were brutal and cruel, without conscience or compassion. He felt it was his duty to help make the Surete an institution which all residents of Quebec could trust and be proud. Although the main plot in this novel surrounds Gamache's plans for the restoration of the Surete Academy to its original greatness, there are a couple of other story lines occurring which tie together nicely in the end.

I feel I need to speak a little of the setting for this story and all of the stories in this series… the tiny village of Three Pines. In every novel in this series, all stories seem to lead to this village. Despite its absence from every known map of Quebec, Three Pines and its interesting and quirky residents are important to every story and it is not surprising that Armand Gamache chooses to retire to this village and live among its inhabitants. I LOVE the villagers of Three Pines… they are, to me, probably the best aspect of these stories and I always look forward to spending time with them… there is Myrna, a retired psychologist who moved to Three Pines and now runs the new And used book store; Clara is a talented painter who has had some national recognition and yet sometimes appears to be a bit scatterbrained, appearing in public with bits of her last meal imbedded in her hair. There is the hugely entertaining and amusing couple, Olivier and Gabri who run the local bistro / bed and breakfast, where the entire village seems to end up each day to enjoy a cafe au lait and a bit of gossip. And last but not least, there is Ruth, the crusty old poet who rambles around the village with her duck Rosa, whom she treats like the child she never had.

On the day before Armand Gamache is set to begin his new job at the Academy, the villagers discover an old, very unusual map. All the villagers are buzzing about this map.. who drew it? What exactly is it meant to represent? It's clear that the map is somehow related to a stained glass window in the village's old church and it seems to have a connection to the Great War. It appears that the village and Gamache have a puzzle to solve.. and as a gift demonstrating good will and luck, the villagers present the framed map to Gamache to take with him to his new job.

While the villagers are puzzling over the map, Armand begins setting his plan to transform the Academy into motion.. a plan which is not a little perplexing and dismaying to the students and instructors at the Academy. Gamache has decided to bring in as new instructors, two of the men he had exposed in the corruption scandal at the Surete… Serge Leduc and Michel Brebeuf, Michel whom Gamache had known since they were children and whom he had considered his closest friend (until he had been betrayed by Brebeuf). What was Gamache thinking? How was he going to make the necessary changes with the very men on staff who had so poisoned the Surete? Gamache, as always, had a plan and of course when it was revealed, it was logical and reasonable. Suffice it to say, his plan involved a bit of "keeping his friends close and his enemies closer."

What Gamache couldn't have foreseen and couldn't have planned for was a murder at the Academy. An instructor was found shot in the head with a revolver.. perhaps his OWN revolver? And shockingly, among his possessions was a copy of the very unusual map of Three Pines which Gamache had hung in his office. What did the map have to do with the murder? And just how did it get to be among the instructor's possessions? Needless to say, the plans Gamache had constructed had gone quite awry. He now had a murderer to expose, a puzzle regarding an old map to solve.. and to aid him in these pursuits were several chosen students form the Academy, one a new recruit named Amelia Choquet, an unlikely police recruit, sporting various tattoos and body piercings but who seems to have a mysterious connection to an important even from Gamache's past.

This story is riveting and takes many twists and turns but ultimately all of the loose ends are tied together. We learn a little more of Gamache's past and we learn of an intriguing but moving story about an unlikely cartographer and the reason Three Pines had disappeared years ago from all maps of Quebec.

I suppose you don't have to read this entire series in order to appreciate 'A Great Reckoning', but I strongly recommend that you start from the beginning and do yourself a favor by LISTENING to these books. Armand Gamache is easily one of my favorite characters. He is full of warmth, intelligence and compassion and I look forward each year to spending time in his presence.The last 2 books of this series , 'The Nature of the Beast' and 'A Great Reckoning' have been narrated by Robert Bathurst… who replaced Ralph Cosham who sadly passed away. Both men did an exceptional job bringing Gamache and the residents of Three Pines to life. ...more

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About Louise Penny

Many of Louise Penny's books are published under different titles by UK/Canada and US publishers.
She lives with her husband, Michael, and a golden retriever named Trudy, in a small village south of Montreal.

Her first Armand Gamache novel, "Still Life" won the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony and Dilys Awards.

Awards:
* Agatha Award: Best Novel
o 2007 – A Fatal Grace – Winner
o 2008 – ...more

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Other Books in the Series

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (1 - 10 of 12 books)

Books by Louise Penny

Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #1)

A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #2)

How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #9)

Bury Your Dead (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #6)

A Rule Against Murder (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #4)

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“Don’t believe everything you think.” — 5 likes

“It’s so easy to get mired in the all too obvious cruelty of the world. It’s natural. But to really heal, we need to recognize the goodness too.” — 4 likes

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A Great Reckoning (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #12)

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