A novel about life and death--and all the mystery that remains--from #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is on break from duty in Three Pines to attend the famed Winter Carnival up north. He has arrived in this beautiful, freezing city not to join the revels but to recover from an investigation gone hauntingly wrong. Still, violent death is inescapable--even here, in the apparent sanctuary of the Literary and Historical Society, where one obsessive academic's quest for answers will lead Gamache down a dark path. . .
Meanwhile, Gamache is receiving disturbing news from his hometown village. Beloved bistro owner Olivier was recently convicted of murder but everyone--including Gamache--believes that he is innocent. Who is behind this sinister plot? Now it's up to Gamache to solve this killer case. . .and relive a terrible event from his own past before he can begin to bury his dead.
"Few writers in any genre can match Penny's ability to combine heartbreak and hope."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Sophisticated and moving--her best yet." --People Magazine, "People Pick," 4 stars
Additional Praise for Louise Penny and the Armand Gamache Mysteries
"Penny sustains her high-wire act, creating characters of remarkable depth in an exhilarating whodunit." --People
"Louise Penny is unsurpassed at building a sense of heart-stopping urgency." --The Charlotte Observer
"Penny, who raises the bar with each entry in this superb series, has always mixed murder and corruption with issues of morality...[S]he does so with her accustomed talent for a gripping plot, rich characterizations, arresting prose and thought-provoking questions of mercy, malice and the contradictions of the human race." --Richmond-Times Dispatch
"This series dominates best-seller lists and award lists for a reason. Penny tells powerful stories of damage and healing in the human heart, leavened with affection, humor and - thank goodness - redemption." --Salem Macknee, Charlotte Observer
"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." --New York Times Book Review
