Publication Date: Available Now from Sphere
Source: Review Copy
One cold November day, a mysterious figure appears on the village green in Three Pines, causing unease, alarm and confusion among everyone who sees it. Chief Superintendent, Armand Gamache knows something is seriously wrong, but all he can do is watch and wait, hoping his worst fears are not realised. But when the figure disappears and a dead body is discovered, it falls to Gamache to investigate.
In the early days of the murder inquiry, and months later, as the trial for the accused begins, Gamache must face the consequences of his decisions, and his actions, from which there is no going back . . .
Gripping, surprising and powerful, Glass Houses is the new ingenious and illuminating novel from number one bestseller, Louise Penny, which will leave you spellbound until the final page.
This is actually my first read of Louise Penny (won’t be my last, my book halo is slipping) and I enjoyed it thoroughly, mostly for the scene setting and the absolutely gorgeous descriptive prose. I will say I feel I may have been even more engaged with it had I read previous novels in the series – that is not to say you can’t read this in isolation you can – however I am now going to go back and read a selection of the others.
This book opens with high intrigue as Gamache is on the stand answering questions about a previous murder. This really set the scene beautifully and made me immediately want to know what had happened. The setting of “Three Pines” has obviously been embedded in during earlier stories, but I loved the sense that the author brought to the surroundings and the small town quirky vibe. Jumping between there and Montreal the drama unfolds in a very powerful way, this was a book I read fast and got completely immersed in.
I’m actually glad in a way that I have only just come to these – the mystery elements are clever, the writing is intuitively captivating, I can see why there is a huge fanbase for the Gamache series and I think I will shortly be joining it – and we all know that little jump of joy inside when we discover a new series and realise we have a whole lot to look forward to. Sometimes it is good to be late to the party…
Highly Recommended (But maybe start at the start?)
Follow the Tour!
Happy Reading!
I have been a fan since reading Still Life and have read the entire series at least twice. As you said in your review, the prose is beautiful, concise and impactful. Three Pines is where I;d love to live. I loved re-reading them in order, one after the other- total immersion!