*** SELECTED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE GUARDIAN *** 'Electrifying drama ... the bodies pile
up the intensity and horror are reminiscent of Thomas Harris at his finest. Gamache is a
fascinatingly complex protagonist' BOOK OF THE MONTH THE TIMES It's spring and Three Pines is
reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not
everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has. As the villagers prepare for a
special celebration Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried.
A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators' lives after many
years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered leaving them
damaged shattered. Now they've arrived in the village of Three Pines. But to what end? Gamache
and Beauvoir's memories of that tragic case the one that first brought them together come
rushing back. Did their mother's murder hurt them beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds
buried for decades festered and are now about to erupt? As Chief Inspector Gamache works to
uncover answers his alarm grows when a letter written by a long dead stone mason is
discovered. In it the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the
village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found
the villagers decide to open it up. As the bricks are removed Gamache Beauvoir and the
villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there's more
in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles and hidden messages warning
of mayhem and revenge. In unsealing that room an old enemy is released into their world. Into
their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache's home. 'Penny delves into the nature of
evil sensitively exploring the impact of the dreadful events she describes while bringing a
warmth and humanity to her disparate cast of characters that unusually for a crime novel
leaves you feeling better about the world once you've finished' BOOK OF THE MONTH OBSERVER
'Bestseller Penny's virtuoso 18th novel featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Québec
Sûreté ... blends nuanced characterization with nail-biting suspense ...This tale of
forgiveness and redemption will resonate with many' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 'This is a hugely
satisfying mystery of course but more than that it's a chilling morality tale. Nobody does
evil quite as scarily as Louise Penny' ANN CLEEVESFURTHER PRAISE FOR LOUISE PENNY AND THE
INSPECTOR GAMACHE SERIES: 'Enthralling ... With beautifully drawn characters this is crime
writing of the highest order' DAILY MAIL 'Louise Penny is one of the greatest crime writers of
our times' DENISE MINA 'Louise Penny twists and turns the plot expertly tripping the reader up
just at the moment you think you might have solved the mystery' DAILY EXPRESS 'No one does
atmospheric quite like Louise Penny' ELLY GRIFFITHS
