How The Light Gets In
By Louise Penny
$29.95 Minotaur Books New York
Louise Penny is the author of nine books featuring detective Chief Insp. Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec. The stories just get better and better.
Audrey Villeneuve’s body is pulled from the river close to the Champlain Bridge, and Constance Pineault is late for her planned visit to the remote village of Three Pines. Two unconnected items and yet their stories become part of this interesting yarn.
It is important to read these Louise Penny novels in order, although there are enough hints throughout to put the reader in the picture.
Since the last book Chief Supt. Francoeur has become the head of the Sûreté, and has systematically dismantled the team that Gamache pulled together and trained. Jean-Guy Beauvoir is no longer his second, having been replaced by Isabelle Lacoste. Gamache still believes in the Sûreté code, “Service, Integrity, Justice,” but he’s working with officers whose attitude borders on insolence.
The Village of Three Pines, where much of the action takes place, is in a mountain valley where cellphones and Internet are unavailable. It is a place of calm with a warm and welcoming bistro, a book store, a bed and breakfast, and with so few lights showing that night features a starry sky. The town also has its share of colourful characters who add greatly to the story.
Because there is such a concerted effort on the part of Chief Supt. Francoeur to remove Gamache, it’s very evident that there are some nefarious plans afoot.
In his slow methodical way, Gamache has found a way to investigate the high-tech highway. Jerome Brunel is a cyber junkie, he lives on the Internet and discovers many things that raise questions and fear in the mind of Insp. Gamache, but if Jerome is caught his life will be in great danger.
Besides the mystery at the Sûreté, there is a whole story here about the quintuplets. These five girls are named herein the Ouellet Quints, and of course they are loosely based on the Dionne Quints. Five beautiful little girls born in the dark days of the Depression, who became an obsession, their pictures on mugs and spoons, their actions on newsreels.
Were they the happy little girls portrayed in the news? Did their parents profit from their use in ads and media? Or were they lonely little girls parted from their rural family?
As this story unwinds, Chief Supt. Francoeur has no problem ordering people killed, so that his tracks go undetected. There are wheels within wheels in this well-told but complicated account.
There is reason to worry, though. By the end of the story it seems that Insp. Gamache will step down and a younger man will take his place, but nothing can happen until this lot is taken care of.
Bullets fly in the quiet village of Three Pines. Stopping the thuggery at the top almost overshadows the murder of the very famous quintuplet.
Peggy Freeman is a freelance books reviewer.