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A review by chrissie_whitley
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
4.0
4.5 stars
In The Grey Wolf, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache’s quiet morning in Three Pines is interrupted by a cryptic phone call he dreads to answer. What begins with a missing coat, a puzzling note, and a murder soon spirals into a chilling realization: a sinister force threatens not just one life but countless others. With his trusted team, Gamache races across Québec and beyond, unraveling secrets and questioning loyalties as the enormity of the danger becomes clear. Failure could devastate cities, villages, and even the secluded peace of Three Pines itself.
At this point in the series — book 19! — it's like visiting an old friend or catching an episode of a favorite TV show ("Oh, I haven't seen this one before!"). The writing is as good as ever and the characters continue to shine bright. I cannot wait for the next one!
Side note: The new audiobook performer, Jean Brassard, is Québecois, and I can’t express how much of a difference that made in listening to and orienting myself in this world. I loved the original narrator, Ralph Cosham, but he set me up from the beginning to picture Gamache as elderly, as he himself was. After his passing, Robert Bathurst took over and anchored the character closer to his actual age. Now, we’re finally at par—Jean Brassard is practically perfect in every way as the new voice of Gamache.
In The Grey Wolf, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache’s quiet morning in Three Pines is interrupted by a cryptic phone call he dreads to answer. What begins with a missing coat, a puzzling note, and a murder soon spirals into a chilling realization: a sinister force threatens not just one life but countless others. With his trusted team, Gamache races across Québec and beyond, unraveling secrets and questioning loyalties as the enormity of the danger becomes clear. Failure could devastate cities, villages, and even the secluded peace of Three Pines itself.
At this point in the series — book 19! — it's like visiting an old friend or catching an episode of a favorite TV show ("Oh, I haven't seen this one before!"). The writing is as good as ever and the characters continue to shine bright. I cannot wait for the next one!
Side note: The new audiobook performer, Jean Brassard, is Québecois, and I can’t express how much of a difference that made in listening to and orienting myself in this world. I loved the original narrator, Ralph Cosham, but he set me up from the beginning to picture Gamache as elderly, as he himself was. After his passing, Robert Bathurst took over and anchored the character closer to his actual age. Now, we’re finally at par—Jean Brassard is practically perfect in every way as the new voice of Gamache.