Louise Penny is a master of the mystery. Her Three Pines series is as good a series of books as I have ever read. Her latest, Glass Houses, is no exception. All of the ingredients are there--the charming village of Three Pines, a town so magical it doesn't show up on a map but calls to it the people who need it most; the most eclectic group of friends and family who love and support each other through thick and thin and insults; mouth-watering food (except those unsuccessful baguettes from the new girl at the boulangerie); a deep connection with the nature that surrounds them; and of course Armand Gamache, now Chief Superintendent of Quebec's Surete, and his family.
Usually I start with a recap of the plot of the book and then move on to talk about the author or the series or anything I find exceptional about the book (which in this case is: everything). But I can't do that with Glass Houses. More than with any other of Louise Penny's books, this one is so tightly and brilliantly plotted that I hesitate to give away any of the story at all. I don't want to spoil anything, I don't want to point to anything that happens later in the book, and I don't want to compromise the storylines with those breath-taking trademark payoffs. But you can be prepared for the usual Louise Penny add-ins--there is poetry and laughter and snide remarks and shocking one-liners that make you have to stop and laugh from surprise and delight. There are all the best characters--Clara, Myrna, Ruth and her duck, Gabri and Olivier. And there is a brutal death and an investigation into the layers of pain and anger that caused it.
But I will say this: Read. This. Book. It doesn't matter if you've never read one of Louise Penny's books before. It doesn't matter if you've read them all. The themes of this novel, the strands of humanity that you follow, the questions and philosophy of Armand Gamache, the love of these many familiar characters who now feel like close friends, all of this draws you in with enough warmth to get you though one of those desperately cold Quebec winters. The secrets and surprises that you find along the way, the friends and family you acquire, the way you end up leaving your heart in Three Pines for another year wondering how Louise Penny could possibly top that one, it's all worth it. Glass Houses is absolutely worth the price of your time and energy and emotional investment. And reading a Penny book is an investment, to be certain. But you will find that nothing compares to the return you get as you return to the best, most loving, and possibly most murderous village in Canada.
Galleys for Glass Houses were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley, with all my gratitude. But even though the ebook I got was free, I will gladly pay for the audiobook myself to enjoy over and over.