How the Light Gets In - BookWyrm.World

Published Jan. 6, 2013 by Minotaur Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-312-65547-1

“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” - Leonard Cohen

Christmas is approaching, and in Québec it’s a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive season for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Most of his best agents have left the Homicide Department, his old friend and lieutenant Jean-Guy Beauvoir hasn’t spoken to him in months, and hostile forces are lining up against him. When Gamache receives a message from Myrna Landers that a longtime friend has failed to arrive for Christmas in the village of Three Pines, he welcomes the chance to get away from the city. Mystified by Myrna's reluctance to reveal her friend's name, Gamache soon discovers the missing woman was once one of the most famous people not just in North America, but in the world, …

“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” - Leonard Cohen

Christmas is approaching, and in Québec it’s a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive season for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Most of his best agents have left the Homicide Department, his old friend and lieutenant Jean-Guy Beauvoir hasn’t spoken to him in months, and hostile forces are lining up against him. When Gamache receives a message from Myrna Landers that a longtime friend has failed to arrive for Christmas in the village of Three Pines, he welcomes the chance to get away from the city. Mystified by Myrna's reluctance to reveal her friend's name, Gamache soon discovers the missing woman was once one of the most famous people not just in North America, but in the world, and now goes unrecognized by virtually everyone except the mad, brilliant poet Ruth Zardo.

As events come to a head, Gamache is drawn ever deeper into the world of Three Pines. Increasingly, he is not only investigating the disappearance of Myrna’s friend but also seeking a safe place for himself and his still-loyal colleagues. Is there peace to be found even in Three Pines, and at what cost to Gamache and the people he holds dear?

1 edition

DirkReading reviewed How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (Chief Inspector Gamache, #9)

Love these characters, much less the story

3 stars

I have to admit that I love Louise Penny's writing and her characters. This is why I keep coming back to the series despite having my problems with the actual murder mysteries. Often she's emphasizing things that simply don't feel as relevant to me as she seem to express (e.g. for several books a leaked video plays a crucial role that I'm pretty sure would not have so much weight in the real world). Also she's sometimes falling into "cutsy" descriptions when she tries to be funny that only work for the reader but would not work for the character. This type of thing usually pulls me right out of the story. Finally, this specific book annoyed me for its descriptions of computer hackers and the act of hacking. Knowing a thing or two about it myself I kept rolling my eyes. I also simply refuse to believe that a …

I have to admit that I love Louise Penny's writing and her characters. This is why I keep coming back to the series despite having my problems with the actual murder mysteries. Often she's emphasizing things that simply don't feel as relevant to me as she seem to express (e.g. for several books a leaked video plays a crucial role that I'm pretty sure would not have so much weight in the real world). Also she's sometimes falling into "cutsy" descriptions when she tries to be funny that only work for the reader but would not work for the character. This type of thing usually pulls me right out of the story. Finally, this specific book annoyed me for its descriptions of computer hackers and the act of hacking. Knowing a thing or two about it myself I kept rolling my eyes. I also simply refuse to believe that a retired medical doctor turns into a world class hacker as a hobby but that's just me...

David Scrimshaw reviewed How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny (Chief Inspector Gamache, #9)

Review of 'How the Light Gets in' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

It's hard to say anything about this book without giving spoilers. But it's not like my review of the ninth Inspector Gamache book is going to make you start the series or not.

So all I'll say to fellow Gamache followers is that I have mixed feelings about the way this ended, and I have to read up on a certain group of children so that I don't base my understanding of their lives on the fictional counterparts in How the Light Gets In.