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Sunday 26 July 2015

‘The Long Way Home’ By Louise Penny



Published (UK) by Sphere,
26 August 2014.
ISBN: 978-0-7515-5264-5
Published (USA) by Minotaur,
July 28, 2015.
ISBN: 978-1-250-02205-9

This is the tenth novel by Louise Penny, and the newest in the ChiefInspector Gamache series (that is until the next one, “*The Nature of the Beast*,” is published on August 25, 2015).  It takes place eight months after the events in the prior novel, the equally wonderful “*How the Light Gets In*,” and finds Gamache, now in his late fifties, newly retired from his position as head of homicide for the Surete du Quebec, having had enough of murder and killers and anxious to “at long last, rest in peace in the little village in the valley.”  That, of course, being the village of Three Pines, “so small and obscure it doesn’t appear on any map,” where he has found a peaceful and worry-/anxiety-free existence.

All the other beloved villagers are also present: Myrna, a “large black woman” who had been a practicing psychologist and runs the local bookstore; “demented, drunken, delusional” Ruth Zardo, an eccentric, award-winning poet, and Rosa, her beloved pet duck; Gabri and Olivier, the lovers who run the bistro and the B&B; Jean-Guy Beauvoir, formerly Gamache’s second-in-command and now his son-in-law.  But this time out, the plot centers around Clara Morrow, one of the closest friends that Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, had in the small village.

Clara is a brilliant artist and portraitist, married to Peter Morrow, a celebrated artist in his own right but now overshadowed by his wife’s growing fame and respect.  One gains insight into the world of art in these pages, and sees that beauty truly lies in the eyes of the beholder, whether in art or one’s surroundings, and presents art in its many nuances, to a far greater degree than I remember in the earlier series entries.

One morning Clara tells Gamache that her husband, from whom she had separated one year prior, has gone missing.  The strain in their marriage had caused them to agree to have no contact for a year, and then to reunite on the anniversary of that date.  Gamache, aided by Jean-Guy, Myrna, Ruth, and Clara herself, embark on a quest to find Peter, taking them to the far reaches of Canada, to places where “time had its own rules.”  The writing is poetic prose at its best, and, as well as the ubiquitous “lump in the throat” that one finds throughout the book, is completely captivating.
Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Gloria Feit

Louise Penny was born in Toronto in 1958 and became a journalist and radio host with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, specializing in hard news and current affairs. My first job was in Toronto and then moved to Thunder Bay at the far tip of Lake Superior, in Ontario. It was a great place to learn the art and craft of radio and interviewing, and listening. Louise had always dreamed of writing and says ‘ now I am. Beyond my wildest dreams (and I can dream pretty wild) the Chief Inspector Gamache books have found a world-wide audience, won awards and ended up on bestseller lists including the New York Times. Even more satisfying, I have found a group of friends in the writing community. Other authors, booksellers, readers - who have become important parts of our lives. I thought writing might provide me with an income - I had no idea the real riches were more precious but less substantial.’  Louise lives with her husband Michael in a small village.

Ted and Gloria Feit live in Long Beach, NY, a few miles outside New York City.  For 26 years, Gloria was the manager of a medium-sized litigation firm in lower Manhattan. Her husband, Ted, is an attorney and former stock analyst, publicist and writer/editor for, over the years, several daily, weekly and monthly publications.  Having always been avid mystery readers, and since they're now retired, they're able to indulge that passion.  Their reviews appear online as well as in three print publications in the UK and US.  On a more personal note: both having been widowed, Gloria and Ted have five children and nine grandchildren between them.

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