by Sarah Erwin

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

The Grey Wolf, book 19 in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny, is one of the most page-turning, ambitious mystery novels I have read this year. Get ready to buckle up and hang on for all 432 pages – readers will not regret it!

It’s August in Three Pines, a tiny Québec village, and Armand Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie are enjoying a quiet Sunday in their garden until Gamache’s phone rings. He ignores it, but it continues to ring, and his tension increases, until he answers with anger and hangs up immediately. This is only the beginning of a sequence of bizarre events that Gamache, as head of homicide at the Sûreté, knows are related and are forecasting big trouble. Events like: a missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading “this might interest you”, a scrap of paper with a mysterious list—and then, of course, a murder.

Between Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste, the three begin to uncover a most sinister and terrifying plot in the works–a plot far worse than murder. They soon begin to realize that they can only trust each other, and those who were once friends are no longer. Their pursuit to uncover this devastating plot takes them across Québec and across borders, and I was gripping my book so tightly that my fingers ached when I had to put it down.

This story is epic in scope and complex in plot, and while I was anxious to get to the resolution, I had to keep reminding myself to slow down because Louise Penny does not skimp on details on both setting, characters, and clues. The richness of Louise’s writing is so much that I could feel the terror coursing through Gamache as he raced to save millions of lives. I could feel his exhaustion and adrenaline battling each other. Seeing seemingly unrelated clues fall into place made for a breathtaking reading experience. I have always been an Inspector Gamache fan, but The Grey Wolf was one of the best I’ve read. Readers shouldn’t wait to get their hands on this mystery.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of The Grey Wolf, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “grey wolf” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 23, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.