The Brutal Telling through How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series #5 – #9)

By Louise Penny

Rating: 5/5 Stairs

I’ve been listening to the Inspector Gamache series for a few months now. The first four books reflect the four seasons of the year. I heard an interview with Ms. Penny and she mentioned that she had an initial vision for these first four books but hadn’t thought where to go from there.

The Brutal Telling kicks off a story arc that hits to the heart of Gamache’s team at the Sûreté du Québec. Each book has the team working on a mystery, but there is much more  going on within the team itself. Someone in the Sûreté is trying to bring Gamache down, and is going after his team to do it. We finally find resolution in How the Light Gets In.

I wrote about how powerful and beautiful Bury Your Dead is; this one is book six. I found that I loved the conclusion to this arc (How the Light Gets In) just as much as Bury Your Dead. I really enjoy Ms. Penny’s writing style. She writes beautifully, making me care about these characters and what happens to them. Listening to the audio books has been very enjoyable – you feel like Gamache himself is telling you the story.

If you haven’t read one of the books in this series, I highly recommend them. I would start at the beginning, and enjoy the ride.