A great reckoning

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Instant New York Times bestseller:#1 in Hardcover Fiction#1 in E-book Fiction#1 in Combined Print and E-book Fiction"Deep and grand and altogether extraordinary....Miraculous."—The Washington Post"Artful...Powerful...Magical."- The New York Times Book Review"Superb"- PeopleA Great Reckoning succeeds on every level."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch#1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny pulls back the layers to reveal a brilliant and emotionally powerful truth in her latest spellbinding novel.When an intricate old map is found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in Three Pines, it at first seems no more than a curiosity. But the closer the villagers look, the stranger it becomes.Given to Armand Gamache as a gift the first day of his new job, the map eventually leads him to shattering secrets. To an old friend and older adversary. It leads the former Chief of Homicide for the Sûreté du Québec to places even he is afraid to go. But must.And there he finds four young cadets in the Sûreté academy, and a dead professor. And, with the body, a copy of the old, odd map. Everywhere Gamache turns, he sees Amelia Choquet, one of the cadets. Tattooed and pierced. Guarded and angry. Amelia is more likely to be found on the other side of a police line-up. And yet she is in the academy. A protégée of the murdered professor.The focus of the investigation soon turns to Gamache himself and his mysterious relationship with Amelia, and his possible involvement in the crime. The frantic search for answers takes the investigators back to Three Pines and a stained glass window with its own horrific secrets.For both Amelia Choquet and Armand Gamache, the time has come for a great reckoning.

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Contributors
Bathurst, Robert Narrator
Bathurst, Robert,1957- narrator., nrt
Penny, Louise Author
ISBN
9781250022134
9781410489395
9781250022127
9781427274380
9781427274403
UPC
9781427274403

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Also in this Series

  • Still life (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 1) Cover
  • A fatal grace (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 2) Cover
  • The cruelest month (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 3) Cover
  • A rule against murder (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 4) Cover
  • The brutal telling (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 5) Cover
  • Bury your dead (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 6) Cover
  • A trick of the light: a Chief Inspector Gamache novel (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 7) Cover
  • The beautiful mystery (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 8) Cover
  • How the light gets in (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 9) Cover
  • The long way home (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 10) Cover
  • The nature of the beast (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 11) Cover
  • A great reckoning (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 12) Cover
  • Glass houses: a novel (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 13) Cover
  • Kingdom of the blind (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 14) Cover
  • A better man (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 15) Cover
  • All the devils are here (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 16) Cover
  • The madness of crowds (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 17) Cover
  • A world of curiosities (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 18) Cover
  • The grey wolf (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume 19) Cover
  • The Hangman (Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries Volume ) Cover

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Similar Series From Novelist

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
The Sister Jane amateur detective stories offer well-formed characters, explorations of social issues, and a mix of humor and detection. Set in small-town Virginia, one of their central themes is the clash of traditional and modern cultures in a small village. -- Katherine Johnson
The Armand Gamache and Flavia De Luce mysteries are intelligent, character-centered, cozies set in small towns. Although the locales and time periods differ, the conversational tone and feel are similar. They also share casts of eccentric secondary characters as well as unique investigators. -- Becky Spratford
These mystery series by Canadian authors are both peopled by interesting characters and distinguished by comfortable settings - one in North Wales and one in the Canadian province of Quebec. -- Victoria Fredrick
Both starring intelligent detectives who rely on their intuition -- and an ability to get suspects to confide just a bit too much information -- to solve crimes, these two series also share a well-crafted style, despite being written decades apart. -- Shauna Griffin
The Richard Jury series, particularly the early books, share a number of similar features with Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries: they are clever police procedurals centered around a puzzle. They also focus on the relationships between a group of characters. -- Krista Biggs
Although both atmospheric and descriptive series have a gritty feel, the Quebec-based Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries also has a lyrical writing style. Both series star moody, introspective detectives who are easily as interesting as the crimes they investigate. -- Mike Nilsson
Readers who appreciate the character building in the Armand Gamache series will find much to love in the Reverend Clare Fergusson mysteries. Personalities are just as important as fingerprints when solving crimes in these intricately plotted, complex novels with a strong sense of place. -- Halle Carlson
Salvano Montalbano of Sicily and Inspector Armand Gamache of Quebec conduct investigations via their brilliant team leadership. Both series feature memorable supporting casts and tension mixed with humor, though Montalbano has more humor and Gamache features more gripping tension. -- Katherine Johnson
These evocative mystery series showcase the richly detailed environs and distinctive cultural milieu of New Mexico (Milagro Mysteries) and Quebec (Inspector Armand Gamache) in which confounding murders and other crimes are investigated by sympathetic detectives. -- Andrienne Cruz

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
NoveList recommends "Hercule Poirot mysteries" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
The quality of mercy - Medhat, Katayoun
NoveList recommends "Milagro mysteries" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Sister Jane Foxhunting Mysteries" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Perveen Mistry novels" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Chief Inspector Adamsberg investigations" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Simon Serrailler crime novels" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Adam Dalgliesh mysteries" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Penny Brannigan mysteries" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Salvo Montalbano mysteries" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Reverend Clare Fergusson mysteries" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Flavia De Luce mysteries" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
NoveList recommends "Rachel Getty and Esa Khattak novels" for fans of "Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Both Louise Penny and P.D. James write character-driven police procedural mysteries that explore moral ambiguity and the psychological causes and effects of crime. Their stories create a strong sense of place while the mystery's solution is slowly revealed. -- Merle Jacob
Canadian mystery authors Louise Penny and Gail Bowen offer a strong sense of place (in Quebec and Saskatchewan, respectively). Penny's police detectives have well-rounded personalities, with lives as interesting as that of Bowen's Joanne Kilbourn, a university professor. They feature interesting secondary characters, intellectual puzzles, and social issues alongside the crime. -- Katherine Johnson
Louise Penny offers contemporary versions of the classic detective novel popularized by Agatha Christie. If Penny's intelligent but intuitive detective and his skill at drawing information out of suspects appeal to you, you may want to try the novels of Agatha Christie, especially those starring Hercule Poirot. -- Shauna Griffin
Dexter writes puzzle novels that are as intelligent as Penny's, filled with the same attention to detail, cultural depth, and atmosphere. -- Krista Biggs
Susan Wittig Albert's amateur detective China Bayles lives in a town in Texas (Pecan Springs) as appealing as Penny's Three Pines, Quebec. Both towns are populated with a variety of engaging people and shops that lure the reader to visit again and again. -- Maureen O'Connor
Although William Deverell's books focus on trials rather than on police investigations, both are Canadian authors who write intricately plotted, witty, and suspenseful character-driven mysteries featuring intelligent and eccentric protagonists, well-developed characterization, and vividly atmospheric depictions of rural Canada. -- Derek Keyser
Both of these authors share the ability to create a sense of place and time period from just a few details. Their languidly-paced mysteries focus on both the story and the complex characters that they create. -- Krista Biggs
As they weave and then unravel their stories, both Deborah Crombie and Louise Penny bring to the fore the psychological complexities of human behavior in individuals and society at large, emphasizing personal relationships while constructing elaborate puzzle mysteries. -- Maureen O'Connor
Marc Strange and Louise Penny write complex police procedurals set in small Canadian towns. These slow moving stories are character driven and feature a large cast of secondary characters. The personal and professional lives of the sleuths are explored in these absorbing stories with a strong sense of place. -- Merle Jacob
The main characters in Elizabeth George's writing lead lives as complex and fraught as the people they are investigating. So too does Louise Penny portray her cast of recurring characters -- police investigators, regular "civilian" characters, and perpetrators. -- Maureen O'Connor
Giles Blunt and Louise Penny write complex police procedurals set in small Canadian towns. These character driven mysteries feature a strong male lead detective with an interesting secondary team. The plots build slowly as the personal lives and relationships of the police and the suspects are revealed. -- Merle Jacob
These authors' works have the genre "police procedurals"; the subjects "murder investigation," "police," and "detectives"; and characters that are "introspective characters," "complex characters," and "flawed characters."

Published Reviews

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Chief Inspector Gamache has a new gig: he's been appointed head of the Sûreté Academy du Québec and is tasked with cleaning house. The police school has become a seedbed for corruption, devoted to turning out bent cops. The inspector, of course, has a multilayered plan for ridding the school of its multiple malignancies, but before he can begin surgery, the chief offender is murdered, and Gamache himself becomes the leading suspect. Naturally, Penny finds a way for her plot to curlicue back to Three Pines, the remote village where Gamache now lives and whose idiosyncratic denizens provide much of the series' appeal. This time the hook is a map found in the walls of the local bistro not just any map but a cartographic curiosity that may be the only map ever made of Three Pines. So how does a copy of that map find its way to the bedside table of the murder victim? And does its presence further implicate Gamache?Once again Penny displays her remarkable ability to serve equally well both series devotees and new readers (if there are any of those still to be found). Gamache fans will be thrilled by the way this installment unlocks some of the series' enduring questions: Why is Three Pines off the grid? Why do we know so little about Gamache's past? At the same time, the main plot offers a compelling mystery and a rich human drama in which no character is either entirely good or evil, and each is capable of inspiring empathy. Evil, as Gamache notes, quoting Auden, is unspectacular and always human. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A first printing of 500,000 copies will ensure that at least the first wave of Penny readers get their hands on her latest as quickly as possible.--Ott, Bill Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

The lyrical 12th entry (after 2015's The Nature of the Beast) in bestseller Penny's remarkable series, which has won multiple Agatha awards, finds former Chief Insp. Armand Gamache coming out of retirement to clean up the corrupt Süreté Academy du Québec. When an old map is found hidden in the wall of a bistro in Three Pines, the remote village in which Gamache and his wife live, the locals treat it as only an interesting artifact. But Gamache uses the mystery of the map's origin to engage the interest of four cadets at the academy who are in particular danger of going astray. When someone fatally shoots Serge Leduc, a sadistic, manipulative professor, a copy of the map is found in Leduc's bedside table, and suspicion falls on the four cadets and Gamache himself. As the story unfolds, a web of connections, past and present, comes to light. This complex novel deals with universal themes of compassion, weakness in the face of temptation, forgiveness, and the danger of falling into despair and cynicism over apparently insurmountable evils. Author tour. Agent: Teresa Chris, Teresa Chris Literary Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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Library Journal Review

Armand Gamache chooses to come out of retirement to take over as commander of the Sûreté academy, the corrupt institution training officers to protect Quebec. In this entry (after The Nature of the Beast), Penny combines a map connected to a mystery in Three Pines with murder at the academy to pen a complex psychological mystery, making for a riveting listen. The entire Three Pines cast of characters are once again present as social, historical, and philosophical issues are examined and resolved. Series devotees will be delighted to visit with Ruth, Clara, Myrna, and the rest of the gang, and those new to the series will find them fresh and fascinating. New characters are introduced, and one character in particular is highlighted; Amelia Choquet, a tattooed and studded enigma, is particularly well-drawn. This volume is the second splendidly interpreted by Robert Bathurst after the death of longtime series narrator Ralph Cosham. Bathurst beautifully expresses the mood and tenor of Penny's characters, themes, and plots. VERDICT A marvelous entry in an amazing series. ["This riveting read, with characters of incredible depth who only add to the strength of the plot, will keep readers guessing until the last page": LJ 7/16 starred review of the Minotaur: St. Martin's hc.]-Sandra C. -Clariday, Cleveland, TN © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* Chief Inspector Gamache has a new gig: he's been appointed head of the Sûreté Academy du Québec and is tasked with cleaning house. The police school has become a seedbed for corruption, devoted to turning out bent cops. The inspector, of course, has a multilayered plan for ridding the school of its multiple malignancies, but before he can begin surgery, the chief offender is murdered, and Gamache himself becomes the leading suspect. Naturally, Penny finds a way for her plot to curlicue back to Three Pines, the remote village where Gamache now lives and whose idiosyncratic denizens provide much of the series' appeal. This time the hook is a map found in the walls of the local bistro—not just any map but a cartographic curiosity that may be the only map ever made of Three Pines. So how does a copy of that map find its way to the bedside table of the murder victim? And does its presence further implicate Gamache?Once again Penny displays her remarkable ability to serve equally well both series devotees and new readers (if there are any of those still to be found). Gamache fans will be thrilled by the way this installment unlocks some of the series' enduring questions: Why is Three Pines off the grid? Why do we know so little about Gamache's past? At the same time, the main plot offers a compelling mystery and a rich human drama in which no character is either entirely good or evil, and each is capable of inspiring empathy. "Evil," as Gamache notes, quoting Auden, "is unspectacular and always human."HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A first printing of 500,000 copies will ensure that at least the first wave of Penny readers get their hands on her latest as quickly as possible. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.
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Library Journal Reviews

The latest entry in Penny's popular series (after Nature of the Beast) places Armand Gamache in a new role as commander of the Sûreté Academy du Québec. Prior to the start of the term he is given an old map of the village of Three Pines with some curious symbols. This map becomes the focus of an investigation after a copy is found in the apartment of a murdered professor. Suspicion shifts from student to professor and back again as the story takes unexpected twists. Rooting out the corruption in the academy remains an underlying theme as Gamache mentors students who seem to be on the wrong path. The transport of these students to Three Pines and the involvement of the villagers in the investigation adds depth and interest. While this book may stand alone, fans of the series will enjoy revisiting old friends. Gamache remains admirable yet human, as he seeks to return the Sûreté to the force he first knew. A look back at World War I and an explanation about one mystery surrounding the little village round out the story in a satisfying manner. VERDICT This riveting read, with characters of incredible depth who only add to the strength of the plot, will keep readers guessing until the last page. For series fans and those who enjoy the small-town mysteries of Julia Spencer-Fleming.—Terry Lucas, Shelter Island P.L., NY

[Page 61]. (c) Copyright 2016 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright 2016 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

The lyrical 12th entry (after 2015's The Nature of the Beast) in bestseller Penny's remarkable series, which has won multiple Agatha awards, finds former Chief Insp. Armand Gamache coming out of retirement to clean up the corrupt Süreté Academy du Québec. When an old map is found hidden in the wall of a bistro in Three Pines, the remote village in which Gamache and his wife live, the locals treat it as only an interesting artifact. But Gamache uses the mystery of the map's origin to engage the interest of four cadets at the academy who are in particular danger of going astray. When someone fatally shoots Serge Leduc, a sadistic, manipulative professor, a copy of the map is found in Leduc's bedside table, and suspicion falls on the four cadets and Gamache himself. As the story unfolds, a web of connections, past and present, comes to light. This complex novel deals with universal themes of compassion, weakness in the face of temptation, forgiveness, and the danger of falling into despair and cynicism over apparently insurmountable evils. Author tour.Agent: Teresa Chris, Teresa Chris Literary Agency. (Aug.)

[Page ]. Copyright 2016 PWxyz LLC

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