The Long Way Home is the tenth novel in author Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series. Though each novel has had its own self-contained mystery, there is an intricate ongoing story that has carried through the series, major elements of which were tied up in the previous novel.
I mention this because it is my policy to be as spoiler-free in my reviews as I possibly can be while trying to give you some sense of my experience with the story. Given that this an ongoing series, it makes it nearly impossible to avoid sharing details that may reveal plot elements from earlier novels. Simply reading the advertising copy for The Long Way Home reveals the course that some of Penny’s characters have taken.
So, you’ve been warned, though I have no intention of discussing major plot points in my review.
I first met Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, his darling wife Reine-Marie, his investigative team and the odd characters who inhabit the quaint Canadian village of Three Pines a couple of years ago. At that time I devoured the first 6 novels one after the other, soon after read seven and eight, and have pounced on the last two volumes during release week.
It is safe to say I am a fan of her work. For those of you who do not want to continue after the jump, I’ll forgo further suspense by revealing that I enjoyed The Long Way Home very much. Although I felt that a few vital elements of the story were rushed in at the end, my overall experience was one of revisiting old friends that I’ve not seen since last August and reveling in our time together. Thank you, Louise Penny.
