What readers think of How the Light Gets In, plus links to write your own review.

I recently read the first book in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series and just finished this ninth. This book is a most impressive mystery. The characters are well-developed and memorable, the plot subtle and ingenious, and the mystery complex. A definite five-star rating is warranted. It was helpful to have read the first book in the series. My task now is to read the second, followed by the remaining novels.

This is book #9 in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. If you haven't read the others, I'm sure you will want to read them after reading this one. In this book Gamache investigates unimaginable corruption at the highest level of Montreal's government, and the death of the last living member of a famous family of quintuplets. There are many joyous moments in this series - particularly life in the village of Three Pines. Each book is complete in its own right and has a continuing story that involves a small cast of characters. You will get caught up in the story in the first few pages and then you can't read the last pages fast enough. The ending implies this may be the final case for Chief Inspector Gamache - I certainly hope this is not the case.

I was so happy to be chosen to read Louise Penny's latest Armand Gamache mystery. I was excited to see what had happened in Three Pines since the last time we visited. Mysteries are usually heavily plot driven but Penny pays keen attention to the characters too. She fleshes them out so well! She also layers plots on top of plots and makes the scenes sparkle. I couldn't put this book down. If you haven't read her other books I highly recommend that you do. It'll give you a better background on what is going on.
This is not your mother's mysteries!

This is my first experience with Louise Penny and her Inspector Gamache series. I had long heard whispers about how good the series was but did not take it seriously. "What a fool am I!" What seems like a straight forward plot is filled with twists and turns and surprises that left my mouth agape. What was even more special, is how I really came to care for many of the characters who each had a very distinctive voice. This book is not simply a wonderful mystery, but a wonderful saga of a group of people, a town and a land whose beauty shines throughout the pages. I know I am one of those who are now going to go back and read the whole series. I dare anyone to not like this book.

I first met Armand Gamache in book 6, "Bury Your Dead", and was so smitten with all things Gamache that I went back to book #1 and started working my way through the Louise Penny series. Thankfully we return to the wonderful location of Three Pines after the departure to another location in the previous book. The release of tension is palpable as Gamache drives from Montreal to the village of Three Pines where the Internet is impossible, the newspapers are at least a day late and the residents as good as it gets. The innocence of Three Pines is even more compelling juxtaposed against the city of Montreal where Gamache continues to investigate a secret that threatens to bring down the entire province, unless it first brings down Gamache in his attempt to find the truth. The case he is working involves a former client of Myrna, who left her therapy practice to open a book store (library) in Three Pines. Myrna's client possesses a secret that started at her birth and as Gamache works to reveal this secret, he also makes his own investigation into the secret that lies rotting at the core of the Surete du Quebec. When Penny departed from Three Pines locale in the previous book, she also introduced a rift between Gamache and his right-hand man, Jean-Guy Bouvoir, struggling with an addiction to pain-killers. The relationship between Gamache and Bouvoir has been the soul of the series and I was so disappointed to see its eminent destruction, which continues in "How the Light Gets In". Penny has brought Gamache to the apex of his career and has also achieved the best in her series with "How the Light Gets In".

I immediately started to read as soon as this book arrived. Knowing the characters well from her previous books. It was hard to have to stop to work, eat and sleep. The mystery was top notch and the chief inspector his family and the community of Three Pines was great to visit once again. If you know these people don't hesitate to read this book. If you haven't met them you really should a great place to go can't wait till the next one.

The mystery How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny is the most compelling and dramatic book of the Inspector Gamache series. It brings together plot lines from all of the previous books and adds a new one that is most interesting. The struggles Inspector Gamache has been having are finally illuminated. The language, the beloved characters, the town of Three Pines, and the nuances of the plot make the book superb. I am giving the book 5+ stars.

I usually gauge my reading in days. For Penny's "How the Light Gets In"---it was hours! I am a long time fan of this author (which doesn't mean I haven't disagreed with her in the past). The characters and plot of this story are as intricate, mesmerizing and complex as ever; however, this entry is entirely stunning! Penny, once again, transports us to where we all want to live--Three Pines--for another visit (and compelling mystery to solve) with our "family". BUT, we are never free of the premonition of doom hanging over us (and our beloved Inspector Gamache)--something long time readers have lived with through many books. This time we are on the edge of our seats as we finally realize the plan that has been fomenting for years (actually decades!) and the ultimate motive---jaw dropping!