My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
Quality characters and writing are guaranteed in this superb Police procedural series, and while there are numerous references to previous cases it can easily be read as a standalone story. Clever mystery with plenty of surprises along the way. Atmospheric descriptive intelligent completely recommended.

Louise Penny is a talented author, and with this book proves her powers in the suspense drama again. The book is well written and I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

I can't quite figure out how I've never come across this series before. I feel bereft but at least I've got a large back catalogue to enjoy :) Great crime drama with lovely prose, what's bit to like? You definitely don't need to have read the previous books to enjoy this.

A few years ago, I boarded a plane, 11 hrs. of flying from Texas ahead of me, with my first Louise Penny mystery as a present from my friends to keep me company on this long flight. My friends had told me how much they enjoyed Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, all set in the town of Three Pines near Montreal/Canada. I too have been a convert since then. Having just finished the latest, “Kingdom of the Blind”, I think this is the best one of the series by far. 416 pages just flew by; the plot never felt tired but held me firmly in its grip with its two parallel story lines.

Amande Gamache, Chief Inspector of the Surete du Quebec, together with his neighbor Myrna Landers, a retired psychologist and owner of a bookstore and a man called Benedict are summoned to an abandoned farm house by Maître Mercier to be informed that they have been named executors of a will by an elderly woman, a stranger they never met. The “Baroness” as she was called, was once a cleaning lady to one of their friends as it turns out but how Benedict came into the picture remains a mystery. The will seems completely delusional and becomes even more bizarre when they learn of three adult children she could have easily named executors. After the will has been read the first impression of delusion seems confirmed when she bequests millions, a title to one of her sons and some real estate in Europe to all of her children, none of which seems to have been in her ownership. When a body is found in her badly decrepit former house, the case becomes stranger yet bringing Amande’s son in law as chief investigator into the murder. As is usually the case, several friends of Gamache and his wife in Three Pine, an ailing colleague and family members become crucial in resolving this complex puzzle around the Baroness.

Parallel Gamache has to face the firing of one his most difficult agents, Amelia, who in connection with his own current suspension was involved with deadly drugs disappearing into the streets to catch the cartel behind it.

The mystery behind “The Baroness” and her heirs, the surprising twist and turns of the investigation held me completely captive until the very last page, as Amande Gamache and his team face several dead ends until they finally solve the crime.

Louise Penny’s novels are published in Germany but no publication date for my favorite one so far.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
I have never read a book by Louise Penny and have not therefore read any of the Chief Inspector Gamache series. I have missed something rather special. The Kingdom Of the Blind is Book 14 in the series. It is well written, extremely interesting and clever and totally engrossing and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Highly recommended.

How long can a series endure before it runs out of steam?

Louise Penny’s crime series set in Quebec has long been one of my favourite crime writers. Her central character, Armand Gamache, chief of police, is a superbly conceived character; he’s surrounded by some equally well-executed personalities among his friends and family and he lives in the delightful (fictional) village of Three Pines. Penny’s

When we reached book ten of this series however I did wonder how much further Penny could go with this set up. She settled all my doubts with book eleven A Great Reckoning (my review is here).

But she’s just published book number 14 and it saddens me to say that my earlier doubts have resurfaced. I so wish that wasn’t the case because the fact that Kingdom of the Blind was written at all is a testament to Penny’s resilience and courage.

Penny’s husband Michael, who was the inspiration for Armand Gamache, died in September 2016. In the introduction to Kingdom of the Blind, Louise Penny says she didn’t feel she could write again after his death. “How could I go on when half of me was missing? I could barely get out of bed,” she said.

But one day she found herself at the dining table where she always did her writing. The first day she wrote just two words — the name of her protagonist. The next day the word count trebled and kept on increasing day by day.

"Kingdom of the Blind was begun. Not with sadness. Not because I had to but with joy. … Even as I wrote about some very dark themes, it was with gladness. With relief. That I get to keep doing this."

The darkness she mentions relates to one of the two major plots in the novel.

A new ultra powerful, ultra dangerous, opioid drug is about to hit the streets of Montreal. The finger of blame is pointed at Gamache who allowed a large cache of the drug to escape seizure during a major drugs raid. As a result he’s been suspended from his role as Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, pending an internal investigation. Then one of his proteges at the police academy, the rebellious cadet Amelia Choquet, is discovered with drugs in her possession.

Against this background Gamache receives a letter summoning him to a dilapidated house in a small rural village. There he discovers he is one of three people named as executors in the will of a woman who called herself The Baroness. Gamache has never met her, has no idea why she should have entrusted her last wishes to him, a retired psychologist (his friend Myrna Landers from Three Pines) and a young accident-prone builder from Montreal. It’s not long before a body is found and Gamache’s suspicions are aroused.

Penny hasn’t lost her gift for evoking the spirit of the Quebec countryside and its fierce winters. Early in the novel a winter storm descends upon Gamache and the village of Three Pines; a metaphor for the turmoil that threatens to engulf the police chief. But these villagers take the weather in their stride; it’s just an excuse to indulge in their favourite foods (a word of warning – reading this book will get you salivating for tarte tatin and cafe au lait) or to head to the village bistro for a gossip. All the usual people are in evidence in Kingdom of the Blind: Gamache’s wife Reine-Marie, his son-in-law and assistant Jean-Guy Beaulieu, the artist Clara Morrow, bistro owners Gabri Dubeau and the poet Ruth Zardo.

Gamache is more introspective in this novel than in all the previous titles. He’s always been conscious of his failings, following a code of conduct based on the philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. He advises his junior officers to take on board four statements: I don’t know. I need help. I was wrong. I’m sorry.

In Kingdom of the Blind he seems more vulnerable, more weighed down by ghosts from the past.

"… he remembered … all the raids, the assaults, the arrests. The investigations over the yers. The victims. All the sightless, staring eyes. Of men, women, children whose murder he’d investigated. Over the years. Whose murderers he’d hunted down. All the agents he’d sent, often led, into the gun smoke."

There’s a sense in Gamache’s mood — which is reflected in some scenes at the end of the book — that he is facing significant changes in his life and his career. Without giving the game away for people who have yet to read this book, the nature of those changes make me wonder how it’s going to be feasible for Penny to continue this series. The inheritance plot of Kingdom of the Blind wasn’t one of her best, another indication for me that the series is reaching a natural conclusion. Even so it is still superior to many of the crime novels currently in circulation.

I could be wrong. Louise Penny surprised me once before. She could do it again.

Both plot and characters are written in such a way that they have great strength.
Murder, madness and mayhem are all with this one book.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Littlebrownbookgroupuk for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

If you haven't read any other books in the Gamache series, I would suggest going back to the beginning and starting with Still Life. The charm of these books are from knowing the characters - and, most importantly, the village of Three Pines - intimately, like friends or family, so that returning to their world with each new novel is a joy. It's fair to say that, as the series has progressed, the murder mystery element has been sidelined to a large extent, and although there is both detective work and a murder to solve in this novel, they do tend to play second fiddle to character development. Thus, I think you'll enjoy this more if you you're familiar with the characters. But if you're after a cosy read with a touch of humour and some (at times, just a bit too much for my tastes) philosophising, I can't think of a better series to hunker down with on a winter's night.

I have a confession to make. I requested this novel thinking it was a different author! I remembered seeing a crime novel awhile ago I thought looked interesting by Louise Candlish except I'd since forgotten her surname. So when I saw Kingdom of the Blind available for request and the first name of Louise Penny being, obviously, Louise, I thought it the same author and was delighted when my request was granted. Then I realised it was a case of mistaken identity but as I read I realised I had mistakenly found in Louise Penny a new favourite writer and new favourite detective in Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec (police force for the Canadian province of Quebec).

One of my pet peeves is when a book starts too slowly and you have to force yourself to keep reading till it gets better. Fortunately Kingdom of the Blind had me hooked from the first page which is unusual for me. It starts with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (currently suspended) arriving at a dilapidated and spooky snowbound house. He has been summoned there along with two others, his friend and fellow Three Pines resident Myrna Landers and lastly Benedict Pouliot, unknown to the other two. These three discover they have been chosen as liquidators of a will. The only problem being they claim never to have met or known the deceased.

I have never read any Louise Penny books before so all the characters (many of which will be familiar to regular readers of the Gamache series) were new to me. While I'm sure it's always helpful to have the back story of the characters in all honesty the way it is written I didn't feel a stranger, or rather the characters didn't feel like strangers to me.

A strength of the book is that the location of Three Pines, where most of the main characters live, feels like a strong character in itself and the warmth of the interaction between the characters draws you in. You really want to live there yourself and be part of the community!

The main plot thread involves Gamache's investigation into the will of the deceased especially after the discovery of a body which creates a whole new scenario. While this main story line is interesting in itself, I confess I actually enjoyed one of the side story lines more. This involves the search for lethal drugs in the country and is the reason for Gamache's suspension. Louise .Penny's descriptions of the depraved life and environment of the drug addicts is harrowing if brief and I'd have liked to read more of that.

A character I loved was Cadet and Gamache protege Amelia Choquet whom Gamache apparently rescued from a messed up life on the streets and took her into the Cadet Academy. There are shades of Lisbeth Salander in Choquet and I'd love to know her better. While the investigation into the mysterious will took centre stage through most of the book, the bits I looked forward to reading most were Amelia Choquet's much less numerous scenes. This is the first Gamache book I've read though so perhaps Choquet has more 'screen time' in previous books.

A strength of the book is the dialogue between the Three Pines residents. I usually dislike scenes with dialogue which seems irrelevant to the actual story but Penny's creative dialogue with multiple quirky, odd and uniquely eccentric characters (having a pet duck?) is frequently funny and, crucially, made me want to listen to them even if the subject was nothing to do with the story. If they had been discussing knitting patterns I'd still have wanted to listen!

While I mostly followed the threads of the investigation by the time it came to the final revelations I confess I was struggling a bit to remember what was going on but I had the gist of it and that was enough. One thing I found a little lacking was that while there are action sequences in the book they were quite short where I felt several had potential to be longer and increase the tension. Another strange thing was that while Chief Inspector Gamache appears to be suspended because of actions to do with a previous case (presumably in a previous novel) he still seems to be able to call on police support and lead an investigation. Maybe when you reach the rank of Chief Inspector you get to take some liberties!

After the book has finished there's a touching afterword from Louise Penny about how the book came to be written at all after her husband died. It's a short but genuinely moving testimony and made me view the book in a new light, grateful to have it to read at all. After this there are a couple of descriptions of the real life places which inspired locations in Three Pines where the characters gather.

I am so glad I mistakenly requested this book and I have already purchased the Kindle version of the very first Armand Gamache book so I can follow the characters from the beginning. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sphere (Little, Brown Book Group) for ARC.

I have posted review to Amazon and Goodreads and my own blog https://throughanotherlens.com/2018/12/03/kingdom-of-the-blind-by-louise-penny/

Kingdom of the Blind, the fourteenth novel in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by bestselling crime writer Louise Penny, is a compelling and exciting addition to what has become a fantastic crime series. Once again the chocolate-box village of Three Pines is as much a major part of the plot as the characters and I very much enjoyed returning to it. This is a complex, multilayered mystery that is gripping and held my interest from first page to last. However, because a running storyline is featured alongside a self-contained one I would advise readers to grab the others before tackling this one.

Gamache remains one of my favourite investigators and that's really saying something given I read an inordinate amount of books from this genre. He is a complicated, multifaceted and masterfully developed character who I have grown to love as he has evolved. As always the writing is incredible and draws you in from the outset, the characters believable and real and the plot exciting whilst packing an emotional punch. If you're a fan of intelligent mysteries then this is not to be missed. There's no doubt in my mind that Penny is a master of her craft. She makes subtle details that many authors would neglect an integral part of the story and her quirky characters and message regarding the importance of friendship, community and celebrating our individuality whilst not allowing our differences to divide us, is a one we are all in need of right now. A highly entertaining and wonderful must-read author and series. It fully deserves all the stars!

Many thanks to Sphere for an ARC

In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

It came as something of a surprise when Armand Gamache was named as liquidator in the estate of a woman he'd never met. Another villager from Three Pines is also a liquidator, but the third is a stranger to them both. The mystery deepens when the will is read: given that the deceased was a cleaner it seems unlikely that she would have had the millions which she bequests at her disposal. Then a body is found. That's not Gamache's only problem though: one of his protégées, Amelia Choquet, has been expelled from the police academy for drug dealing, and the enquiry into the incident which led to his suspension as the head of the Sûreté in Quebec is dragging on and the outcome is looking increasingly ominous.

For a long time now the Inspector Gamache series has been my favoured bedtime listening: I love the village charm of Three Pines and the elegant contrasts with the harder world of Quebec. I regularly marvel at why anyone would want to live in Three Pines, given that the chances of villagers being murdered or involved in a murder are unreasonably high, but I know that, given the chance, I'd love to live there. This time I read the book and was glad that I did as the plot is more complex, more thoughtful than the earlier books in the series and it was a pleasure to be able to easily reread sections which puzzled.

Having said that, the denouement to one particular plot strand was obvious to me from the start and I couldn't understand why other characters didn't at least suspect that this was what was happening. Perhaps they were unwilling to believe just how devious Gamache could be and in Kingdom of the Blind he is very devious with twists in the plots and then plots within the twists. For me it went just a little too far, possibly because he went from being someone I liked to a man I'd be wary of if I encountered someone like him in real life.

You'll meet a lot of regular characters again, although it's clear that for some big changes are afoot in the next book in the series. You could try reading this book as a standalone, but I doubt that it would be very satisfying: you need to know more about why Gamache has been suspended as Head of the Sûreté for what happens to make sense and the villagers in Three Pines only really come off the page if you know more of their background. I started with book 5 which did read well as a standalone.

I'd like to thank the publishers for allowing the Bookbag to see a review copy.

Kingdom of the Blind has an unusual structure. As it’s the first book I’ve read in the Chief Inspector Gamache series I’m not sure whether this is always the case, or whether the author has leeway to push the boundaries of the genre because she already has a loyal following, but at first it’s not clear it’s about a murder at all.

Gamache is invited by a notary to attend a meeting at a remote cottage near his Quebec home. He arrives during a blizzard where he is asked if he will be the liquidator (executor) of the will of a woman he never met. His fellow liquidators are his friend and neighbour Myrna and a young builder, Benedict, from Montreal. Neither of them, they say, knew the deceased either.

They accept the challenge and then decamp to Gamache’s home village of Three Pines (including Benedict, who is unable to return to Montreal because of the weather) and then begin to piece together the story of the deceased with their friends and neighbours.

Gamache is surrounded by a loving family, a cast of engagingly eccentric friends in Three Pines and the vividly rendered weather. All this gives it something of the feel of a cosy mystery. (There is, eventually, a murder.) There’s something comforting in reading about the beautiful but lethal cold of Quebec while safely tucked up in the warmth.

However, as the book went on I felt less engaged with it. There’s a subplot about a consignment of drugs and Penny’s portrayal of Montreal street culture and opioid abuse felt rather less convincing than that of the cafes and bookshops of Three Pines.

Even though I’ve previously written about preferring character-driven stories to a surfeit of procedure, I felt that in this book there perhaps wasn’t enough, and that the criminals had left a number of rather convenient clues.

Gamache is currently suspended from his police role (for reasons that are linked to a previous case which presumably is covered in an earlier novel) but his suspension is about as plausible as Rebus’ retirement. He is in the thick of everything, interviewing witnesses, chasing leads internationally, ordering around his subordinates.

As the book progresses, Gamache is shown to exert a tremendous influence over everyone around him, professionally and personally, often without their knowledge. He is like a god in their small universe. Whether you find his interventions charming and generous or controlling and a bit creepy is perhaps a matter of temperament.

The story around the unusual will is entertaining enough and the plot wraps up nicely. I enjoyed the setting and the warmth of the Three Pines friendships in Kingdom of the Blind but I’m not sure I’d want to invest more time in the series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of Kingdom of the Blind, the fourteenth novel to feature Chief Superintendent Armand Gamache of the Sûreté Québécoise.

Gamache is suspended pending investigation after perceived errors in a previous case when he receives word that he, fellow Three Pines resident Myrna Landers and carpenter Benedict Pouliot have been named as liquidators (executors to us Brits) of Bertha Baumgartner’s estate. They are mystified as none of them knew her and have no idea why they were named and even more mystified when the will is read. In the meantime Gamache’s protégée, Amelia Choquet has been dismissed from the police academy for drug dealing and is hell bent on revenge and self destruction.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kingdom of the Blind which is the usual mixture of eccentric characterisation, secrets and twists. I must admit that I guessed a few of the twists before they were revealed but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the novel. I was hooked from the creepy beginning where Gamache meets a strange man with an unknown agenda (that certainly had my mind working overtime) to the last pages when most of the personal issues were resolved. It is a complicated read where nobody is revealing all they know, after all, in the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king, so it requires concentration to keep it all in context, especially as Ms Penny has an elliptical style, dropping hints and confirming nothing.

I love the tone of the novel which is charming and folksy in Three Pines but has a much harder edge in Montreal, whether it is the crime, the politics, the social conditions or Gamache’s attitude. It’s like a compare and contrast assignment and yet it all flows naturally.

Armand Gamache is a bit of an enigma to me, even after all these novels. He is kind and considerate but he is also a charismatic, hard man whom it is unwise to cross. That much is obvious but being a simple soul I struggle with his strategic thinking. He always seems to be not only several steps ahead of everyone else but has a plan in place. Do people like that really exist? The other characters are much as they usually are although there are changes in store for some of them which moves the series on.

Kingdom of the Blind is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I fell in love with Armand many years ago, and I just can’t get enough of him! Superintendant Armand Gamache is still on suspension from his position at the head of the Sûreté du Québec, but that doesn’t prevent him and his trusty sidekicks, Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste, from setting out to solve the latest murder investigation and clear up some serious loose ends from the last book.

I find it amusing to pick up on clues and read on to find out if I’m right. But of course, it is never that simple…

Actually, I think the biggest appeal, for me anyway, is not the murder investigation, but the quirky characters of Three Pines who won my affection from the start. They are so well developed that I feel I am almost acquainted with them. Or I’d certainly like to be. Black psychologist turned bookshop owner, Myrna takes a more important place in the story this time, and I am glad, because she is such an interesting character.

Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series is one of my two all-time favourites (the other one is Deborah Crombie’s Kincaid & James series). This latest novel, “Kingdom of the Blind” (#14), is every bit as captivating as its predecessors and definitely deserves a five star rating.

Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read this before publication.

These novels are always excellent and thought provoking. Louise Penny has created a wonderful set of characters and the community of Three Pines is one you wish to belong to - even if it does see a high incidence of murder and mayhem-. This is a gripping tale, you are unsure (and worrkied) as to how it will end. Meanwhile, plenty to ponder in terms of personal morality and outward appearances. Sure to delight all existing fans and win new ones. Thank you to Sphere and Netgalley for providing this free ARC.

Objectively, this isn't one of the best of Penny's wonderful series but given the disruptions in her private life, we're lucky to have it at all... After an uncharacteristically slow start, things start to knit together more smoothly in a complicated case of contested wills, financial fraud and murder. Less successful, is the side-story left over from the previous books, and the final resolutions have a valedictory air.

As ever, Three Pines is as much a character as any of the people and remains an oasis of warmth, love, friendship and sanctuary. Old favourites perhaps play a more minor role than before and no-one even seems to go into the bistro - though the food is as delicious-sounding as ever, and Gabri gets some great lines!

The series may have peaked earlier with all tension resolved around our protagonists, but this remains gripping and clever. More importantly, in our increasingly toxic world of division, hatred and poisonous rhetoric, Penny's vision is one of positive community and the celebratory embracing of difference.

I love this series and the author.
In this book Chief Inspector Armande Gamache who has been suspended for doing the right thing. He receives a letter from a stranger asking to meet him at an abandoned farm house, when he arrives there are two other strangers there who have both received the same letter. They have all been asked to be executors of a strangers will. When the will was read it was decided unanimously that this person is delusional. Everything changes when a body is found. Now Gamache has to find out what the he'll was going on?
This author really draws you in to the story and you just have to keep on reading. As I would expect from this author lots of red herrings. If you have not read this series before you can read this book as a stand alone. I am sure that once you have read this book you will want to read the rest of this series.
Highly recommended and an excellent crime thriller.
I would like to thank the author Louise Penny, Little Brown Book Group UK and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the review copy in exchange for honest review.

With Louise Penny, you know it's going to be a whopper of a good read. This one will leave you in a dazed, philosophical mood. Unlike any other in the series, you can't miss this awesome novel.

It is always a joy to return to Three Pines and its eccentric and offbeat residents, and this is a blisteringly brilliant addition to the Detective Armand Gamache series. Gamache has been suspended as the Head of the Surete du Quebec, a result of the fallout from his last case. His son-in-law, Jean-Guy is now the Acting Head, caught between political machinations that are looking to laying the blame squarely on Gamache to pay the devastating price for his actions. Gamache feels he deserves to lose his job as he holds himself responsible for the nightmare entry of the most deadly of opoids, carfentanyl, looking set to flood Montreal and wipe out thousands. In his desperation to locate the drugs, he is willing to take risks and do whatever it takes, as he launches an undercover operation in the menacing streets of the city that are riddled with death and danger.

Gamache, psychologist and bookseller Myrna Landers, and a young builder from Montreal, Benedict Pouliot, find themselves named as the liquidators, instrumental in implementing the will of a recently deceased woman, a cleaner called the Baroness, Bertha Baumgartnor. None of them knew her, and it is a bizarre will, distributing monies and estates that the Baroness does not have. With their curiosity aroused, they accept the role and learn more when they meet the Baroness's adult children, Anthony, Caroline and Hugo, the recipients of the non-existent bequests. The will is the latest piece of a longstanding family drama in a delusional and poisonous inheritance that goes back well over a hundred years ago, involving the descendents of twin brothers in Europe. A murder has Gamache and Jean Guy delving more closely into the family and its history. It turns out that current developments in Vienna might provide motive for murder. Nothing is as it appears as financial fraud investigator, Agent Cloutier finally gets to deploy her specialised skills that make her feel more settled in the police team, whilst deeply buried family secrets and lies are exposed.

What makes this series so special are the long established characters that Louise Penny has developed with care and flair, with the best of locations in Three Pines. There is the foulmouthed poet, Ruth and her duck, Rosa, Myrna, artist Clara Morrow, Gamache's wife, Reine-Marie and a slew of others. This is a novel and series about community, belonging, kindness, comic humour, wit, love and affection. The addition of compelling new characters, such as Benedict and Katie Burke keep this story fresh and ever evolving. The theme of blindness is strong in its application to a range of people, including Gamache, who cannot stop engaging in machinations with mixed results. This is a fantastic read, entertaining with top notch storylines, and so fabulous to revisit the well loved people that I have got to know so well. Highly Recommended! Many thanks to Kirsteen Astor and Little, Brown for an ARC.

You need to get ready for a god thriller! I wasn't disappointed at all.
I love Penny's writing, how she develops her characters, makes them interesting. The setting was also so realistic, I feel I was there. The case continued to develop in a way you want to read more and more, but at the same time don't want it to finish.
If you haven't read this series, please do start! If you were looking forward to this, you won't be disappointed. And I hope she continues!
Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for this access.