The Long Way Home

June 2, 2014
In Edgar-finalist Penny’s perceptive, perfectly paced 10th mystery featuring Chief Insp. Armand Gamache of the Quebec Sûreté (after 2013’s How the Light Gets In), Three Pines resident Peter Morrow has pledged to show up for a dinner with his wife, Clara, exactly one year after their separation. When Peter fails to materialize on the appointed day, Clara fears that he has either found a new woman—or died. Clara turns to Gamache for help in locating Peter, who appears to have adopted a new approach to painting during his time away from her. Over the course of the intriguing search, Penny offers real insight into the evolution of artistic style as well as the envy that artists feel about each other’s success. At times, the prose is remarkably fresh, filled with illuminating and delightful turns of phrase (e.g., Clara notices “her own ego, showing some ankle”), though readers should also be prepared for the breathless sentence fragments that litter virtually every chapter. Agent: Teresa Chris, Teresa Chris Literary Agency.

Narrator Ralph Cosham is back for the tenth installment in Penny's beloved Three Pines mystery series, featuring Armand Gamache, chief inspector of homicide of the SŸreté du Québec. Although ostensibly retired and still healing from the physical and emotional injuries incurred on his last case, Gamache agrees to help Clara, his friend and neighbor, track down her estranged husband. Slipping smoothly from French to Canadian accents, Cosham flawlessly conveys each character's distinct personality, particularly the quiet, thoughtful Gamache as he gradually becomes involved in the missing person investigation. With pitch-perfect rhythm, Cosham pulls listeners irresistibly into the chief inspector's world of art, jealousy, and murder. The pairing of Cosham's narration with Penny's writing continues to be one of the most fortunate matches for audiobook fans. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 15, 2014

Penny (How the Light Gets In) again engages her wonderfully drawn characters in a psychological mystery. Ralph Cosham returns as narrator, mesmerizing listeners as he spins Penny's tale of the search for local man Peter Morrow. Armand Gamache, now a contentedly retired member of the Three Pines community, is drawn into the mystery by Peter's wife, Clara, when Peter does not reappear as promised after a one-year separation. Penny's gift of incorporating spirituality, philosophy, occasional glimpses of magical realism, and, above all, fine character development into an intriguing psychological mystery results in a breathtaking conclusion. Don't be surprised if you really catch your breath and shed a tear or two. VERDICT A marvelous entry in a continually amazing series. Recommended to those who enjoy the character development, intricate plotting, and psychological elements in novels by Charles Todd, Craig Johnson, and Colin Dexter. ["Each inhabitant of Three Pines is a distinct individual, and the humor that lights the dark places of the investigation is firmly rooted in their long friendships, or, in some cases, frenemyships," read the starred review of the Minotaur: St. Martin's hc, LJ 7/14.]--Sandra C. Clariday, Tennessee Wesleyan Coll., Athens

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