A Great Reckoning, by Louise Penny

In Louise Penny's 12th mystery, A Great Reckoning, Inspector Gamache has taken on the leadership of Montreal's police academy in an effort to root out the corruption that he knows is there. At the same time, he begins an investigation into a map that was found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in his little town of Three Pines. He brings four of the academy students together to help him solve the mystery of the map, and they also become deeply involved in his search for the root of the corruption at the academy.

Louise Penny is a master at creating fascinating characters and revealing their inner struggles. This book also highlights an important part of Canadian history when the map is revealed to be related to soldiers who fought in the First World War. The characters who live in Three Pines add both levity and depth to the story; they include Ruth, a crazy poet, and her pet duck Rosa; Myrna, the book store owner; Clara, an artist; Gabri and Olivier, the bistro owners. Inspector Gamache's wife, Reine-Marie, as well as his daughter and son-in-law continue to figure strongly in the plot. Although I've only read three of the books in the series, I am very fond of these characters and how they've developed from one book to the next. This is one of those series that I find myself compelled to go back and start from the beginning; I can't wait to start!

I received this book at an event sponsored by the Association of American Publishers at the 2016 BookExpo America convention, held at the McCormick Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Louise Penny. A Great Reckoning. New York: Minotaur Books, 2016. Advance Readers' Edition. 389 pages. ISBN 9781250022134.