Too many coincidences. Too much witches and folklore. Too many bad guys. Too much to be believed! This book started out good for me, but about halfway through, I began shaking my head. The one bright spot in the book was Amelia Shockay. I was glad to see this young woman back and playing a key role in the book. The nightmare begins when the villagers of Three Pines decide to break into a bricked up attic room in The bookshop. What they find there puts the whole village in danger, and especially Armand Gamach. It brings an old, terrifying case back into his mind. When he resurrects an older case that occurred in the village about three months ago and elevates it from suicide to murder, he finally realizes how close the danger is to him and his family. There were so many incidences of unbelievable occurrences throughout the book, that I quickly lost my desire to continue, but I persevered in order to see how Ms.Penny could bring all the loose threads to a conclusion. It was an excruciatingly long 13 listening hours for me. But, as always, we readers learn that “all will be well” and the book ends. Three stars for the lovely characters and for the first half of the book, which was captivating. ( )

Louise Penny lost me on this one. Too disturbing, creepy, and horrific. Was that really necessary? I didnt quite finish it. ( )

I've been SAVING this until I got her newest book but OHHH....now I still wish I had it to read!!!! She is a true gift to readers!! This was a page turner of page turners. Now, do I hold on to my copy of The Grey Wolf until I have her NEXT book in my hands???? VERY hard to do!!!!!!!!
For my own thinking, a few pages really hit me in relation to the recent election--- p. 187---Anne Lamarque was punished for many things, including being happy. "Happiness is an act of defiance. A revolutionary act." p. 247---a superb description of a psychopath by Myrna. Finally, p. 283---Hardye Moel suggests that Gamache should,"Focus on what is actually happening, here and now." "Surrender to reality" is Gamache's response. A little later....a further explanation...... it means don't fight battles that don't exist. Focus on what does. ( )

for me, this might have been the creepiest in penny's series. this one was tense.
T.E.N.S.E.

while she didn't have a huge amount of page time, i really enjoyed the return of amelia choquet in this story and hope she pops up again in future books. ( )

Welp, I've come to the end of the released Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series with #18. What to do? Wait just a few weeks until the release of #19, The Grey Wolf, of course!

This one had me a bit angry at Louise Penny: please, can the Gamache family just get a break?:-)
More mayhem and murder (and murder, murder, murder) come to Three Pines. Some very disturbing themes. But the Three Pines crew comes together to work out the mysteries.

Like some of the previous books, this one has historical fiction bents, with some ancient history (of accusations of witchcraft circa the founding of Three Pines) and true near history (the utterly dreadful École Polytechnique massacre of 1989). ( )

Louise Penny's "A World of Curiosities" takes us once again to the tiny village of Three Pines in Quebec, where Armand Gamache lives with his wife, Reine-Marie. In flashback, we learn that earlier in his career Chief Inspector Gamache came across a surly agent, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, who behaved disrespectfully at a murder scene. Gamache took Jean-Guy aside, and gently reproved the young man instead of humiliating him. This was the beginning of what would become a close professional and personal relationship. The homicide victim was Clotilde Arsenault, an addict and prostitute who left behind two children, ten-year-old Sam, and thirteen-year-old Fiona.

This complex work of fiction explores the ways in which psychopathic individuals—who can be deceptively charming—manipulate others while secretly planning acts of destruction. At one point, Gamache and his associates discover a cryptic painting that raises alarm bells. Armand enlists experts to help him interpret this strange work of art, and eventually realizes, to his horror, that someone from his past may be _targeting him and his loved ones. Before you pick up "A World of Curiosities," be warned that certain aspects of this novel are grim and disturbing.

Penny's most powerful passages deal with the risks of becoming too close to traumatized youngsters. As these boys and girls grow into adulthood, will they respond positively to acts of kindness or take advantage of their benefactors' benevolence? Although this is a must-read for followers of Armand Gamache and his circle of colleagues, family, and neighbors, " A World of Curiosities" is repetitious and cluttered with tangential elements that add little to the plot. At its best, however, the writing is lyrical, insightful, and beautifully descriptive. Gamache is an iconic character who has seen the worst crimes that human beings can commit. Yet, he remains compassionate, and will go to great lengths to help those who have been battered by life. ( )

As usual an engrossing read. Built solidly on the Armande Gamache saga, but also including some events in the past that we haven't heard about before. There are also references to true facts like the Montreal Massacre and The Paston Treasure. I liked the way the author blended these into her fiction.

Although there are some things that strain the bounds of credibility, the threat to Gamache and his family feels very real.

So now I'm up to date and ready for the next in the series THE GREY WOLF, to be published later this year. ( )

I have loved this series for a long time but, after a while, juggling the same cast of characters in a small town just creates implausible situations. Will only be checking future books out- not buying any more. ( )

A World of Curiosities - Penny
Audio performance by R. Bathurst
5 stars

I’m not a fan of suspense thrillers. I dislike putting that kind of contrived tension into my life. There are only two authors who currently lure me to that dark side; J.K. Rowling as Robert Galbraith and Louise Penny. Neither of these women write cozy mysteries. Their books keep me up at night. And, I’m always waiting anxiously for the next book in the series.

This book was very dark. There should be trigger warnings attached. The plot includes horrific child abuse, two psychopathic killers and a mass shooting. I think I was a bit angry with the author for putting me through so much trauma, even though I was sure it was a 5 star book as soon as I finished it. I needed time to recover. Maybe the book should be marketed with a bunch of sage and sweetgrass for smudging. That ritual, in the final chapter, was as much a comfort to me as it was the characters.

I was impressed with the intricate plotting of this book. Penny’s skilled use of backflash ties Beauvoir and Gamache’s first horrific case to the current day murder investigation. Reaching further back, Penny uses an actual 1989 mass shooting as a pivotal experience for a young Armand Gamache. Again, repercussions of that event are tied to the current day mystery. The discovery of a hidden room in an historic Three Pines building reveals a 17th century grimoire and a bastardized copy of a famous painting. How does she tie all of these elements together so seamlessly? And, every additional detail serves to ratchet up the tension.

Penny’s author's notes (in the text, not included in the audio) are worth reading. She identifies forgiveness as a major theme of this book. True, as far as I can remember, the struggle to forgive permeates all of the books in this series. This book also takes a familiar feminist viewpoint and isn’t shy about taking a stand on gun control. ( )

Serial killer, sicko; way too messy of a plotline; disappointing for a good writer ( )

Unbelievable, convoluted, intriguing but fun. Inspector Gamache is affable company as he wades into the dark reaches of Three Pine society. ( )

A master of pulling you into a maze of events that all intertwine with one another. Well worth reading.Kirkus: Welcome to Three Pines, the idyllic-seeming Canadian capital of murder.At the heart of Penny?s series of mysteries set in the tiny Quebec town of Three Pines is the relationship between Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, the empathetic and capable head of homicide for the S?ret? du Qu?bec, and his headstrong second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, now also his son-in-law. Gamache has a talent for finding officers who?ve been languishing in their previous jobs and turning them into trusted allies, and Penny has frequently mentioned the way Beauvoir had been ?banished to the basement? in an out-of-the-way bureau and that there was something ?lean and feral�something dangerous? about him before Gamache swooped in and brought him to the homicide squad. Now, in her 18th installment, Penny flashes back to the case that brought the two men together. A woman named Clotilde Arsenault has been found dead in a remote lake, and Gamache shows up at the local detachment to investigate the case himself. Clotilde had two children, 13-year-old Fiona and Sam, 10, and it turns out she had been prostituting them. In the book?s present-day strand, Fiona is graduating from college after having served time in prison for killing her mother; Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, have supported her, almost folding her into their own family, but they?ve never trusted Sam, who will also be at the graduation ceremony. This chapter in Penny's chronicle of Three Pines contains all the elements that she sometimes divides up between different books: There's a cozy-feeling present-day mystery concerning a hidden room Fiona discovers by looking at the roofline of Myrna's bookstore, and the strange painting found inside; the harrowing story of how Gamache and Beauvoir cracked the case of Clotilde's murder; and a story of corruption within the institutions that are supposed to be protecting us. The plotting is complex and the characters as vivid as ever, but the opportunity to watch Gamache and Beauvoir's relationship develop is what makes this book one of Penny's best.Penny will have you turning the pages as fast as you can to see how she'll manage to tie everything together.

(2022) Every book in the series is a masterpiece. This one involves a mysterious painting discovered in a bricked in attic room that holds many questions. It all leads to a especially monstrous serial killer that Gamache has helped put away, supposedly forever. But due to incompetence and bribery that killer has escaped prison and now is trying to exact revenge on Gamache and his family. This killer has assumed the identity of a local cleric whose wife has apparently died of cancer and Gamache unknowningly has befriended in his apparent grief. Turns out the wifes death is part of the murderers ploy to trap Gamache in the climatic scene. Good news, the killer is killed. KIRKUS: Welcome to Three Pines, the idyllic-seeming Canadian capital of murder.At the heart of Penny's series of mysteries set in the tiny Quebec town of Three Pines is the relationship between Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, the empathetic and capable head of homicide for the S?ret? du Qu?bec, and his headstrong second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, now also his son-in-law. Gamache has a talent for finding officers who've been languishing in their previous jobs and turning them into trusted allies, and Penny has frequently mentioned the way Beauvoir had been ?banished to the basement? in an out-of-the-way bureau and that there was something ?lean and feral�something dangerous? about him before Gamache swooped in and brought him to the homicide squad. Now, in her 18th installment, Penny flashes back to the case that brought the two men together. A woman named Clotilde Arsenault has been found dead in a remote lake, and Gamache shows up at the local detachment to investigate the case himself. Clotilde had two children, 13-year-old Fiona and Sam, 10, and it turns out she had been prostituting them. In the book's present-day strand, Fiona is graduating from college after having served time in prison for killing her mother; Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, have supported her, almost folding her into their own family, but they've never trusted Sam, who will also be at the graduation ceremony. This chapter in Penny's chronicle of Three Pines contains all the elements that she sometimes divides up between different books: There's a cozy-feeling present-day mystery concerning a hidden room Fiona discovers by looking at the roofline of Myrna's bookstore, and the strange painting found inside; the harrowing story of how Gamache and Beauvoir cracked the case of Clotilde's murder; and a story of corruption within the institutions that are supposed to be protecting us. The plotting is complex and the characters as vivid as ever, but the opportunity to watch Gamache and Beauvoir's relationship develop is what makes this book one of Penny's best.Penny will have you turning the pages as fast as you can to see how she'll manage to tie everything together.Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2022ISBN: 978-1-2501-4529-1Page Count: 400Publisher: Minotaur

This book was suspenseful and moved right along but felt much darker than previous stories in the series. ( )

In this installment, we learn the story of Armand and Jean-Guy's first encounter with one another and the way Jean-Guy became part of the Surete. However, it also features a current problem where the most evil prisoner Armand ever encountered managed to escape prison and get into Three Pines. There is a link between the vile criminal and the early case that brought Jean-Guy into the Surete. The story is perhaps too dark for me, and I really did not enjoy this installment that much although it was well-crafted. I hope the next installment is not so dark. The escape seems improbable although Penny did set up a scenario where it seemed somewhat possible if only the chief warden had been privy to the prisoner's danger. It's just a little too much of a stretch for me. Definitely not my favorite in the series. ( )

Armand and Jean-Guy are concerned when a couple of siblings return to Three Pines. Their mother had been murdered when they were children, but that wasn’t the only sorrow they had experienced as children. To complicate matters, a very old letter surfaces, indicating the terror the writer had while bricking up a secret room. When opened, room revealed even more puzzles besides its mere existence. Eventually, Armand realizes something that turns his blood cold, and though he solves the mysteries surrounding the room, it’s nearly too late and all their lives are in danger. This well-written tale, like the others in the series, is gripping with its suspense. The complicated mystery is like solving a puzzle, and its only when enough pieces are put together that the picture - and the mystery- makes sense. It’s always great to visit Three Pines via these novels. Reading about the characters and their lives is always entertaining, and the Canadian setting and the intricate mystery just add to the pleasure. This particular novel also has the added bonus of divulging information about the first encounter between Armand and Jean-Guy. ( )

This book takes us back to the Gamache and Beauvoir “origin story”: the first case they worked on together, when Beauvoir was relegated to the basement of a detachment in Milieu-de-Nulle-Part, Quebec (not its real name), and Gamache brought him into the fold of homicide. In this case, a woman was murdered, and her two children deeply damaged. The children are now adults and in Three Pines, and their presence is unsettling for Gamache in particular. Later on, another ghost from the past is unleashed into the village. I honestly couldn’t remember that one from previous books, but I don’t think it matters *that* much; Penny provides enough context for you to know “yep, this is someone we’ve dealt with before, here’s how they affect the current story”. This one nearly had me flipping to the end to check if the characters were OK, because it gets very tense. So if you’re the type to worry a great deal about series characters’ well-being, maybe make sure that you’re reading this at home or somewhere you can be uninterrupted. ( )

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has another mystery to solve. And this time, he is a victim.
This is a complex tale in which 2 storylines intertwine. There are numerous characters here, presumably well-known to those who have been reading the series. But for me (who is new to the series on the 18th book!), it was a little overwhelming. I had to go back and relisten to the opening chapters to try to better follow what was happening, so it is not great as a standalone, but doable. I enjoyed the book immensely and aim to read/listen to it again once I get through the prior 17 books in the series. It was the most addictive book I have known. I was up late at night unable to put it down & then if I did fall asleep, I would wake up in the middle of the night excited to get back to it! ( )

A thriller. ( )

The hagiography continues. I'm not sure why I subjected myself, except that I always think I might miss something if I stop a series. Penny sets up a horrific backstory, an improbable prisoner escape, and, of course, mayhem at Three Pines. Did I properly identify the villain? Yeah. Did Gamache triumph? Of course. Will I read another? More and more doubtful. ( )

The Quebec Surete homicide unit is back in Three Pines in this 18th Inspector Gamache book. For such a small place that is supposed to be difficult to find it certainly seems to have a large number of homicides. Oh well, it's fiction so I can suspend my disbelief for the time it takes to read another great book from Louise Penny.

Spring has come to Three Pines and it is also graduation time. The Gamaches and Myrna Landers along with other Three Pines denizens are attending the graduation from the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. This was the site of the infamous Montreal Massacre on December 6, 1989. A lone gunman sequestered women engineering students and proceeded to shoot them, killing 14 and injuring another ten women and four men.Every year at graduation a bouguet of fourteen white roses is displayed to remember the victims. Myrna is attending because her niece, Harriet, is graduating from engineering; the Gamaches don't have a blood relative graduating but a young woman who has stayed with them while on parole. Fiona Arsenault has been in jail for murdering her mother but, with Inspector Gamache's assistance, she was able to take classes remotely and she is another of the graduates. This occasion calls for a recollection of the homicide investigation in Northern Quebec which was when Gamache first met Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Even though Gamache was the person responsible for putting Fiona behind bars he thought she was capable of redemption. Fiona and her brother, Sam, were sexually abused from a young age by local men, arranged by their mother. Gamache throught that Sam had more responsibility for the murder than Fiona let on but she admittes her guilt and Sam was so young he was allowed to go free. Following the graduation ceremony both Fiona and Sam return to Three Pines. Gamache insists that Sam not set foot in his house but Fiona stays there. As the weekend continues there are more surprises including a sealed room, a painting with a hidden message, and a serial killer put away by Gamache is not in the jail where he is supposed to be. The culmination of the book kept me up well past by usual bedtime but there was no way I could sleep without knowing what happened.

All the usual Three Pines persona turn up from time to time. As always the poet Ruth Zardo and her foul-mouthed duck, Rosa, provide some comic relief. Ruth's poetry, though, is never light but it is always relevant to the situation. A new addition to the locals is Reverend Robert Mongeau and his critically ill wife, Sophie. Will we see more of them in the next book? ( )

This latest Three Pines mystery takes the reader back to when Gamache first brought Jean-Guy Beauvoir on to the murder squad and their first case together. In the present day, the children from that first case are now adults. A secret room with a reproduction of an art work by the same title as this book is found in Myrna's loft. And a serial killer from a previous novel has escaped the secure unit.
Let the crime solving begin..... ( )

Another gripping thriller by Louise Penny. The return of a brother/sister duo involved in an old case of Gamache's brings up questions of forgiveness and suspicions of lingering mistakes of judgement. When a hidden room in Three Pines is discovered, with items related to many of the beloved characters in the village, it makes Gamache wonder about this message being sent to him, and by whom.... ( )

In my decidedly not so humble opinion, Louise Penny crafts some of the absolute finest and most engaging stories. And this installment of the Inspector Gamache series does not disappoint. ( )

White it was nice revisiting with the Three Pines characters I could not see the fascination with the painting "A World of Curiosities". It was a good novel and held my interest though. ( )