Author: Christopher Melvin | Chief Inspector Gamache Series

When a murder is committed in Three Pines, it falls to Armand Gamache, his second-in-command Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and their team to investigate the crime as well as an extraordinary popular delusion – and the madness of crowds. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read The Madness of Crowds, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Allison Ziegler. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in The Madness of Crowds, and explore more of all things The Madness of Crowds here at GamacheSeries.com.

But correct and right were two different things. As were facts and truth. Can you think of any examples of this in the series? Let us know in the comments!

All the Devils Are Here, the 16th book in the series, finds Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec investigating a sinister plot in the City of Light. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read this one, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Louise Loiselle. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in All the Devils Are Here, and explore more of all things All the Devils Are Here here at GamacheSeries.com.

If there was one thing the senior police officer understood, it was that everyone had strengths. And weaknesses. The important thing was to recognize them. And not expect something from someone who didn’t have it to give. Do you think you’re a good judge of strengths and weaknesses in people you encounter? Let us know in the comments!

Catastrophic spring flooding, blistering attacks in the media, and a mysterious disappearance greet Chief Inspector Armand Gamache as he returns to the Sûreté du Québec in A Better Man. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read the 15th book in the series, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Kelley Ragland. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in A Better Man, and explore more of all things A Better Man here at GamacheSeries.com.

Is it true? Is it kind? Does it need to be said? This quote reminds us of the Wisdom featured from A Rule Against Murder. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

In Kingdom of the Blind, a complete stranger names Chief Detective Armand Gamache one of the executors of her will. But when a dead body turns up in town, the terms of the will suddenly seem far more menacing. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read the 14th book in the series, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Andrew Martin. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in Kingdom of the Blind, and explore more of all things Kingdom of the Blind here at GamacheSeries.com.

As a good rule of thumb, if you have to lie, you might be doing something wrong. Hear, hear.

In Glass Houses, Louise Penny shatters the conventions of the crime novel to explore what Gandhi called the court of conscience. A court that supersedes all others. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read the 13th book in the series, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Will Schwalbe. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in Glass Houses, and explore more of all things Glass Houses here at GamacheSeries.com. 

There seems such a fine line between falling into place and falling apart. What does this piece of wisdom mean to you? Let us know in the comments!

When an intricate old map is found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in Three Pines in A Great Reckoning, it at first seems no more than a curiosity. But the closer the villagers look, the stranger it becomes. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read the 12th book in the series, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Mary Beth Roche. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in A Great Reckoning, and explore more of all things A Great Reckoning here at GamacheSeries.com. 

Don’t believe everything you think. Ain’t that the truth!

In The Nature of the Beast, a monster returns to Three Pines, and Armand Gamache, the former head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec, must grapple with what happens next. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read this one, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Laura Cok. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in The Nature of the Beast, and explore more of all things The Nature of the Beast here at GamacheSeries.com. 

But they both knew that words were weapons too, and when fashioned into a story their power was almost limitless. Everyone here clearly has a love of reading. Other than Louise’s books, what are some of your other favorites? Let us know in the comments!

In The Long Way Home, Armand Gamache, former Chief Inspector of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, has found a peace he’d only imagined possible in his retirement in Three Pines. But the search for a missing villager leads him deeper and deeper into the wilderness. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read the tenth book in the series, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Paul Hochman. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in The Long Way Home, and explore more of all things The Long Way Home here at GamacheSeries.com.

“I believe in using your head. But not in spending too much time in there. Fear lives in the head. And courage lives in the heart. The job is to get from one to the other.” This reminds us of a famous quote: “To think too much is a disease.” Who said this? Let us know your guesses in the comments. No Googling!

In How the Light Gets In, the Christmas season is approaching: a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive season for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Is there peace to be found in Three Pines, and at what cost to Gamache and the people he holds dear? If it’s been awhile since you’ve read the ninth book in the series, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Lesa Holstine. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in How the Light Gets In, and explore more of all things How the Light Gets In here at GamacheSeries.com. 

But, like peace, comfort didn’t come from hiding away or running away. Comfort first demanded courage. In the comments, join us to discuss examples of Gamache’s courage – both in How the Light Gets In and from other books in the series.

In The Beautiful Mystery, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec are admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read the eighth book in the series, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Barbara Peters. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in The Beautiful Mystery, and explore more of all things The Beautiful Mystery here at GamacheSeries.com. 

Privacy. And with privacy, of course, came something else. Safety. That was, Gamache knew, what people valued most of all.  Do you see a correlation between privacy and safety? Let us know in the comments!