The last book How the Light Gets In ended with a watershed moment that made me wonder how the author would carry on. That 9th book will forever be a turning point in the series. This book starts with Gamache, retired in the village, beginning each day reading a slim volume entitled The Balm in Gilead on a bench overlooking the town. Maybe he needs something to ‘make the wounded whole’ after the climactic ending of the last book. Returning to Three Pines feels likes a balm to him, and to me.
The premise of this one is a nice twist on the ‘found a body/find the killer’ trope. It’s really simple. One person is missing, but in a small town like Three Pines, that is a vital and compelling loss.
As Gamache teams up with Beauvoir once again (even though both are still not supposed to be working), and others join in to help, there is a lurking fear that the missing person has come to some harm, perhaps even self-inflicted. Gamache is determined to find out, even as his wife Reine-Marie struggles with his compulsion to do so, because he’s possibly putting himself at risk once again and may not really be anywhere near retirement after all!
Below is an interview with Mary Lou Finlay (formerly of As It Happens and other CBC programs) and Louise Penny at the Toronto Public Library. Their conversation is about this book but also showcases Penny’s sense of humour, wisdom, candour, and some helpful advice about the writing process.
Joanne's Reading Blog 
This was a wonderful interview with Louise Penny- who is so delightful and generous with her time and humor that one sees way beyond the writing elegance that brought us the marvelous Inspector Gamache series. Thanks for sending it.
How nice that you listened to it Karen! Yes, she is a warm and generous person and very honest about a lot of things! I love how she takes a picture of the audience at a book interview!