The Long Way Home by Louise Penny

Happily retired in the village of Three Pines, Armand Gamache, former Chief Inspector of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, has found a peace he'd only imagined possible. On warm summer mornings he sits on a bench holding a small book, The Balm in Gilead, in his large hands. "There is a balm in Gilead," his neighbor Clara Morrow reads from the dust jacket, "to make the wounded whole."

While Gamache doesn't talk about his wounds and his balm, Clara tells him about hers. Peter, her artist husband, has failed to come home. Failed to show up as promised on the first anniversary of their separation. She wants Gamache's help to find him. Having finally found sanctuary, Gamache feels a near revulsion at the thought of leaving Three Pines. "There's power enough in Heaven," he finishes the quote as he contemplates the quiet village, "to cure a sin-sick soul." And then he gets up. And joins her.

Together with his former second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and Myrna Landers, they journey deeper and deeper into Québec. And deeper and deeper into the soul of Peter Morrow. A man so desperate to recapture his fame as an artist, he would sell that soul. And may have. The journey takes them further and further from Three Pines, to the very mouth of the great St. Lawrence river. To an area so desolate, so damned, the first mariners called it the land God gave to Cain. And there they discover the terrible damage done by a sin-sick soul.

Perhaps starting in the middle of a series is not the best way to read a novel. This was my first Louise Penny, and although I liked it, it didn't live up to the expectations I had based on the love my friends have for Louise Penny novels. Armand Gamache is newly retired after some traumatic event that is only alluded to, and his friends and family eye him anxiously to make sure he is okay. When one of the residents of Three Pines, the village Gamache and his wife are living in, confides her worry about her missing husband, though, he is drawn back into the life of a detective.

For all that it constantly refers to the hard and dangerous life of a detective, this book is wrapped in coziness. There are characters whose sole function is “lovable crank” or “supportive friend.” The characters spend evenings eating communal meals which are described with detail a foodie would appreciate. When it comes to detection, Gamache often gleans information from small details that the reader is not privy to until much later, which I find annoying.

This story takes place among a community of artists, and deals with artistic inspiration, authenticity, and risk taking. The subject matter was interesting, and I liked the setting of Quebec, but I was not bowled over by this book. I think I will read the first in the series before I give up on Louise Penny, though.

I am new to Louise Penny, but I can honestly say, I am in love with this writer. She is an awesome storyteller. The description of the location, where the story took place, just beautiful. It had me take a look at Travelocity, to see the cost of visiting, Charlevoix, which I plan to do. This is the best story I have read all year. Full character development and storyline. I relished the story. A love story/mystery, it doesn't get any better than that. I will purchase this book to add to my library.