Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny

I read the last Armand Gamache book over a year ago, and I couldn't wait to listen to this one when I finally, finally came to the top of the library waitlist. (I've been waiting for months!) I am such a huge fan of Gamache, Jean-Guy, Reine-Marie, and all our favorite people from Three Pines. Louise Penny has created this town that seems so real and so cozy, lovable, and believable, and it makes you want to curl up and stay there with the Gamaches. This book began not with a murder, but with Gamache being summoned as a liquidator for a will of someone he'd never met, and Gamache has to go down a trail to find out who this lady was and what the story was of her family. Eventually there is a murder of someone who is involved, and Jean-Guy has to get involved. But there is also another storyline continuing the huge plot of the drug bust from the previous book, and Gamache trying to tie up the loose ends and catch the rest of the drugs that had slipped through the police's fingers when they bust the drug ring in Glass Houses.

All of my favorite elements of a Louise Penny novel were there--plenty of cozy scenes in Three Pines, interesting extra characters, a complicated murder and interesting backstory to the murder involving a centuries-old family will. I kind of figured out who had done it well before the reveal came along though, which hasn't usually happened in her books. I loved how Penny used the idea of Gamache being asked to be the liquidator of a will for a random person he'd never met; that seemed like a perfect way for Penny to introduce new characters for the murder plot in a believable way. I also loved the way Penny wrote about the blizzard--she clearly knows what they feel like very well, and can make you feel like you need to grab a blanket and settle down inside your cozy warm house--and the dramatic scene of the house caving in. She has an amazing talent for imagery and for making you feel like you're a part of something.

I can't wait for the next one. I'm glad Penny hasn't given up on this series yet, because I will continue to read them as long as she produces them.