Surprise!  I finished and enjoyed the whole thing except maybe the ending was a bit schmaltzy.  The surprise is that I’ve never been a Louise Penny fan in any way.  I’ve read 10 or more of the individual novels in the 18-book Detective Gamache/Three Pines series although I din’t read themt in order.  

A Great Reckoning 
By Louise Penny 
2016 
Read by Robert Bathurst 13h 12m
Rating: A+ / traditional mystery 
(#12 in the Three Pines series)

I read from book #1 and got to #6 but I really had a hard time with Ralph Cosham narrating because I couldn’t cut through his strong (but probably accurate) French accent and pronunciations when it came to names etc.   (Try “god” vs “guard.”)  

Since Gosham’s death in 2014  Robert Bathurst has been narrating. Still, I waited until 2020 to pick up on the series with #16 and I’ve been reading right along with publication ever since. Bathurst has enabled me to discern what is being said most of time, and that’s quite helpful although “Jean-Guy” still sounds like Jung-kie – a drug-addict.) 

Three Pines does not appear on any map, real or fictional, but in A Great Reckoning it’s revealed that it can only be found by getting lost.  . That tidbit might have been mentioned or described before, but if so I must have missed it, or missed the description. Nowhere is there a map with Three Pines on it  anywhere until Ganache finds a very old one inside a wall.  

So I’ll just stay that #16, A Great Reckoning is fine reading for those who enjoy a good “who-done-it” with a few of the old quirky characters from prior books, the folks who live in Three Pines.  Ganache has taken the position of director at a school for police cadets. Apparently bad things have been going on there including a little battle continuing between a rogue staff member and anyone in charge because he believes he was up for promotion.  And then there’s Amelia…

Enjoy –