Thankfully Ms Penny despite the loss of "her" Gamache has once again ventured into the darkest hearts of mystery, mystery and humanity in Three Pines, Quebec and monstrous threads of a family ripped asunder in pre war Vienna but the destruction he himself let lose among the weak, the addicted and the endangered of those he loves and loathes. The author has produced yet another truly original and intricately plotted episode seat in her world of Three Pines with all the luminous explorations of blindness, flaws and redemption the human heart is prone to without ever losing sight of her tightly woven strands of crime, murder and resolution. I couldn't put it down until I had finished it and I rarely say that about any crime novel, but Ms Penny has that rare gift of original plots, well researched historical settings and compelling character development, flaws and all. I recommend it and sincerely hope this is not the last of Gamache, Three Pines and that damned Duck!