1.28k reviews for:

Le loup gris

Louise Penny

4.0 AVERAGE

medium-paced

Interminable. Ghastly. The last Louise Penny I'll read. That's it in a nutshell. I'll expand a bit.

I've been working through the Gamache series for some time now. In general, I'd rate these books a 3 or perhaps 3.25 for the strongest novels in the series. They are mediocre at the best of times, but frankly that's been one of the reasons I've enjoyed them. They are the perfect bedtime reading: decent character development; decent world-building; and decent crime plot. Yet, they aren't so engaging that you can't put them down and much of the series is very relaxing and charming with strong roots in the seasonal changes of Quebec and rich descriptions of fine meals and friendship.

As the series has progressed however, it has, in my view degraded, and become increasingly disjointed and improbable, with less of the charm of the first half of the series. Indeed, Grey Wolf was a huge disappointment with a re-hashed plot - high profile friends of Gamache being naughty, again, yawn - a tenuously crafted mystery, and none of the charm of earlier installments. I had already soured after A World of Curiosities, the book that precedes Grey Wolf, and this story just completely ended my relationship with this series.
challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Louise Penny has absolutely ruined Gamache. Why is a homicide investigator constantly thwarting terrorist attacks and international crime rings across Canada and Europe? These plots make no sense. The wild leaps of speculation and paranoia that Gamache indulges in this book are infuriating. 

Penny’s obsession with government corruption is also ludicrous and maybe dangerous. Do people really need fiction where there are literally only 3 public servants in all of Canada who aren’t power-hungry sociopaths at a time when trust in public institutions is crumbling to the entire world’s peril. 

And if you want to see Clara, Myrna, Ruth, Gabri and Olivia you’ll have to re-read one of the older books. Why can’t we just have a tricky murder mystery in Three Pines and spend some time with the wonderful characters Penny has created?
adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This was SO confusing but the end made up for it. Except the damn cliffhanger !
informative mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense
lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous dark medium-paced

These wise and wonderful characters have my heart! Let’s find the bad guys in The Black Wolf 2025!