the black wolf
synopsis
Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding.
Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf.
But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realized that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the beginning. Perhaps even a deliberate misdirection. One he fell into. Something deeper and darker, more damaging, is planned. Did he in fact arrest the Black Wolf, or are they still out there? Armand is appalled to think his mistake has allowed their conspiracy to grow, to gather supporters. To spread lies, manufacture enemies, and feed hatred and division.
Still recovering from wounds received in stopping the first attack, Armand is confined to the village of Three Pines, leading a covert investigation from there. He must be careful not to let the Black Wolf know he has recognized his mistake. In a quiet church basement, he and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste, pore over what little evidence they have. Two notebooks. A few mysterious numbers on a tattered map of Québec. And a phrase repeated by the person they had called the Grey Wolf. A warning…
In a dry and parched land where there is no water.
Gamache and his small team of supporters realize that for The Black Wolf to have gotten this far, they must have powerful allies, in law enforcement, in industry, in organized crime, in the halls of government.
From the apparent peace of his little village, Gamache finds himself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse with an invisible foe who is gathering forces and preparing to strike.
Exemplary... Penny's talent for nail-biting suspense and quiet character moments fuse with surprisingly topical subject matter to deliver an unputdownable installment of an ever reliable series. Readers will cheer
How does she do it? Twenty books into her Inspector Gamache series, Penny rolls out a sequel to her bestselling Grey Wolf that’s as up to date as today’s headlines. In a world where black is white and truth is mutable, you can fool anyone, even the brilliant detective of Three Pines…This is a riveting book by one of Canada’s best
Penny has no peer... so intelligent and exciting in its construction.
Penny is one hell of a writer: her novels... are tightly plotted and beautifully written. An absolute must read.
A sequel to The Grey Wolf (2024) that begins with the earlier novel's last line: "We have a problem." And what a problem it is….uncannily prophetic.
“I highly recommend The Black Wolf and all the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries… you are in for a real treat.”
“Penny brings her customary thoughtfulness, storytelling gifts, literary allusions, and humanity… to a warning wrapped in a thriller.”
“Trust Penny to offer another smart, well-plotted, suspenseful tale.”
“Following the events of 'The Grey Wolf' comes the 20th entry in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. Penny raises the stakes even higher as Armand and his team uncover a more sinister conspiracy that strikes at the heart of Canada’s government and its ripped-from-the-headlines conflict with the U.S. Too close for comfort?"
“The latest addition to Penny’s Armand Gamache series opens as Chief Inspector Gamache and his team realize the domestic terrorist attack they thought they stopped was merely the beginning of an even deeper conspiratorial espionage plot. Recovering in seclusion, Gamache and his team must use what little evidence they have to take down the Black Wolf and their undoubtedly powerful allies.”
