What a great pleasure it is to be back in the company of Armand Gamache and his family, friends and colleagues in Montreal and the tiny village of Three Pines. There is a plot afoot to harness the water shortages caused by climate change to begin a major conflict between Canada and the US, with some very shady and violent characters involved. It’s Gamache’s job to hunt these people down and to stop the plot. Such a story would have seemed pretty far fetched even a few years ago, but with recent political events it was easy to suspend credibility and take the story as something that could very much happen. Louse Penny has the ability to make each of the characters so real the reader can visualise them, along with some really excellent scene setting, especially in Three Pines, which has become a real village in the minds of her readers - this reader wants to go there and have hot chocolate and a croissant in Gabri’s bistro!

One of the great things Louise Penny knows how to do is to make her books address the issues of the moment. The Gamache series has evolved form a largely local whodunnit to one with much more universal involvement. Some readers may not like this but I believe it is impossible to keep rehashing the same characters and plots and with this last book she shows she knows how to go beyond the obvious and create a (well, mostly) believable plot integrating climate change, pollution, corruption and politics. The reason it's not five stars for me, is that it veers into the realm of the impossible once too often. I would like to believe that, if something like this happened, there would be people like Gamache to rescue the world, but this is, as we have seen, highly unlikely. There are a lot of fools in this world so it is nice to be able to be able to invest your hopes into fictional heroes when reality remains harsh. This is good for a couple of hours of enjoyable reading, just make sure you read The Grey Wolf first.

Underpinned by philosophical musings and melted brie this is once again an edge of your seat thriller.

Reading a Louise Penny novel is like a moral reset. We are reminded that, "goodness exists" despite us living in a world where that is challenged every day and at every level.
This sequel to "The Grey Wolf" is no less daunting in tone and action. Gamache realises that the plot to poison the nation's water is the just the tip of a much bigger plot involving nations, government and climate change. With his team he becomes embroiled in a quite unbelievable, but sadly almost credible, plot that twists and turns until the very end. It plays with your mind and leaves you questioning everything you have ever read or heard on line. At its heart it's a storyline about greed ,truth and desperation. However, for fans of the lovely fictional village of Three Pines more action takes place there than in the previous story. The bistro is visited and food and friendships are shared - goodness exists!

I greatly enjoyed this - I do question whether one man can really take on the might of government but this is fiction and we now know lines between fiction and fact blur daily. It's another triumph, although I would appreciate a more straightforward case next time!

Louise Penny has long been one of my all-time favorite crime writers—firmly planted in my top ten—and The Black Wolf is a powerful reminder of why. Over more than twenty books, her characters have grown into familiar companions: layered, evolving, deeply human. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache in particular remains a towering moral force—calm, principled, but with steel beneath the surface—and in this latest installment, we see that center tested like never before.

Where past novels leaned into the warm, psychological depth of Three Pines, The Black Wolf bursts onto a broader, more combustible stage. The result is a breathtakingly tense and eerily timely thriller. Penny deftly trades the village green for global intrigue, exploring a chillingly plausible conspiracy rooted in cross-border tensions between the U.S. and Canada over water rights and natural resources. The specter of the “51st state” looms in the background—an unsettling concept that appears here months before Donald Trump returned to the White House. It’s a prescient move that gives the novel an added jolt of realism and urgency, proving once again that Penny’s intuition for the pulse of the world is razor-sharp.

This novel is a direct continuation of The Grey Wolf, and I’d strongly recommend reading that first. The payoff in The Black Wolf is richer for it. The plot picks up just weeks after the foiling of a domestic terror plot in Montréal—a supposed victory that quickly begins to unravel. What if the wrong man was arrested? What if the real Black Wolf is still out there, gathering power in the shadows?

What follows is a tightly-wound investigation conducted from the heart of Three Pines, with Gamache, Beauvoir, and Lacoste working quietly, urgently, against an invisible adversary. The clues are fragmentary: two notebooks, a cryptic map, a line from scripture. But the danger is seismic. Penny masterfully builds tension, layer by layer, as the team uncovers a web of corruption and complicity that stretches into industry, law enforcement, even government.

This book crackles with momentum. It’s pacy, explosive, and—despite the scale—never loses its emotional core. The intimacy of Three Pines remains, but the stakes have soared. Penny’s writing is as elegant and assured as ever, delivering not just suspense, but insight, wisdom, and heart.

The Black Wolf is a triumph—both a brilliant thriller and a bold evolution in the Gamache series. Louise Penny has not only raised the stakes; she’s redefined what this series is capable of.

Absolutely loved it.

4.5
Folks, I was honestly nervous to read this and went into it fully braced. Like others, I'm getting uncomfortable with how superhuman Gamache has become and 'conspiracy intrigue' of the plots, not to mention how much I did not want to read the 51st state stuff. But, I'm relieved to say that I enjoyed this one!

It started super slow; like, for the first 20% I was like "come on, do something!" but I think a lot of this was because Louise Penny openly shared the trigger warning that is the 51st state theme (which doesn't show up until around 60%). The 51st state plot is terrifying as a Canadian. How Penny crafts the rationale for it was disturbingly plausible. I was physically squirming and felt sick to my stomach, it was that uncomfortable. But, I hung in there.

While Gamache is very lucky in this story, and some of the coincidences and twists require a strong suspension of disbelief, I liked how some of our side characters have more prominent roles. While we still don't spend a lot of time in Three Pines, Penny addresses this in the afterword. She knows her readers are clambering for a story set in the village (and maybe a plot that doesn't mirror the horrors of reality quite so closely); but her rationale is well argued and shows some insight into the choices she's made for these last two books. I'm still not convinced that all of Penny's (pretty awesome) plots need to be set in the Three Pines universe, but I understand her thought process better. Bottom line: IMO, Penny's incredible writing will always counteract her wilder plots.

My main concern with the 51st state plot, is the same concern I had The Madness of Crowds. It represents the world Penny wants, not necessarily the world we have; if, like me, your nerves are frayed, you may feel despondent. <spoilers removed> Despite the anxiety I felt, I did love how Penny wove very real climate breakdown themes into the narrative.

Was I surprised by this? Yes, I was. And relieved that I enjoyed it.
Am I keen to read another political intrigue plot in the Gamache series? Absolutely not.

If you like the series, don't give up on it yet. In a lot of ways, I found the storytelling stronger in this than Grey Wolf.

Second instalment in a two part book started with The Grey Wolf.
CI Gamache knows it’s not over there is more than a terrorist attack on a major city in Canada.
With his 2 sidekicks he must follow the trail even though he cannot see the woods for the trees for such a long time.
There are great risks to life and reputation but the repercussions could be devastating.
A very relevant story dealing with climate change social media and how a small voice can influence the masses.
You really need to read the first book The Grey Wolf to place all the characters and bring relevance to this story.
I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

Another riveting tale from Louise Penny. The incomparable Armand Gamache continues his search for the black wolf begun in The grey wolf. All of the favourite inhabitants of Three Pines are present while Gamache uses his worldwide connections to solve the most dangerous case he has ever investigated.
An absolute page turner that I read over a couple of days. Can’t wait for the next one.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the chance to read and review an advance copy of this book.

“In a dry and parched land, where there is no water…”

My best book moment of the year so far was being approved for an advance copy of Louise Penny’s latest novel, The Black Wolf, #20 in the hugely popular Inspector Gamache series. Its predecessor, The Grey Wolf, left readers hanging after the successful foiling of a terrorist attack on a major Quebec water plant, ending with Gamache’s ominous declaration: “We have a problem…”

There’s so much I could say about this book! The storyline is so uncannily prescient that Penny takes the unusual step of including an author’s note at the beginning: “Imagine my surprise in January 2025 when I started spotting headlines that could have been ripped right from the book….”
The main action unfolds beyond the familiar sanctuary of Three Pines, as Gamache and his team uncover an even more chilling conspiracy—one rooted in environmental warfare. In a world increasingly shaped by the disruptive force of social media, Penny deftly explores how the inconceivable can quickly shift into the realm of the acceptable, and how dangerously thin the line is between misinformation and catastrophe.
In a world gone crazy, this is ultimately a story about the power of choice—and the courage it takes to be a dissenting voice. I’m in awe of Louise Penny’s skill in pulling together such a multi-layered and complex story. To say I loved this book is an understatement. It’s easily my favourite read of the year so far—and one I know I’ll return to again.

With sincere thanks to @NetGalley and @HodderBooks for an advance copy in return for my honest review.

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny is book 20 in the Armand Gamache series. It is published on 28 October. Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the advance copy. This book is a continuation of book 19, The Grey Wolf. Domestic terrorism in Montreal. Armand had thought they had wrapped up their previous case, but it is just beginning. With all the terrorists’ tentacles and their powerful allies, there is an uphill battle. Armand has confined himself to Three Pines to recover from his injuries and is joined by Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste to continue the investigation. They don’t know who their enemies are, or their friends. In their investigation, the unthinkable is uncovered – a diabolical plan which will have far-reaching ramifications. This is an intense read with comic relief provided by Ruth and Rosa the duck. There is a real sense of place when talking about the village of Three Pines. The Gamache books are beautifully written, and it is very easy to get lost in them. The characters are a joy to read about and having followed them through from book 1, I know them inside and out. I love the books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Black Wolf. Louise Penny’s writing was elegant and layered, with a strong sense of place and character. The plot is deeply political and quietly tense, drawing on real-world events that kept me turning the pages.

While I did finish and enjoy the book, I found myself pausing at points to look things up or reread previous summaries, as my understanding of the plot would definitely have been richer had I started further back in the series. I will definitely go back to review the build up to the history between Gamache and the other characters in this series.

A rewarding read for fans of thoughtful, character-driven crime fiction, just one that benefits from a bit of background first on my behalf.

This is a captivating read though really frightening... The intricate and complex plot needs the reader to concentrate on what is happening. One does not know whom to to trust up to the conclusion of the novel. That's good! I loved the parts taking place in the Three Pines and loved meeting the inhabitants again. The novel was cleverly done, no question (hence the 4*). However, the plot dealt too much with politics as did the previous book. I do prefer the other books... That's only my opinion.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.