By Ande Jacobson

A Great Reckoning, is the twelfth mystery novel in Louise Penny’s Gamache series. The story picks up the thread of what’s next for Armand Gamache, formerly the chief inspector of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec. After cleaning the corruption out of the service itself and the top leadership and retiring to Three Pines, there’s one piece left – the academy that trains new recruits. Recently (in the previous book), Armand saw first-hand the caliber of recent academy graduates and was appalled at their lack of decorum and their dangerous and violent attitudes. After receiving numerous offers from various services that value his expertise, he chooses to accept the position of commander of the Sûreté Academy. His first task is to adjust the staff, letting some of the old guard go, and ushering in some new faces. He keeps a few of the old guard though, including a few potentially dangerous individuals. Unfortunately for him, one of them turns out to be far worse than he knew. Continue reading →