The Grey Wolf

A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, Book 19)

De: Louise Penny

Narrado por: Jean Brassard

"Brassard's accents—whether French Canadian, Italian, or continental French—create indelible characters. His performance lets us feel Reine Marie's warmth and Armand's affectionate nature, and he adds an additional layer to surly Ruth and her potty-mouthed duck. Exciting and entertaining."—AudioFile (Earphones Award winner)

The 19th mystery in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Armand Gamache series.

Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning.

That's only the first in a sequence of strange events that begin THE GREY WOLF, the nineteenth novel in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times-bestselling series. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading "this might interest you", a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list—and then a murder. All propel Chief Inspector Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization. Something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching.

Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. Determined to track down the threat before it becomes a reality, their pursuit takes them across Québec and across borders. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate, even frantic, as the enormity of the creature they’re chasing becomes clear. If they fail the devastating consequences would reach into the largest of cities and the smallest of villages.

Including Three Pines.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

©2024 Louise Penny (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

I have never returned a Louise Penny book before.

I understand that a more authentic Quebecois voice is desirable, but a talented voice actor is also needed. When I am paying more attention to the narration than to the story, it means the narrator is distracting from the beautiful writing. I genuinely couldn't distinguish who was speaking, and that made for a tough listen. Everything sounded flat. There was no resonance to the voices - no richness or warmth. And I realize that it's not even about distinguishing between the characters' voices via pitch or accent - there is a certain cadence, inflection, and personality that Cosham and Bathurst gave to the characters that made them distinct. Gamache is no longer distinguished. It's like ordering café au lait served in a bowl and getting warm water in a paper cup. I will read this one - maybe. I don't have time to read traditional books, so I am sad that I may miss this one.

I returned the book to Audible. I have NEVER returned a Louise penny book, but I just could not finish with this narrator.

New Narrator Is A Dissappointment

The Jean Brassard does not provide the listener with a credible reading that draws one into the story like Bathurst has consistently done. My enjoyment of the book falls well short as my mental images of the characters was greatly affected by an immature sounding Narrator.

Recycled plot with sad new reader 😟

Tried to like the new reader but he made Gamache sound peevish and petulant instead of imperturbable and strong. Shades of the old cartoon character Snagglepuss in the ends of sentences.

We Were Spoiled

We were spoiled by the previous two readers Ralph Corsham (sadly deceased) and Robert Bathurst (not invited? not available?). Sadly the new reader would probably be better reading technical data.
The story itself felt like a replay of the one where terrorists planned to blow up a damn. Louise Penny is better than this. Perhaps, events in her life influenced this writing but there needs to be a reader who can bring back the soul of Gamache and the writer who can bring back our old friends from Three Pines.

Least favorite book in this series

I have loved most of the books in this series, but this one was overly long, convoluted and confusing. I much prefer the earlier books that explore the relationship between the characters in Three Pines. New narrator is disappointing.

Confusing. Hard to follow. Difficult to understand the narrator.

We were very disappointed in this most recent publication. We had anxiously awaited this new book, having thoroughly enjoyed all of the other Three Pines episodes. The plot was extremely confusing, and, not speaking French, we found the narrator very difficult to understand at times.

So sad

The new narrator was not a positive change. It negatively affected my enjoyment of the story.

I like the new narrator a lot

Another great one from Ms. Penny. I loved it I like the new narrator a lot.

My least favorite in the series

The new narrator is great, so that’s good. I thought the story was forced and a bit derivative. Sorry Louise - I just didn’t love it. I missed my friends from Three Pines, and though I was happy to go back to the monastery, it wasn’t fun or interesting. I’ll come back to the next one.

This is not my Gamache!

I know writers like to try new things, but this was a big mistake. I pre-ordered this book, as I have many Louise Penny novels, but I am sorry I did with this one. The plot is very convoluted and hard to follow--so many people with French names, I couldn't keep them straight. Characters from previous books are just thrown in and recycled. Special items from previous novels are mentioned once and not explained, such as F.I.N.E. I know what it means, but every book should stand on its own and not depend upon previously read books to understand. BUT, I could forgive all that if I was listening to the resonant tones of Robert Bathurst. The first narrator change we necessary, Mr. Cosham passed away. But the transition was seamless, and I was soon lulled into the beautiful narration of Mr. Bathurst. This narrator change is terrible--if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!! This is even more devastating than the TV series called Three Pines. I'm sure this person is a good actor, but acting and narrating are two related but separate talents like dance and choreography. All choreographers are dancers but not all dancers are choreographers. Likewise, all good narrators are actors but not all actors are good narrators.. All the characters sound alike and are unrecognizable. Dear Ms. Penny, I didn't like all the stories of your previous novels, but I consider them my comfort books. I have listened to each of them many times, mainly because of your excellent choice of narrators.. If you want to do something new, please just let Gamache die and end this series. Do something new if you want, but I will not be buying any more of your Gamache books if they aren't narrated by the resonant tones of Mr. Bathurst. This is one thing Sue Grafton understood. She always had Judy Kay reading all 25 of her books--she was the perfect voice for Kinsey. When you have it right, keep it.