How the Light Gets In is the ninth book in Louise Penny's acclaimed Inspector Gamache series. Following the disheartening events at the conclusion of The Beautiful Mystery, Québécois detective Armand Gamache struggles to preserve some whisper of integrity among the agents of the Sûreté's homicide department, while his former protégé spins helplessly out of control, sinking under the weight of resentment, fear and addiction. Unrelated cases involving the disappearance of an seemingly unremarkable old woman, and the apparent suicide of a young woman in possession of remarkable information, spiral into alignment, leading Gamache to a new understanding of the lies we tell ourselves and others.
As matters come to a head, Gamache marshals his forces, calling on the few colleagues he has left who may be trustworthy. Leaving a few strategically false trails, Gamache and his friends retreat to the small village of Three Pines for one last desperate attempt to root out the cancerous corruption at the heart of Quebec's government.
Over the course of her career, Penny has won practically every award that exists for mystery fiction, all richly deserved. She writes a quiet mystery, more introspection and character study than thriller, and delves into the deepest recesses of her characters with a clarity and intensity that is both painful and perversely soothing. Her plots are woven as deftly as characters, making this novel, like its predecessors, a joy to read. --Judie Evans, librarian