Review - The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

Title: The Grey Wolf*

Author: Louise Penny 

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Rating: 3.75 stars / 5 stars

Favorite Quote: “But for men who did not do a lot of talking, their faces, their bodies, spoke for them. An eye roll became an assault, a turned back a declaration of war. A smile was an invitation.” Penny, Louise, The Grey Wolf. Minotaur Books, 2024. 

Review: The Grey Wolf follows Inspector Gamache and his team as they uncover a biological threat to the water in Canada. It re-introduces characters from previous novels, straying mostly from Three Pines. Unlike many of Penny’s previous works, The Grey Wolf feels more like a thriller than a cozy mystery. 

So, here’s the thing. It took me FOREVER to pick up The Grey Wolf given my opinions on A World of Curiosities. But with The Black Wolf coming out (I read The Grey Wolf in the weeks coming up to its release), I finally decided to pick it up with the hopes that I would fall back in love with the world I’ve loved for so long. The main problem was that the book didn’t really center Three Pines. And goodness, I really wish Three Pines.

Here’s what was working - I think this book does a lot of character development for Gamache, especially with regard to his relationship with Daniel, who also seems to have grown as a character. The backstory that was developed explains a tension that has existed in previous books but was cookie-crumbed rather than explained outright. 

What wasn’t working (as well): We all know that I love Louise Penny and this series. To actually criticize one of her novels takes a lot more than what I kind of saw as shortcomings in this particular book. Quite frankly, I’m just not as big of a fan of thrillers as I a) used to be and b) am of cozy mysteries. So while Penny writes thrillers as well as she writes cozy mysteries - amping up the tension until it explodes - this wouldn’t necessarily be a book that I chose for myself without Penny’s name on it. 

The one part that I genuinely don’t think was working was introducing the prior monk/monastery characters/storyline from books/years ago into this novel. It made an already complicated storyline even more convoluted and while this book is certainly a part of a series, most books can stand on their own, while this one suddenly couldn’t. 

About that Quote: Despite being the queen of cozy mysteries (and maybe thrillers now?), Penny truly shines when exploring the depths of human emotions, actions, and sensibilities (or lack thereof). So much of this book happened in the subtext between characters, not the words that were actually spoken. And this quote masterfully sums up how important that subtext is to the plot.