Just this week Louise Penny's latest murder mystery was released to the bookshops. I am losing count, this is either number eleven or number twelve. Over the years I have read each one of the books in the series. As I don't buy them usually, rather read what is available to borrow from the local library, I had to read them out of sequence: it is common for the library to have only the most recent books and not to carry the earlier books at the beginning of the series.

The author of these mysteries about Quebec and its heterogenous population has been playing a very long game indeed. This book, A Great Reckoning, is a climactic confrontation between two people who have known each other from childhood into their present grandfather-aged years. I went back to look at the earlier books, and found this relationship, with its conflicts and covert behaviors, raising its head in book number two, "A Fatal Grace." But this longtime relationship -- yes, one of the people is protagonist Armand Gamache, and yes, he makes it out of this book alive -- has bonds both personal and professional, and influences so many developments in the ongoing saga connecting the mystery books.

This book was a deeply satisfying read for someone who has read all of its predecessors. Vitally important to read at least some of them before reading "A Great Reckoning;" for example, "Bury Your Dead." You will need to read about the shootout at the factory in that one, in order to appreciate "A Great Reckoning" 's mock-up exercise for the Surete Academy cadets.

Would love to hear from anyone else who has enjoyed Louise Penny's mysteries.