"A Better Man" by Louise Penny

The latest title in the author's Inspector Gamache series follows Armand, his colleagues, friends and family as they hunt for a killer while dealing with large scale flooding that threatens the province and beloved village of Three Pines.  Despite the tension in the communities and lives of our characters, the book also felt surprisingly calming, reassuring us that where abrupt change happens, there is also room for new growth. 

Because, quite literally, the Gamache Squad is growing.  Growing in numbers.  Growing in distance.  Growing in emotional awareness.  And lastly (and worst of all when in happens to me in real life) personal growth.  In this case, I'm not altogether certain that our characters' personal growth is necessarily good.  Gamache himself even plumbs the darker depths of his soul while grappling with that all-too-terrible-yet-wonderful parental emotion of letting go.  It is the worst and the best.

Louise Penny is absolutely one of my favorite authors, and I'm excited for the next trip to Three Pines.  The title was just announced this last week!