Kingdom of the Blind is the 14th book in the Inspector Gamache Series, written by Louise Penny.   All of her books are well-written, cleverly designed, and enjoyable throughout.    Some of the same characters are again in this novel – from the village of Three Pines, from Gamache’s family, and from the Sûreté du Quebec.

Penny intertwines 3 stories together, one carrying over from the previous novel in the series, Glass Houses.  Each of the three stories is interesting and they are skillfully told.

I always admire Louise Penny’s writing and I enjoy the series, coming back each year to read another one, like meeting an old friend for coffee.   I can recommend this book to other readers, but I found that this particular one did not engage me as much as I had hoped.    The characters were amusing or interesting, but did not capture my imagination.    The plot had a number of interesting twists, but it was not gripping with suspense.    As a who-done-it, I wanted to read on for the answer, but I did not find the solution to the mystery surprising.   I enjoyed the book, bit I was hoping for more.

Nevertheless, I will return to read another in the series, probably as a cozy-mystery choice for mid-winter. 4.2 out of 5.0 stars4.2

“What I was going to say is that my mentor had this theory that our lives are like an aboriginal longhouse. Just one huge room.” He swept one arm out to illustrate scope. “He said that if we thought we could compartmentalize things, we were deluding ourselves. Everyone we meet, every word we speak, every action taken or not taken lives in our longhouse. With us. Always. Never to be expelled or locked away.”