Louise Penny

Vytrvalé telefonáty narušují klid srpnového rána manželů Gamachových ve Three Pines. Reine-Marie s nelibostí sleduje, jak její manžel odmítá hovor přijmout, přestože zjevně ví, kdo mu volá. Když telefon Armand konečně zvedne, jeho vztek příjemné nedělní ráno rozbije. Ztracený kabát, spuštěný poplach, vzkaz „Tohle by vás mohlo zajímat“ a záhadný útržek papíru se seznamem – a pak vražda. Všechny tyto stopy vedou inspektora Gamache k děsivému zjištění: blíží se něco ještě mnohem zlověstnějšího než vražda. Armand Gamache, jeho zeť a zástupce Jean-Guy Beauvoir a inspektorka Isabelle Lacosteová mohou důvěřovat už jen jeden druhému – protože staří přátelé se chovají jako nepřátelé a dlouholetí protivníci se najednou tváří jako spojenci. Jak si postupně uvědomují skutečný rozsah nebezpečí, jejich hon na kořist je stále zoufalejší a horečnější. Pokud selžou, následky budou ničivé…

Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sureté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf. But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realized that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the beginning. Perhaps even a deliberate misdirection. One he fell into. Something deeper and darker, more damaging, is planned. Did he in fact arrest the Black Wolf, or are they still out there? Armand is appalled to think his mistake has allowed their conspiracy to grow, to gather supporters. To spread lies, manufacture enemies, and feed hatred and division. Still recovering from wounds received in stopping the first attack, Armand is confined to the village of Three Pines, leading a covert investigation from there. He must be careful not to let the Black Wolf know he has recognized his mistake. In a quiet church basement, he and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste, pore over what little evidence they have. Two notebooks. A few mysterious numbers on a tattered map of Québec. And a phrase repeated by the person they had called the Grey Wolf. A warning... In a dry and parched land where there is no water. Gamache and his small team of supporters realize that for the Black Wolf to have gotten this far, they must have powerful allies, in law enforcement, in industry, in organized crime, in the halls of government. From the apparent peace of his little village, Gamache finds himself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse with an invisible foe who is gathering forces and preparing to strike.

When security and fire alarms go off simultaneously all around the world, setting off a panic, the signal is traced back to China. As world leaders scramble to respond, mother and daughter Vivien and Alice Li are called to the White House in hopes Madame Li can decode the Chinese intentions. Alice is a first-generation Chinese-American food blogger. A Chinese dissident who escaped China after Tiananmen Square, Vivien is now a globally recognized human rights activist and passionate advocate for a free and democratic China. While it makes some sense that the President would turn to Vivien, what isn't clear is why they'd want to talk to Alice. Caught up in the chaos, Vivien and Alice are uniquely placed to stop the next, cataclysmic attack. But there are forces deep within both the American and Chinese governments intent on stopping mother and daughter. The estranged pair, who excels at misunderstanding each other, must figure out how to work together. The increasingly frantic search for answers takes the women from the Oval Office to an office building in Akron, Ohio, from the noodle shops of Hong Kong to the necropolis of the first emperor. Along the way they must decode an old legend, and an old language invented by women, for women. The Last Mandarin is the story of a mother and daughter, as well as a compelling international thriller about the precarious balance of power across the world, and within a family. And what happens when both break down.

THE BRAND NEW THRILLER FROM INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER LOUISE PENNY, COMING OCTOBER 2025. PRE-ORDER NOW!Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding.Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sureté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf.But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realized that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the beginning. Perhaps even a deliberate misdirection. One he fell into. Something deeper and darker, more damaging, is planned. Did he in fact arrest the Black Wolf, or are they still out there? Armand is appalled to think his mistake has allowed their conspiracy to grow, to gather supporters. To spread lies, manufacture enemies, and feed hatred and division.Still recovering from wounds received in stopping the first attack, Armand is confined to the village of Three Pines, leading a covert investigation from there. He must be careful not to let the Black Wolf know he has recognized his mistake. In a quiet church basement, he and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste, pore over what little evidence they have. Two notebooks. A few mysterious numbers on a tattered map of Québec. And a phrase repeated by the person they had called the Grey Wolf. A warning...In a dry and parched land where there is no water.Gamache and his small team of supporters realize that for the Black Wolf to have gotten this far, they must have powerful allies, in law enforcement, in industry, in organized crime, in the halls of government.From the apparent peace of his little village, Gamache finds himself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse with an invisible foe who is gathering forces and preparing to strike.