This is the twentieth in Ms. Penny’s beloved Gamache series, and it doesn’t miss a beat.
Picking up where The Grey Wolf left off, The Black Wolf is both chilling and prophetic installment in which Inspector Gamache realizes the domestic terror plot he risked everything to stop was only the beginning.
(Note: The Black Wolf is a continuation of The Grey Wolf, so it’s important they be read in order.)
Gamache, has retreated to the quiet refuge of Three Pines while he recovers from the injuries he sustained during the pursuit of the the Grey Wolf.
The domestic terror plot he thought he dismantled (in the last book) was only the first act in a much deeper conspiracy—one that reaches into law enforcement, government, and organized crime. Armed with only two notebooks, a tattered map, and the haunting phrase “In a dry and parched land where there is no water,” Gamache must work covertly with his trusted colleagues Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste to uncover the truth before catastrophe strikes again.
But soon, Gamache is tested in ways he never could have imagined, and he finds himself in an intricate, tension filled cat and mouse game with an unseen enemy—the Black Wolf—whose reach and influence extend farther than anyone imagined.
The story of The Black Wolf is terrifying because it mirrors our current reality – just read this quote:
If he were in charge of the attack, how would he go about it? First, a covert war. Create a common enemy.
Subvert the media. Form their own outlets, broadcast media, newspapers, social media platforms, to spread lies. Scare the population into believing their way of life, their very lives, were threatened.
Condition them. Groom them. Then, when the moment was right, get rid of any leader likely to oppose them and install a dummy regime, including a charismatic but not overly bright bully sold as a strong leader who could bring order to chaos.
In fact Ms. Penny writes this at the beginning of The Black Wolf:
I wrote this book over the course of 2024 and turned in the final draft to my publisher in September 2024. Imagine my surprise in January 2025 when I started spotting headlines that could have been ripped right from the book.
The plot has the frenetic energy of current politics and global chaos, which hits hard. I read with both anxiety and wonder at Mr. Penny’s clairvoyance.
Fair warning, the book starts slow, but stick it out — because it soon takes off as a action thriller. As I read along I thought this is fantastical and even ridiculous, but with the book closed and watching the news, I thought — perhaps not.
This quote from a reporter helping Gamache:
Mistake? Is that what you call it? And yes, I really had to do it. I’m a journalist. We witness, and we tell the world what we see. Until, that is, we’re stopped by a tyrant.
There are some warm notes, as we get to spend some time in the village of Three Pines and its beloved familiar inhabitants. Those cozy moments are few and far between as Gamache uncovers political intrigue, greedy motivations, and conspiracies.
Ms. Penny crafts this disturbing story line with both charm and empathy, turning political intrigue into a meditation on moral courage. Gamache, as ever, stands as a beacon of decency in a corrupt world—a man who believes, despite everything, that good will prevail.
The Black Wolf is another great installment in the Gamache series, but I must admit I’m exhausted and hoping her next book is a little gentler on the soul.