Three Pines, the fictional village of the cult series, is reborn after a harsh winter. But perhaps not everything that lay dormant should have been brought back to life. The villagers prepare for a special celebration, and the arrival of a young man and woman worries Gamache and his second-in-command, Beauvoir. Her presence brings back memories of the first investigation that brought them together…a tragedy that shook Quebec and the entire world.
Louise Penny oscillates between the investigations of the famous chief inspector and the tragic events at the beginning of her career.
Louise Penny remarks that she is now “of a certain age” herself.
“I said to myself, if anything ever happens to me, be it an accident or an illness, I really want to write a book that comes full circle so that there are no elements left in the series. I thought it would be an opportunity to address some questions I wanted to explore. That’s why I wrote Armand’s origin story. »
Polytechnic, the drama
“After his training, just a few days after he started his service, the drama happened at the Polytechnique. It was a pivotal moment in his life, but it was also when he met Jean-Guy Beauvoir and they teamed up on their first case. I wanted to explore all of this and it led me to other topics. »
Photo provided by Éditions Flammarion Québec
journalist in 1989
It shocked her to delve back into the heart of the events of December 6, 1989 at the École Polytechnique de Montréal. She then worked as a journalist for the current news program of the English broadcaster Radio-Canada (CBC) in Quebec.
“There was a lot of confusion, initially there was chaos. Little by little we found out what had happened. Then there was talk of the murderer having a mental problem – and I refuse to say his name. It was clearly one. But it was also feminicide.
“Survivors like Nathalie Provost and Heidi Rathjen had to say that the women were killed because they were feminists. Society then conveyed the message that women had no right to take the place of men, either in an engineering school or anywhere else. I’m ashamed that I didn’t understand this straight away, as a woman who wasn’t much older than those killed and injured. »
Louise Penny evaluated all of this and asked herself moral and ethical questions before incorporating these events into a work of fiction.
Then she contacted Nathalie Provost.
“We discussed what had happened and the impact the book had on them and the families. She was wonderful, very understanding. It was a source of information but also an inspiration. She knew my books and I think she understood my approach: I wasn’t a writer who would do something that lacked respect.
“Bringing Armand to this crime scene is a way of drawing public attention to what happened several decades ago, but also to the fact that women are increasingly marginalized today. This way you can reflect on how far you’ve come since then – or not. »
- Louise Penny wrote the hit series Armand Gamache Investigation.
- His novels have won prestigious awards and topped the American and Canadian charts.
- They inspired a TV series for Prime Video.
- Her political thriller, co-written with Hillary Rodham Clinton, State of Terror was a hit with her admirers and discovered a new readership.
- Like her characters, she lives in the Eastern Townships.
- She spent a few days vacationing with the Clinton couple at Manoir Hovey in the Eastern Townships this summer.
- Her website: louisepenny.com
EXTRACT
“ After putting on the dress she had bought especially for the occasion, Harriet looked at herself in the mirror. “You are capable, you are capable, you are capable.” She took a few deep breaths, held them, and exhaled slowly. Just as she had been advised to do whenever she was afraid. Then she looked around to make sure she was really alone. Harriet Landers, in particular, was cautious. Having witnessed the negligence of other students, she even made it a point of honor. But after seeing them partying, doing drugs, going to Cuba, Mexico and Florida on spring break, Harriet began to wonder if “cautious” really was the right word. »