The way this is written it seems maybe Gamache hangs up his detecting in the next book, but I doubt it. Honestly "The Grey Wolf" is just part one of a larger bigger conspiracy than the one that has Gamache and friends investigating. We have to wait for "The Black Wolf" to see this all resolved.

I fell in love with this series via a friend almost 7 years or so ago. And since then, it's been a bumpy ride. Maybe because I don't know if Penny knew if she wanted this to be a very good man just investigating small town mysteries or what. And the last several books has Gamache going international, getting into bigger and bigger conspiracies to the point that she's turned Gamache into a Marty Stu. I don't know if she has the guts to just retire and or end Gamache once and for all, but I hope that the next book is much stronger and more developed than this. 

"The Grey Wolf" follows Gamache ignoring a phone call. Once again we get a lot of information on someone that has never been mentioned in the series before, but has done great harm to Gamache and his family. Things take a turn though when Gamache is told that someone has been inside his home in Montreal and they want to meet. From there things jump all over the place to a bigger conspiracy than Gamache has ever investigated. He can only trust his family (some of them) and Jean-Guy and Isabelle Lacoste. 

I will say if you haven't read the other books in the series, you are going to be lost, and since most of this book calls back to an earlier book, "The Beautiful Mystery" which is Gamache book #8, you may want to re-read that one before starting this. Not for nothing, I also gave that one 2 stars. 

I honestly don't have much to say, the characters are not developed. Jean-Guy and Isabelle are split up at one point phoning and texting Gamache. That is/was not interesting to read about. Things don't unfold organically. You have Gamache getting revelations all over the place. I still can't believe we get two people who have secret pasts with Gamache in this one that I was just done with. And of course reveals about who the bad guys really are and why. 

I just didn't buy the overall plot and I just didn't find this believable. And I think if you need two books to say something, you didn't do a great job in that first book. It's not the first time Penny has done a cliffhanger, but I think it's the first time I just called it a money grab. There's nothing new here. Nothing that makes you want to read more. Instead I started to wonder if I should just cut my losses and move on. There's always going to be some readers that give her 5 stars and say it's the best thing ever. I just don't want to waste my time and money on her books anymore.