At this point, I sound like a broken record but...Louise Penny does it again! I have no idea how she manages to keep the series fresh, new, and exciting, but she somehow does it.

This time, Gamache has come out of retirement to teach at the academy. He is still trying to root out the corruption and feels like professors may be corrupting future officers at the training school. Gamache brings in old friends - many of them questionable - to help him in his first year...and within just a few months, one of them is dead. Who killed the professor? One of the students? Another professor? Gamache?

It's not only that I love the mysteries involved at the center of each book, but I'm so attached to the characters, the town, and the new tidbits of information Penny gives us as we continue reading the series. She's masterful with her trail of breadcrumbs. She drops just enough to add a new element and to keep the readers engaged and rooting for each of them!

In 2024, I read 8 books in this series. I had no intention of doing that...this was going to be a very slow and steady project, but there were times I couldn't find something to read, and Gamache and his friends became dependable. I will no doubt be completely caught up by the time 2025 is over...and I will be equally excited to have completed the series as I will be sad to not have more to read. Yes, these books are that special!