This 13th book in the Armand Gamache series is an edge-of-your seat thriller that tackles a lot of very big issues--the illegal drug trade, organized crime, cartels and external manipulation of the legal system. I enjoyed the book, and it kept me going, but there were a lot of coincidences and unaddressed legal manipulations, I just can't see a sting of this complexity and as illegal as this one was, set up by any police force actually going forward anywhere. In fact, it is beyond belief and smacks of police corruption. I think it might be time to take a break from this series. I'm beginning to think too much Gamache is not a good thing. I get so angry with him and his "God-complex." At the same time this book is very well-written and the plot hung together remarkably. That is why I gave it four stars. ( )

Good thing I also got the next volume at the library 'cause this one was more of a page-turner than usual, and I finished already! Armand's many talents have perhaps ascended to impossible heights with this case, but that can be forgiven considering the much-loved real man he was modeled on had just passed away when the book took form. The historical revelations in this book were especially interesting, and the Ruth gets more complex with every appearance. Onward to No. 14! ( )

Cuando una figura misteriosa aparece en Three Pines un frío día de noviembre, lo primero que sienten Armand Gamache y el resto de los vecinos es curiosidad. Luego, recelo. El recién nombrado comisario de la Sûreté de Québec sospecha que la criatura tiene raíces profundas y oscuras intenciones. Sin embargo, confía en que sus temores crecientes no se hagan realidad. Unos días más tarde, la triste figura se ha evaporado y se halla un cadáver en la iglesia...

Alternando los rápidos intercambios de una sala de audiencia del tribunal con los sucesos que se han desarrollado en Three Pines, Louise Penny teje en Casas de cristal un brillante juego de elipses, de claroscuros y un relato de considerable profundidad psicológica. Una gran obra de una gran creadora.

While I always enjoy visiting with the folks from Three Pines, I don't think that I would have liked this so much if I had read this without the rest of the series as background. Like a few of the earlier books, this is more of a crime novel than a police procedural or even a mystery of other description. Penny didn't quite 'play fair' with the reader this time, holding back some crucial facts that Gamache knew early on but the reader doesn't find out until late in the story. ( )

Glass Houses - Penny
Audio performance by Robert Bathurst
4 stars

“There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercedes all other courts.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Always let your conscience be your guide.” Jiminy Cricket

The book begins with Gamache being questioned as a witness for the prosecution in a murder trial. The scene is set for a tense courtroom drama as the actual murder is related in a series of backflashes. Not exactly a split timeline, but a more complicated plot construction than a sequential murder investigation. This is not a straightforward murder trial. Something is not right. It’s very suspenseful. Not only is the accused murderer still unnamed, but it becomes clear that the stalwart Gamache is about to commit perjury. The backstory continues until it converges with the present storyline where all is explained in a nail biting finale.

It comes down to a matter of conscience. An early event, prior to the precipitating murder, has all of Three Pine’s residents confessing sins and examining their consciences. As for the new Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, “ Gamache admitted to himself that while he believed in the law, had spent his career working within the justice system, what he really had to answer to was his conscience.”

As usual for this series, this was an excellent mystery. The added bonus is that it also left me with so many interesting issues to think about after I read the last page. ( )