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  • A World of Curiosities

  • Chief Inspector Gamache, Book 18
  • By: Louise Penny
  • Narrated by: Adam Sims
  • Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (60 ratings)

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A World of Curiosities

By: Louise Penny
Narrated by: Adam Sims
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Publisher's Summary

Book 18 in the acclaimed and number one-bestselling Three Pines series featuring the beloved Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Soon to be a major TV series.

It's spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge.

But something has.

As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators' lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they've arrived in the village of Three Pines.

But to what end?

Gamache and Beauvoir's memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back. Did their mother's murder hurt them beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered and are now about to erupt?

As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up.

As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there's more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge.

In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache's home.

©2022 Louise Penny (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Critic Reviews

'Electrifying drama ... the bodies pile up, the intensity and horror are reminiscent of Thomas Harris at his finest. Gamache is a fascinatingly complex protagonist ... The way Penny explores the meaning of this line from Auden's Twelve Songs: VIII - "There is always another story, there is more than meets the eye" - makes it one of her very best' BOOK OF THE MONTH, THE TIMES

'Penny delves into the nature of evil, sensitively exploring the impact of the dreadful events she describes while bringing a warmth and humanity to her disparate cast of characters that, unusually for a crime novel, leaves you feeling better about the world once you've finished' BOOK OF THE MONTH, OBSERVER

'Bestseller Penny's virtuoso 18th novel featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Québec Sûreté ... blends nuanced characterization with nail-biting suspense ...This tale of forgiveness and redemption will resonate with many' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

What listeners say about A World of Curiosities

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Outstanding Story Teller

Louise Penny: I been with Gamache and cohorts from the beginning. Incredible, relevant, sometimes shocking, always entertaining. The humanity of the stories…

Oh no!! I finished book and await the next… there will be a next?

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amazing

Louise Penny is an excellent writer and her consistency with her storylines characters etc are fantastic

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ooooh it was good!

loved it , found it griping and leaves you with so many things to think about

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wonderous all round

As always, this is an amazing and interesting book. It has such flair, blending a mesmerising story with humour, and bringing characters alive. I loved the narrator and his ability to tell a story while bringing each character to life.
I thoroughly recommend this book to everyone and once again take my hat off to Louise Penny, an extraordinary storyteller.

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Another fabulous listen.

I cannot say how much I love listening to Louise Penny's stories and Adam Sim's narration. In combination, they are spectacular and a joy to walk to. I loved the complexity of this story, the pulling together of multiple threads, and the extra back story. Am happy to say I noticed the clues! Thoroughly recommend this to lovers of crime fiction, great characters, decent plot lines, and fabulous descriptions of food!

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Oh how I’ve missed this series

A wonderful book in the series- the best yet. Hoping for more…thank you Louise Penny!

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Excellent story - shes back!

After the drivel of the book before this, it was a wonderful relief to see LP hadnt lost her touch. This was a fantastic book - a real suspense almost the whole way through. Top 3 of her Gamache series. Highly recommend

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Well Written

The very descriptive word used to explain what characters were feeling which puts you right in story

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