Book Review of
How the Light Gets In

Lynn's Review

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny is the ninth book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. It was published in 2013

How the Light Gets In might be my favorite in the series so far. Rarely do I make it to book nine in a series, let alone have it be a five-star read, but this book was my first five-star read of 2026. 

Louise Penny is a master storyteller. How the Light Gets In is multiple mysteries in one. Gamache is solving one murder mystery while also trying to solve a much bigger mystery within the government. 

Three Pines and the people who live there also proved just how much they love and trust their friend, Chief Inspector Gamache.

There was a part of the ending that totally surprised me. I did not see it coming at all. This book was a wild ride, and I can’t wait to read book ten. 

I have read that these books can stand alone, but I totally disagree. So much of this book will make more sense if you have read the other books in the series.