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A Trick of the Light
- A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
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A Trick of the Light
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Publisher's Summary
A New York Times Notable Crime Book and Favorite Cozy for 2011
A Publishers Weekly Best Mystery/Thriller books for 2011
With A Trick of the Light, Louise Penny takes us back to the deceptively peaceful village of Three Pines in this brilliant novel in her award-winning, New York Times bestselling series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.
"Hearts are broken," Lillian Dyson carefully underlined in a book. "Sweet relationships are dead."
But now Lillian herself is dead. Found among the bleeding hearts and lilacs of Clara Morrow's garden in Three Pines, shattering the celebrations of Clara's solo show at the famed Musée in Montreal. Chief Inspector Gamache, the head of homicide at the Sûreté du Québec, is called to the tiny Quebec village and there he finds the art world gathered, and with it a world of shading and nuance, a world of shadow and light. Where nothing is as it seems. Behind every smile there lurks a sneer. Inside every sweet relationship there hides a broken heart.
And even when facts are slowly exposed, it is no longer clear to Gamache and his team if what they've found is the truth, or simply a trick of the light.
"Penny has been compared to Agatha Christie [but] it sells her short. Her characters are too rich, her grasp of nuance and human psychology too firm...." --Booklist (starred review)
What the critics say
“The superbly gifted Louise Penny is on my secret shortlist of must-read authors, and A TRICK OF THE LIGHT proves why. Artist Clara Morrow is about to have a prestigious show of her paintings when her childhood friend is found murdered, and the finger of suspicion points to Clara. Chief Inspector Gamache is called to investigate, and using his trademark powers of deduction and his intuitive knack for the right question at the right time, he exposes the darkness that underlies the bright stars of Montreal's art world, where competition between friends, and even between husband and wife, can turn lethal. Ultimately, of course, it's Louise Penny who steals the show, and A TRICK OF THE LIGHT will not only keep you engrossed from start to finish, it will teach you something new about love, truth, and the human heart.” —Lisa Scottoline
“Penny, elevating herself to the pantheon that houses P.D. James, Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters, demonstrates an exquisite touch with characterization, plotting and artistic sensitivity. And there could be no better explanation of A.A. than you will find here.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Outstanding….With her usual subtle touch and timely injections of humor, Penny effectively employs the recurring motif of the chiaroscuro, the interplay of light and dark, which distinguishes Morrow's artwork and which resonates symbolically in the souls of the author's characters.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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What listeners say about A Trick of the Light
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Catallo
- 2023-02-19
Love Louise Penny
Love this author and characters. Not sure this narrator is my favourite though. I’ll keep listening!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sheelah
- 2021-06-07
I really miss A. Sims!
Although Ralph Cosham is obviously a good narrator, his accent and repetitive cadence
take away from the dramatic flow of the action, and Louise Penny's wonderful characters
lack real definition or charm. Quite a difference from the first books of the series!
I considered returning this book after about the second chapter, but the story is still engaging
and skillfully crafted. I would probably enjoy Mr. Cosham's work more on a lecture series.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Diana
- 2022-03-27
Simply Excellent
Absolutely loved this story. I'm addicted to the characters of Gamash and his team and the village of Three Pines.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brenda Borody
- 2022-12-11
Loved it!
The story is great, The characters come to life. Three pines sounds so beautiful with village like atmosphere. Makes you want to visit. On to the next one in the series!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2019-09-07
Disappointing narration
What happened to Simms? As always Penny has written a great book but the new narrator made everyone sound alike and made Gamache sound like a snob.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Judy
- 2022-08-16
Adam Sims is irreplaceable
As always, Louise Penny has created a brilliant and captivating tale. However, had Penny continuously indicated who was talking, I would have not known who was thinking or saying what. Everyone sounds the same and the authentic Quebec pronunciation of words and names have been lost.
I’m new to this series but the reading of this book broke the spell the characters had on my heart with the previous novels. I miss Gamache’s French and English accents, Ruth’s crass delivery and the flamboyance of the bistro proprietors. Very disappointing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jo-Anne Schneeweiss
- 2023-07-14
Highest Score on the Lump in the Throat Metre
This is my third time listening through the Three Pines series. Maybe next time through I’ll count the number of times each book gives me lumps in my throat even after multiple listens. Maybe I will try to figure out which of the many characters I adore more—after Gamache, of course—too. But I will probably lose count in each book of the former and find the latter impossible as it’s hard to rank great souls. These books are better than masterpieces—they’re friends. And the new narrator grows on you with every subsequent book in the series.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Gayle
- 2019-04-24
Narration impact
New narrator negatively impacted my enjoyment of this audiobook. Lacking the nuance and intonation of the previous narrator. The accents and pronunciation were all over the place at times.
I enjoyed the writing and storyline but felt it could have used one more good edit.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nadine
- 2020-08-15
Great mystery, poor narration
I enjoyed this as I do all of Louise Penny's novels but I was greatly disappointed with the choice of narrator. The performance is stilted with the inflection in all the wrong places. The voice actor sounds stuffy and stiff and his reading style is not compatible with Penny's writing. A shame. Please redo the Penny novels with a better narrator! She deserves better.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Moyra
- 2019-03-05
Some drowning men are saved!
A wonderful story and a wonderful storyteller! This is my favourite, to date, from Louise Penny. ‘Hope’ is a thread throughout this story - ending on a magical, hopeful note.
I highly recommend this story and I look forward to the next in this series.
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