• How the Light Gets In

  • A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, Book 9
  • By: Louise Penny
  • Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
  • Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (6,376 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
How the Light Gets In  By  cover art

How the Light Gets In

By: Louise Penny
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $23.56

Buy for $23.56

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

How the Light Gets In is the ninth Chief Inspector Gamache Novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny.

"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." —
Leonard Cohen

Christmas is approaching, and in Québec it's a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive season for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Most of his best agents have left the Homicide Department, his old friend and lieutenant Jean-Guy Beauvoir hasn't spoken to him in months, and hostile forces are lining up against him. When Gamache receives a message from Myrna Landers that a longtime friend has failed to arrive for Christmas in the village of Three Pines, he welcomes the chance to get away from the city. Mystified by Myrna's reluctance to reveal her friend's name, Gamache soon discovers the missing woman was once one of the most famous people not just in North America, but in the world, and now goes unrecognized by virtually everyone except the mad, brilliant poet Ruth Zardo.

As events come to a head, Gamache is drawn ever deeper into the world of Three Pines. Increasingly, he is not only investigating the disappearance of Myrna's friend but also seeking a safe place for himself and his still-loyal colleagues. Is there peace to be found even in Three Pines, and at what cost to Gamache and the people he holds dear?

One of Publishers Weekly's Best Mystery/Thriller Books of 2013
One of
The Washington Post's Top 10 Books of the Year
An NPR Best Book of 2013

©2013 Three Pines Creations, Inc. (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Discover More Light-Filled Listens


Enjoy the eight days and nights of celebrating the festival of lights with our uplifting Hanukkah Gift Guide.

Featured Article: Best Mystery Series—Listens That'll Take You Right to the Crime Scene


While a standalone mystery is great when you're in the mood for a one-and-done, sometimes you want to feed your craving with an entire mystery series—knowing there's a world and characters you can keep coming back to for the satisfaction of solving crimes. With audiobooks, you get the added bonus of sinking deeper into the setting, clues, and suspects as the story is performed for you, so you'll feel like you're alongside detectives, ready to bust a case.

What listeners say about How the Light Gets In

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,423
  • 4 Stars
    728
  • 3 Stars
    151
  • 2 Stars
    34
  • 1 Stars
    40
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5,246
  • 4 Stars
    403
  • 3 Stars
    93
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
    23
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4,853
  • 4 Stars
    686
  • 3 Stars
    168
  • 2 Stars
    31
  • 1 Stars
    28

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good but not great

It got a little convoluted and contrived at the end. The wedding scene at the very end was a just too saccharine compared with the darker storyline.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best So Far

Listening my way through the series. How The Light Gets In could be a screenplay as it is written! Just amazing in every way! My favorite so far!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • KC
  • 07-18-23

Terrific

So enjoy the entwined storytelling! Cannot wait to read (listen) to the next in the series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WOW!

As the arc was concluding I was on the edge of my seat, fully confident that the Inspector would prevail. I was NOT prepared for the magnificent long game he had been playing. Bravo.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Connectivity to the previous books in the series and yet, stands alone in excellent entertainment.

The characters are fully developed and yet they aren’t…love it! Start the series! So good…each book holds me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Three Pines is magic

The continuing story of this band of villagers will always capture my attention. It's nice to have closure of an arc that has spanned all the books to this point. Can't wait to see where we go from here.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Penny is Perfect!

This book was downloaded to my Kindle the same day it was available. I couldn't wait and am always sorry when they end. The setting is charming, the characters are realistic, story enthralling and Ralph Cosham is fantastic. I must add my agreement to other readers, listen to the series in order. This series is a gift you can give to yourself. I loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Look... Here's the deal

Louise Penny may well be the best writer of modern detective novels... Ever. I have read all of her work... Incredible.

Don't hesitate for a second to jump in with number one and work your way up.

I am not thrilled with the reader, but the quality of the writing overcomes all... Even him.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn’t stop listening!

I love the Inspector Gamache series, and there hasn’t been a single book that I didn’t find 100% worth the read. But this one—this one tugged at my heart the whole way through, and I couldn’t stand not knowing what would happen! It was beautifully written. It had me crying and literally standing up and cheering in my living room at 3am while my whole family was sleeping. I can’t think of a better review than that!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best of the series!

I love this series, but this book was my favorite by far. Couldn’t turn it off!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!