Kingdom of the Blind

Chief Inspector Gamache, Book 14

By: Louise Penny

Narrated by: Adam Sims

Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Read by the series reader Adam Sims.

The entrancing crime thriller featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, from number one New York Times best-selling author Louise Penny.

When Armand Gamache receives a letter inviting him to an abandoned farmhouse outside of Three Pines, the former head of the Sûreté du Québec discovers that a complete stranger has named him as an executor of her will. The bequests are so wildly unlikely that he suspects the woman must have been delusional - until a body is found.

But it isn't the only menace Gamache is facing. The investigation into the events that led to his suspension delves deeper, and he takes increasingly desperate measures to rectify previous actions. As he does, Gamache begins to see his own blind spots - and the terrible things hiding there....

©2018 Louise Penny (P)2018 Ulverscroft Ltd

Critic reviews

"A wonderful addition to a fantastic series." (Elly Griffiths)

"One of the most interesting detectives in crime fiction." (The Times)

My Favorite Inspector Gamache Novel

Louise Penny has written a masterpiece with multiple deeply authentic characters, mystery and laugh out loud humor. I was immersed in the human landscape she created and, as someone working in the field of addictions I recognized faces. A book to savor and reread/ listen to again for sheer delight. The narration is exceptional.

Love it!

I absolutely love this series! The book before this one veered a bit away from the usual, but this one got right back on track. The only worry is - will there be another? Please please please!

another superb Gamache story

but as a Canadian living in England I still wish that the narrator had Canadian accents (both Quebecois and English). Bathurst is an excellent narrator but not of a quintessentially Canadian novel.

Bring back Adam Sims, narrator of the year 2017.

The narration is poor, we might as well be in Wiltshire (I am Canadian living in the UK). The characters all meld together and there is none of Adam Sim's genius which brought out the individuals so brilliantly, and their interplay. This is another great story but next time I will try remember what the characters were like in 12 of the previous 14 books.

the old narrator is back - hurray!!!

I feel as though I'm going mad. I stopped listening to these wonderful books because the narrator changed and I just couldn't get used to new voices. Last week, I had another look, thinking that enough time had passed and that maybe I could have another go. To my delighted astonishment, I found all the new books in the series with the original narrator! So, hurray, and thank you for providing these. I'd missed my old friends, and it's been wonderful to be back in Three Pines for another mystery. I'd highly recommend this series on every level - absorbing stories, wonderful writing, fabulous narration.

Great book

Love all these books would highly recommend reading better off starting at the first book

Back on track

While this was the most obvious plot of all it was still very satisfying. The characters seemed back to themselves! The tension was back and again descriptive and atmospheric. And Adam Sims excellent as usual. Excellent all round in fact. Only two left now!

Poorly researched and pitiful story lines

I enjoyed the first few books in the series because the characters were interesting, the story lines diverse and, along with a homeliness and 'cosy crime' element they did retain a sense of reality. I certainly didn't find myself annoyed and the plots weren't predictable. But this book and the next in the series are dreadful. The author seems to have become lazy and relies heavily on the reader having read other books in the series to understand the characters. In addition, there clearly hasn't been much research undertaken for this or the next book in the series, which I decided to read to give the author a chance to redeem herself. However, I could write exactly the same review for Book 15 as for Book 14. Honestly, don't waste your money or your Audible credits on this book or book 15; there are literally thousands of books in this genre that are better written and aren't an insult to the written word.

Trad Penny, silly voices, unmixed ingredients

Narrator voiced different character parts with different voices. Badly. Very off-putting. Very much typically Penny but with two main unrelated plots rather than one.

A good addition to the series

It was fun to listen to the continuation of the story of the inhabitants of three pines. The story is relatively fresh and all the usual suspects are present though not everyone gets equal time. The description of drug addiction was somewhat excessive and so was the repeated use of the wording "all the whores, junkies and trannies". The previous narrator was much better than the current one but alas the former passed away. If you liked the previous books you will surely enjoy this one as well.

So glad you are back

So good to hear the next multi layered story
Intriguing plot and above all
the continuity of the relationships in both the surete and the family and personal relationships of three pines.
What is going to happen next?