Lawrence River that is popular with painters and artists. One of the images leads Gamache to believe that Peter might be in Baie-Saint Paul, a picturesque town on the banks of the St. The paintings are completely different from Peter’s previous style, and while they seem abstract at first, Gamache and the others realize that the paintings are stylized landscapes representing places that Peter visited.

However, the investigation uncovers some unusual and jarring paintings that Peter sent to his sister’s child during the year of his absence. Peter has several family members in Toronto, but they are not able to provide much information, since he was largely estranged from them. There has been no trace of him for several months, which casts an ominous tone over the investigation. From there, he went to Toronto, and then to Quebec City. They find out that, after separating from Clara, Peter went to Europe and spent time in France, Italy, and Scotland.

Other villagers, including bookstore owner Myrna and eccentric poet Ruth also become involved. Gamache agrees to help in an unofficial capacity and begins investigating with the assistance of his son-in-law Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Clara is worried that something has happened to him and asks for Gamache’s help to find Peter. However, the agreed-upon date of their reunion has now come and gone, and Peter has not come back. They had no contact in the year they were apart. At about the same time, Peter’s career stalled, and he became jealous. However, several years ago, Clara’s portraits began to receive attention, and she became famous. Peter is also an artist, and for most of their marriage, he was successful and far better known than Clara. A year ago, Clara and her husband Peter agreed to a 12-month separation. One of their friends, an artist named Clara Morrow, confides in Gamache about something that has been weighing on her. Three Pines is a close-knit community, and Gamache and Reine-Marie are good friends with most of the villagers. But after a traumatic event (covered in the previous novels and only hinted at here), he wants to live a peaceful life as a civilian. Gamache has had a celebrated career as the head of homicide investigation at the Sûreté du Québec, the police force of the Canadian province of Quebec. Armand Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie are settling into a quiet and happy life in the village of Three Pines, where they have been living for several months.

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