by Louise Penny
Far from leaving Michael behind, he became even more infused in the books. All the things we had came together, in Three Pines. Love, companionship, friendship. His integrity. His courage. Laughter.
I realized, too, that the books are far more than Michael. Far more than Gamache. They're the common yearning for community. For belonging. They're about kindness, acceptance. Gratitude. They're not so much about death, as life. And the consequences of the choices we make.
Now, the publishers, wonderful people, had no idea I was writing. It wasn't until six months later that I told them. But even then, I warned them the book might not be ready in time.
My wonderful agent, Teresa Chris, and Andy Martin, my U.S. publisher with Minotaur Books, was magnificent. Telling me not to worry. To take whatever time I needed. Stop writing, if I needed.
And that was all I needed, to keep going.
And so Kingdom of the Blind was born. It is the child that was never going to be. But happenned. My love child.
* * *
I want to thank a number of people for their patience and kindness.
My assistant, Lise, my great friend, who held my heart when it was too heavy for me.
Andy Martin, the head of Minotaur Books in the U.S. My editor, Hope Dellon, to whom this book is dedicated. Paul Hochman and Sarah Melnyk. Sally Richardson and Don Weisberg. All so much more than colleagues.
Thank you to Kelly Ragland, for leaping in where needed.
To Teresa Chris, my long-suffering and passionate agent and friend.
To Ed Wood, Kristeen Astor, David Shelley, and all the team at Little, Brown UK.
Thank you to Louise Loiselle at Flammarion Québec, for placing the books in the hands of so many French Canadians.
I want to thank Kirk Lawrence and Walter Marinelli, for their unwavering friendship and support. And Danny and Lucy at Brome Lake Books.
Thank you Rocky and Steve Gottlieb for their courage in allowing me to use a story from their own lives.
Thank you Stephen Jarislowsky, a great character himself, for being, with good humor, the inspiration for the new character.
To Troy McEachren, who helped me with a legal plot point. Where there's a will...
And my family, Rob and Audi. Doug and Mary. My nieces and nephews. For enveloping me in their lives. I promise to not make too much of a mess.
As I sit here, at the long pine table, writing to you, I see forests and hear birds. I see a bench inscribed with Surprised by joy. Just down that path through the trees is a cafe, and the bookstore. I choose to live in the beautiful little Québec village of Knowlton. For the simple reason that this is home.
I want to thank my neighbors, for their patience and kindess. For saving a place at the table for both Michael and me.
And I want to thank you. For your company.
We are very fortunate, aren't we? To have found each other in Tree Pines.
ALSO BY LOUISE PENNY
Glass Houses
A Great Reckoning
The Nature of the Beast
The Long Way Home
How the Light Gets In
The Beautiful Mystery
A Trick of the Light
Bury Your Dead
The Brutal Telling
A Rule Against Murder
The Cruelest Month
A Fatal Grace
Still Life
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LOUISE PENNY is the author of the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (six times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise lives in a small village south of Montréal. Visit her on Facebook or at www.louisepenny.com , or sign up for email updates here .
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Acknowledgments
Also by Louise Penny
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
KINGDOM OF THE BLIND. Copyright © 2018 by Three Pines Creations, Inc. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover photographs © Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged as follows:
Names: Penny, Louise, author.
Title: Kingdom of the blind / Louise Penny.
Description: First edition.|New York: Minotaur Books, [2018]|Series: A Chief Inspector Gamache novel; 14
Identifiers: LCCN 2018022773|ISBN 9781250066206 (hardcover)|ISBN 9781250313522 (international, sold outside the U.S., subject to rights availability)|ISBN 9781466873698 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Gamache, Armand (Fictitious character)—Fiction.|Police—Québec (Province)—Fiction.|Murder—Investigation—Fiction.|GSAFD: Mystery fiction.
Classification: LCC PR9199.4.P464 K56 2018|DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018022773
eISBN 9781466873698
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First Edition: November 2018