There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.

When Armand Gamache receives a letter inviting him to an abandoned farmhouse outside of Three Pines, the former head of the Surete du Quebec 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 . . .