Glass Houses Summary

Glass Houses Overview

In the novel Glass Houses by Louise Penny, the Sûreté’s Chief Superintendent Armand Gamache decides to take on the war on drugs in a way never before attempted. The appearance of a black-robed figure on the village green of Three Pines as well as the strange murder of a visitor to that town led Gamache to the realization that a good deal of Québec’s drug trade was being funneled through that little-known town. Putting on the appearance of being inept, Gamache fooled the cartel into complacency but put his career in danger in the process. Themes in the novel include the manipulation of appearances, the role of one’s conscience in decision making and recurring images in the novel like black robes, ashes and ships.