A Great Reckoning, Penny - B +

                                               In the latest in this well-written, insightful, if not brilliant series, Gamache comes out of retirement to become Commander of the Academy Surete. His mission is to clean up the last bastion of the old-boys corruption and cruelty network. He fires half of the staff, but keeps on the evil 'Duke' and brings in his former best friend, and now failed and disgraced former Superintendent Michel Brebeuf. Armand's path to a new and improved Academy is not apparent with these two on board. The 'Duke' is soon murdered and everyone is under suspicion.  The parallel story involves a hundred-year-old orienteering map from Three Pines and the four students Armand has tasked to study the map and to try and 'solve' it. The map allows the author to go back in history and explore, with extraordinary passion, the agony of being the mother of sons at war. This is probably the best in the series.