A Trick of the Light

The work opens in Montréal, Québec, Canada, as Clara Morrow prepares for her vernissage, the private exhibition of her work at the city’s Musée d’art contemporain. As panic grips her, Clara is reassured by her neighbor, Olivier Brule, who guides her through breathing exercises. Olivier and his partner Gabri run the village bistro, bed and breakfast (B&B), and antique shop. Clara’s husband Peter is unaware of her panic.

Elsewhere in the city, chief inspector Armand Gamache, head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec, the provincial police force, is preparing to attend Clara’s show. He and his wife, Reine-Marie, are waiting for his son-in-law, David, to join them. Gamache watches his daughter Annie as she talks with Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his close friend and second-in-command.

Beauvoir, recently separated from his wife, is struggling with unrequited love for Annie. He remembers her visiting him in the hospital after he was shot during a warehouse raid in which several officers died and Gamache was gravely wounded. Beauvoir recalls his pain, but also his joy at seeing Annie and learning Gamache survived. He masks his feelings with sharp, brief remarks, rebuffing Annie’s offer to talk about his recent separation.