A Great Reckoning

“What would happen, he wondered, if he couldn’t control it and the antibiotic, the virus, went viral.”

Gamache reflects on his plan to bring Brébeuf to the academy and experiences doubt about it. Gamache invites Brébeuf to the school as a strategy to reform the toxic atmosphere created by Leduc but also fears that this strategy could backfire. This quotation uses a metaphor comparing Brébeuf to an antibiotic and a virus, something designed to wipe out an existing infection by introducing a very small and controlled amount of a dangerous substance. This metaphor reflects Gamache’s aspirations but also the risks he creates.

“Serge Leduc was not an issue. He was not even an obstacle. He was, in fact, part of the plan.”

Gamache implements his sweeping reforms at the academy but chooses to keep Leduc. This decision does not seem to make sense since Leduc is known to be corrupt, but the quotation reveals Gamache’s strategic, long-term planning and his confidence. He is confident he can use Leduc for his own purposes while keeping him contained. This quotation will eventually become ironic when Gamache comes to understand that he could not maintain control of Leduc.

“What Cadet Amelia Choquet didn’t know, couldn’t know, what no one in the room knew, was that before the snow melted one of them would be dead. And one of them would have done it.” 

This quotation is a strong example of foreshadowing; it occurs during one of the first gatherings at the academy, when Brébeuf, Leduc, and Gamache all meet for the first time. The quotation builds anticipation and sets the stage for the mystery while maintaining suspense since Penny does not reveal either the killer or the victim. The quotation is important to heighten suspense and maintain the reader’s interest since there is a lengthy exposition before the crime occurs and the mystery begins.

“The skills you’ll need to investigate a crime are the same ones you’ll need to solve the mystery of the map.”

Gamache speaks to the four cadets when he first assigns them the task of investigating the orienteering map; at this point, the murder has not yet occurred, so the investigation of the map is a separate task. The cadets are confused about why Gamache assigns them this project, but his response provides insight into Gamache’s philosophy of training and policing. He values cooperation and teamwork, so it is important that the cadets learn to work together effectively.

“The former superintendent of the Sûreté had never been a leopard. He was then, and always would be, a chameleon.”

This quotation reveals Inspector Lacoste’s suspicion and distaste toward Brébeuf, referred to as “the former superintendent of the Sûreté.” The reference to Brébeuf’s former position provides a reminder of his professional disgrace. The animal metaphors in the quotation refer to the saying that “a leopard never changes its spots,” as Lacoste wonders to what extent Brébeuf might be capable of changing. By comparing him to a chameleon, Lacoste suggests that Brébeuf does not truly change or reform; he simply adapts to different situations to achieve his own goals.

“The Duke was really from the Dark Ages. He believed in swift and brutal punishment and that you could shape young people by battering away at them, as though they were horseshoes.”

Gamache speaks these words as the investigation begins into Leduc’s death. He sums up why Leduc was widely disliked and why many people would have wanted him dead. The comparison of Leduc to someone from the Dark Ages, coupled with the use of his nickname, reinforces the motif of wielding autocratic and brutal power that is at odds with the modern world. The simile comparing young students to horseshoes reflects how Leduc dehumanized the cadets and used them simply for his own desires and ends.

“Unfortunately, you now have a chance to see a homicide investigation from the inside. It is not attractive. It is not exciting. A lot will be revealed that people had hoped to keep hidden.”

Gamache speaks these lines when he holds an assembly for the whole academy to formally announce Leduc’s death and the beginning of the investigation. Because many of the cadets at the academy are young and inexperienced, they may find the idea of an investigation exciting, but Gamache shows his greater wisdom and experience by cautioning them. Through his reforms to the academy, Gamache wants to change the philosophy and approach to solving crimes. Although he is an extremely skilled and experienced investigator, Gamache never takes pleasure in violence.

“Serge Leduc had been stopped. Utterly and completely. But it wasn’t Monsieur Gamache’s doing, she told herself. He had nothing to do with it. He had nothing to do with it. Nothing.”

This quotation shows Inspector Lacoste’s reflections as she begins to investigate Leduc’s murder. Since Lacoste is a shrewd investigator, she cannot help concluding that Gamache would have had a strong motive to kill Leduc; however, her loyalty to Gamache leads her to attempt to dismiss this suspicion. The repetition of “nothing” reveals Lacoste struggling to convince herself, torn between her loyalty and her professional instincts.

“You brought Brébeuf back. You put the two together, in the academy. Knowing that if Leduc was the Duke, Brébeuf was the king.”

Gélinas begins to piece together the context surrounding the murder and expresses his shock and confusion about Gamache’s actions. Gélinas becomes increasingly suspicious of Gamache because it makes no sense for Gamache to intentionally have allowed Brébeuf and Leduc to be together at the academy at the same time. Gélinas plays on Leduc’s nickname to elaborate on the potential relationship between the two men: Leduc might somehow have worked in service to Brébeuf, the way a duke would typically serve a king. The reference to a king also reveals that Brébeuf’s misdeeds have been even more shocking and dangerous than those committed to Leduc. 

“The body of Serge Leduc was removed, like a stain, from the Sûreté Academy. He’d arrived headstrong and left feet first.”

Leduc’s body is being carried out of the academy. The simile comparing Leduc’s body to a stain shows how detestable the man was; usually, a corpse would be described with reverence and respect. The quotation also shows dark humor about Leduc, punning on the idea of his stubborn willfulness and the imagery of his body being carried out of the building. The insertion of humor reveals that no one mourns for Leduc or sees his death as a loss.

“The crime scene didn’t look like an explosion. It looked like an execution. Neat, orderly, bitterly cold.”

The investigation of Leduc’s murder begins, and various suspects are questioned. Several people, such as Professor Godbut and Mayor Florent, hated Leduc and might have wanted to kill him; however, the investigation is complicated because it does not appear that Leduc was killed in a violent confrontation. The linguistic echoes between the words “explosion” and “execution” heighten the contrast and juxtaposition between the two concepts. The description of the crime scene hints at how and why the crime was carried out, foreshadowing the subsequent reveal that Brébeuf killed Leduc in a calm, collected, and professional fashion.

“Most killers manage to justify their actions. They don’t see what they’ve done as wrong.”

Gamache discusses the crime with Lacoste and Gélinas. They consider whether Mayor Florent could have committed the crime, and Gamache points out that most killers believe they have some moral justification for their actions. Unknowingly, Gamache reveals the precise motive for the crime: Brébeuf thought he was acting in service of his friend and toward the greater good of protecting the cadets and the academy. While Gamache has not yet fully understood the case, he intuitively grasps one important aspect of it.

“You only have to look at her to see the wounds. A man like Leduc crawls in through hurts like that.”

Professor Charpentier discusses the potential role of the cadets in the crime and why Leduc targeted the specific cadets that he chose. Charpentier uses the metaphor of “wounds” to reference Amelia’s history of trauma and pain and allude to her piercings and tattoos, which many characters interpret as signs of her difficult past. Charpentier builds on this metaphor with the gruesome imagery of Leduc crawling into the wounds, highlighting the point that individuals who are isolated and in pain are often vulnerable to abusive behavior. The imagery of Leduc crawling into Amelia’s wounds also alludes to the suspicions that the two may at some point have had a sexual relationship.

“Abused children become desperate to please the abuser, to appease them. They learn early and quickly that if they don’t, they pay a price.”

Lacoste illustrates why many cadets remain loyal to Leduc, even though he has caused them much pain and suffering. Lacoste compares the cadets to children being abused by a parent, highlighting their vulnerability and the position of authority and power Leduc wielded. Especially for the four cadets, who were all isolated and vulnerable in different ways, it was easy for them to form a bond with Leduc and seek his approval, just as they would from a parent.

“For you, sir, it was personified by Serge Leduc. And like Ahab, you had to stop him.”

As he becomes angrier and more suspicious, Gélinas speaks accusingly to Gamache. Gélinas is becoming convinced that Gamache’s obsession with Leduc led him to commit murder. He builds on an allusion to the novel Moby Dick, in which a mariner named Ahab becomes obsessed with killing a white whale. Ahab believes his obsession with the whale is a righteous quest, and Gélinas thinks that Gamache likewise became convinced that he was acting for the greater good, even though he intentionally took a human life.

“Would you put a bullet in your life raft?”

Brébeuf and Gamache discuss the murder, and Gamache openly asks his former friend if he is the killer. Brébeuf denies having anything to do with the killing and makes a convincing argument that, because of his disgraced past, Leduc is the only one who would interact with him. Brébeuf uses the metaphor of a life raft, comparing Leduc to something that sustained and even kept him alive. This metaphor also allows him to make a compelling point that he would not have wanted to kill Leduc and temporarily persuade Gamache that he is not responsible for the crime.

“I kept him on to keep an eye on him while I gathered more information on his corruption. I was looking in that direction and completely missed the worst thing Leduc was doing.”

Gamache and Jean-Guy realize that Leduc was torturing the cadets by forcing them to play Russian roulette. Gamache is overwhelmed by a sense of guilt and failure and voices those feelings to Jean-Guy. Gamache knew that Leduc was corrupt and cruel, but he couldn’t grasp the full extent of what was happening. Gamache’s response to the horrifying revelation shows how seriously he takes his sense of responsibility and role as the cadets’ protector.

“Murderers, of course, need to use a weapon of some sort. But again, the most successful start off using their brains.”

Charpentier is teaching a course on tactics and strategies. Charpentier is initially a suspect because he has all the skills required to commit the crime, but it is eventually revealed that he is simply a shrewd observer who can piece together what happened based on what he sees around him. This comment develops Charpentier’s character by showing his insight into criminal psychology and connects thematically to the plot development. The crime is complex and interesting because it was clearly executed by a skilled and intelligent tactician.

“He was another whale. A great lumpen redirection.”

Charpentier and Gamache discuss the investigation and possible suspects. Charpentier is smart enough to know that Gamache may be manipulating the investigation and suggests that Gamache may have invited Gélinas to participate in the investigation as a distraction. Charpentier returns to the motif of Moby Dick allusions, suggesting that Gélinas functioned as a false object of obsession, used to disguise Gamache’s true motive and interests.

“Armand’s mappa mundi. The map of his world. The mundane and the magnificent, fused.”

This quotation occurs during the final confrontation between Brébeuf and Gamache, once Gamache has realized that Brébeuf is responsible for the murder. Gamache notices that Brébeuf has a bloodstained handkerchief framed and hanging in his room: the handkerchief was made for Gamache’s father by his mother, and it was one of his prized possessions. When they were children, Gamache used the handkerchief to staunch Brébeuf’s blood and then gave it to him, cementing their bond. This quotation ties the handkerchief to the map imagery present throughout the novel, comparing the bloodstained piece of fabric to an intricate medieval map of the world (mappa mundi) and revealing that Gamache’s friendship with Brébeuf has guided and oriented him throughout his life.

“Pulling that trigger on an unarmed man, executing him, would have killed you too. You’d have done the unthinkable, you’d have damned yourself to save the cadets.”

Brébeuf finally admits to Gamache that he did kill Leduc and provides his justification as to why. Brébeuf believes that when Gamache understood the full horror of what Leduc was doing, he would kill Leduc himself; Brébeuf also believes that this act would have been catastrophic because of Gamache’s strong moral integrity. In this quotation, he uses the metaphors of death and damnation to describe how ruinous this act would have been and why he felt compelled to carry out the murder himself.

“The only way I could really be free wasn’t to add hurt to hurt, but to do something decent.”

Gamache corrects a flawed assumption that Brébeuf has made. Brébeuf thought that Gamache wanted revenge against Amelia because of her father's role in the death of Gamache’s parents; however, Gamache explained that he wanted to liberate himself by doing something good for Amelia. He offered her the chance to come to the academy to make something of herself. The quotation reveals the vast moral gulf between Gamache and Brébeuf: the latter can only see things through a lens of bitterness and vengeance, while the former is capable of believing in forgiveness and redemption.

“He had not turned his back on Brébeuf.”

This quotation describes the gruesome scene Jean-Guy finds when he rushes to Brébeuf’s rooms after hearing a gunshot. Brébeuf has fatally shot himself in front of Gamache, his oldest friend. While Brébeuf had urged Gamache to look away, Jean-Guy notices that Gamache had remained fully present with him. The quotation functions both literally and metaphorically since Gamache literally did not turn and look away, but also, symbolically, Gamache never abandoned his friend or stopped believing in Brébeuf’s capacity for redemption. The use of the more intimate “Brébeuf” rather than Brébeuf in the quotation reveals the great affection between the two men.