Why does Gamache agree to help Clara look for Peter even though he longs for a peaceful retirement? What are the benefits and costs of helping her? Are there moments where Gamache considers turning back?

At first, Peter’s failure to return to his wife is not necessarily suspicious. Is Clara justified in insisting on finding out what happened to him? How does Penny create an increasingly suspenseful and ominous mood in the novel?

The novel’s plot involves characters moving from place to place as they try to track down clues about Peter’s whereabouts. How do the different settings, including Three Pines, Toronto, and Baie-Saint-Paul, create different moods? Do some characters function more effectively in some settings than others?