Vermont Border Library Tensions Inspire Louise Penny’s New Mystery Novel

The Haskell Library, where a line of black tape marks the border between Derby Line, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec, serves as a key setting in Penny's new novel, "The Black Wolf," due out in October.

DERBY LINE, Vt. — The Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a unique building straddling the U.S.-Canada border, has inspired Canadian mystery writer Louise Penny’s forthcoming novel, The Black Wolf, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. New U.S. security restrictions at the library, a symbol of cross-border unity, sparked Penny’s fictional tale of international intrigue.

In The Black Wolf, Penny’s beloved Chief Inspector Armand Gamache uncovers a shadowy cabal plotting to annex Canada as the 51st U.S. state to exploit its vast resources. The Haskell Library, where a line of black tape marks the border between Derby Line, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec, serves as a key setting. Gamache meets a U.S. contact there, leveraging the library’s unique position to exchange information without either leaving their country.

“When I wrote it, I thought, ‘How am I going to make this believable?’” Penny told the Wall Street Journal, recalling drafting the novel’s outline three years ago from her home near the library. Recent events, including tightened border policies, made her plot seem less far-fetched. “This was before Trump and the whole thing,” she said.

The novel draws inspiration from real-world tensions at the Haskell, where residents of Derby Line (population 687) and Stanstead (population 2,824) have long shared books, performances, and community events. Canadians could enter via the U.S. front door without a passport, but in March, U.S. officials announced that starting October 1, Canadians must show a passport and pass through an official border crossing, citing security concerns about trafficking. The change, following a provocative visit by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, disrupted the library’s open-access tradition.

Penny, moved by the library’s plight, donated 50,000 Canadian dollars (about $36,000) to a fundraiser for a new Canadian-side entrance, which has raised nearly 300,000 Canadian dollars. “It’s a symbol of the friendship between the nations,” she said. Her novel amplifies this theme, with Gamache racing to preserve Canada’s sovereignty against a backdrop of geopolitical schemes.

Penny will end her Canadian tour for The Black Wolf at the Haskell Opera House on November 1 and 2, with seats split evenly between U.S. and Canadian residents, celebrating the library’s role as a unifying force.

This article is based on reporting first published by The Wall Street Journal.