The Beautiful Mystery: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel [Hardcover]

Louise Penny (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 28, 2012 | Series: Chief Inspector Gamache (Book 8)

The brilliant new novel in the New York Times bestselling series by Louise Penny, one of the most acclaimed crime writers of our time

 

 

No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is known as “the beautiful mystery.”

 

But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery’s massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. One of the brothers, in this life of  prayer and contemplation, has been contemplating murder. As the peace of the monastery crumbles, Gamache is forced to confront some of his own demons, as well as those roaming the remote corridors. Before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in between.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With enormous empathy for the troubled human soul—and an ending that makes your blood race and your heart break—Penny continues to raise the bar of her splendid series." —People Magazine (4 out 4 stars)

“Louise Penny has crafted an almost perfect crime—haunting, puzzling, brilliant and indeed a most beautiful mystery. Chief Inspector Gamache is one of my favorite characters in fiction. Here he must penetrate a cloistered monastery deep in the northern woods of Quebec, where a murdered monk is his ticket to get in. This is a tour-de-force for Penny, and a thrilling, intelligent read.”
—Linda Fairstein

"A. Ma. Zing!  A remarkably courageous—and very beautiful—book that leaps the abyss between faith and despair."
—Diana Gabaldon

“Elliptical and often oracular… also remarkably penetrating and humane. The most illuminating analogies are not to other contemporary detective fiction but to The Name of the Rose and Murder in the Cathedral.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“An entire mystery novel centering on Gregorian chants (whose curiously hypnotic allure is called the “beautiful mystery”)? Yes, indeed, and in the hands of the masterful Penny, the topic proves every bit as able to transfix readers as the chants do their listeners.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Elegant… This heart-rending tale is a marvelous addition to Penny’s acclaimed series. Fans won’t be disappointed.”
—Library Journal (starred review)

“Traditional mystery fans can look forward to a captivating whodunit plot, a clever fair-play clue concealed in plain view, and the deft use of humor to lighten the story’s dark patches. On a deeper level, the crime provides a means for Penny’s unusually empathic, all-too-fallible lead to unearth truths about human passions and weaknesses while avoiding simple answers.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

LOUISE PENNY is The New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of eight Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has been awarded the John Creasey Dagger, Nero, Macavity and Barry Awards, as well as two each of the Arthur Ellis and Dilys Awards. Additionally, Louise has won four Agatha Awards and four Anthony Awards. Her most recent novel, The Beautiful Mystery debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list. She lives in a small village south of Montréal.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (August 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780312655464
• ISBN-13: 978-0312655464
• ASIN: 0312655460
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (630 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Canadian Detectives
  • #61 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > British Detectives

More About the Author

LOUISE PENNY is an award-winning journalist who worked for many years for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She lives in a small village south of Montréal where she writes, skis, and volunteers. Her bestselling first mystery, Still Life, was the winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards; and her second, A Fatal Grace, won the Agatha Award for Best Novel in 2008. Visit her website at www.louisepenny.com.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#14 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals

#17 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals

#42 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#56 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#84 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

#14 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals

#17 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals

#42 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery

#56 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#84 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 110 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Expectations were too high August 29, 2012

By eve

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Although I am a huge Louise Penny fan and have eagerly awaited each new arrival, I must confess I was a bit disappointed with this one. I found the ending melodramatic and Beauvoir's actions near the end simply unbelievable. I wish she would bring the factory raid chapter to a close and let these characters get on with their lives.

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Claustrophobic September 9, 2012

By Linda Ritacco

Format:Hardcover

This book was an enormous disappointment to me. I have been a fan of Louise Penny and her Armand Gamache since Still Life. Yes, it is true that it would be difficult to have yet another murder in Three Pines (too murderous for such a small place), but this setting was simply too claustrophobic. Just Armand and Jean-Guy locked into this desolate monastery. Also it is past time to finish with Francoeur. Ms Penny has made us care about her characters and now seems on the verge of destroying both Armand and Jean-Guy. It is time to restore both Jean-Guy and the Surete to full health. Truly, if this isn't done in the next book, I am afraid it will be my last Louise Penny book. I really hope that readers do not start with this book, they might miss the wonderful experience of the books that came before.

147 of 160 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars First, but not the last... June 27, 2012

By Jill Meyer TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

"The Beautiful Mystery" by Louise Penny is Penny's first book I've read, but it surely won't be the last. It is one of the best written, almost lyrical stories I've read in a long time. Yes, "The Beautiful Mystery" is part of a series of seven previous books starring Armand Gamache, but the book is an excellent novel that transcends its "police procedural" designation and becomes simply a beautifully written novel.

Set in Montreal, Surete Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is sent, along with his aide, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, to a monastery hidden away in the hills and forests well outside the city. A monk has been found murdered in the garden and the head of the monastery - Dom Philippe - has reluctantly sent for the Surete to investigate the murder. But this is no ordinary monastery; the 24 monks living within have taken vows of silence and express their religion through their beautiful Gregorian chants. They had recorded their chants on a CD from which they hoped to earn a modest amount of money to fix up their dilapidated building. The order - the Gilbertines - was actually a renegade religious order who had fled England for Canada 400 years before. (The reader can learn an awful lot of history by reading this book.) But the CD of chants had struck a chord outside the monastery walls and had become a world-wide best-seller. Suddenly a previously obscure bunch of monks were famous for their singing and money, a by-product of their success, had become an issue in the congregation. There was division as the leaders couldn't decide whether or not to seize their success and record another CD of beautiful, spectral music.

But if the Gilbertine monks were caught up in power struggles, so were the members of the Surete sent to work the case. Louise Penny updates the feuds and battles within the upper ranks of the police organisation she had previously written about in her series. For someone like me, who hadn't read the previous novels, Penny was able to strike the right note of filling in the back story without boring those who already knew what had come before.

Penny's novel becomes almost like the beautiful and heavenly Gregorian chants as she combines different plot points and characters to tell a nuanced story that rivals the chants in their intricacy. There's not a false move in her writing and the novel is compelling reading. As I wrote at the beginning, this is my first Louise Penny novel, but it sure won't be my last!