The Beautiful Mystery

A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

By: Louise Penny

Narrated by: Ralph Cosham

Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Mystery, 2013

The brilliant new novel in the New York Times best-selling 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.

©2012 Three Pines Creations, Inc. (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

Twists and Turns galore

What did you love best about The Beautiful Mystery?

I found Mr. Cosham's voice almost hypnotic. I loved the look into the life of cloistered monks and the development of each of the monks' characters and backgrounds. I loved the way the story twisted and turned, constantly leading you to another conclusion about who might have "dun it". I also loved the way the two inspectors' characters and their own conflicts were woven into the story, but very skillfully. Finally, I loved learning about the roots of written music. No more said so as not to ruin the story.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, I must say the plot kept me on the edge of my seat... as the author kept the reader guessing re: the culprit, and also gave the reader tons of interesting information as the book progressed. There was a lot of verbal imagery in this book that I really enjoyed.

What about Ralph Cosham’s performance did you like?

Everything. That sums it up. His voice bounces softly from word to word and is full of so much feeling.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, and to the best of my ability, I kept reading almost continuously, listening on my iPhone after coming in from the car, where I did the bulk of my reading via bluetooth on my car radio's speaker.

Any additional comments?

Read this fabulous mystery. It really is beautiful.

Splendid writing, great narrator, ragged storyline

I love the the author's prose, and the narrator is as fine as ever. I was delighted to find it taking place outside Three Pines, which was growing a bit stale, and the setting is marvelously described. The monks become interesting individuals, all too human.

However, the story line was disappointing toward the end. Without giving anything away, the focus of 3/4 of the book is on solving a mysterious murder in a monastery, but when the murderer is finally revealed, it does not have the feel of a denouement. At the point that should be the climax, the murder mystery has given way to what seemed to be a secondary issue, one that takes the form of a character conflict although there clearly is much more at stake. It seems too petty, too contrived, and too incidental to the thrust of this book. (I should add that it may even be incomprehensible unless one has read others in the series leading up to this one.) In context, I can understand that it may represent an agent of the devil vying for a man's soul with our hero's voice of reason, but it just doesn't work. The conclusion lacks the subtlety and nuance so characteristic of the rest of her writing, in which no one is all good or all bad, but has strengths that stand out in one situation and weaknesses that disappoint in another.

The author is setting the stage for the next book in the series, but it comes across as less of a tease and more like a sledgehammer. While I will no doubt read the sequel, I hope the plot will be better crafted. Maybe writing a book a year to a predetermined deadline is too demanding. Louise Penny has been more consistent so far than, say, Michael Connelly or Harlan Coben, two other of my favorite mystery writers. She deserves the success that her novels have brought, but precisely because of that, she needs stronger editors or critics. She raves about having made #2 on the NY Times best sellers list recently, but that should not be misconstrued as a measure of worth. She has a following, myself among them, but she should not confuse commercial sales with good writing.

Fun series, change of pace

I like Penny's writing -- her descriptions that create a rich sense of place and her interesting characters. This series is usually centered in the same small town, and here the detectives are sent off to an isolated monestary. Probably a good thing, but you should know that the usual cast of eccentric characters are not present.

Great Read

I didn't like the ending but the remainder of the book and the narration were superb. The intersection of the monastic and secular realities, when depicted and performed this well, makes for a truly enjoyable investment of time.

Great series

Tough to not care about the characters. Ready for next book. I need to know.

a pleasure, as usual

Louise Penny does such a wonderful job describing the environment. I think I'll listen to sime plainchant nowI. I must say though, half the reason that I buy these books is simply listen to Ralph Cosham 's voice.

This is a chapter in a greater story.

The Gamache series is famous for murders that take place in the "closed room" of Three Pines, but this time Gamache and Beauvoir are taken to the closed society of an Abbey, where the community focus on the sacred chants unites the brotherhood, yet also triggers the very human tendencies to either embrace or stridently resist changes, and develop individual versions of truth. It's a timely theme in our world where religious views so strongly affect world politics, and the many versions of truth are victims of so much human interpretive error.

Readers who have kept up with the series will start out pleased that the passage of time between this and the last book have been kind to Jean Guy; but this book also explores how fragile the peace of mind of an addict can be, and just how difficult it can be to find a way to love the person while dealing with the ravages of the addiction; sometimes, there is no right way to do that, and this aspect of the greater storyline will leave some of us holding our breath waiting for book 9.

Gamache's professional nemesis plays a big part in this book, and takes Gamache through the difficulty of being a truly moral man who must reject actions that would seem obvious to solve a problem once and for all if he is to remain moral. The story seethes with envy, distrust, cruel emotional manipulation, and reminds us that the weakness of any community or organization lies not in the structure itself, but in the individuals who make it up. Of all the Gamache books, this one left me angry at the end rather than hopeful at first, but definitely left me thinking....and holding my breath for the next book.

Interesting and multi-faceted

I'm not a big fan of murder mysteries, but the setting tempted me, and I'm so glad I was drawn in. Instead of gory details of corpses and murder scenes, the novel was set in a rich and detailed place, full of characters that were multidimensional and powerful. No stereotypical all-bad or all-good characters. Deep and thoughtful character development, and attention to detail of place transported me to a place where I had never been in real life. Louise Penny is a masterful writer, and Ralph Cosham an excellent narrator, one of those readers that is so seamless that you lose yourself in the text and forget someone's reading to you. Highly recommend!

I loved this book

I loved this book but did not like how it ended. I need to get the next one to see what happens.

It is all about the characters

The depth of character study lifts the series into a level for future books to end the questions that this book leaves. The history of Canada continues and flows with the story so well as Penny does better than most writers. I liked the break from Three Pines to let the characters connect deeper.