The Nature of the Beast

A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

By: Louise Penny

Narrated by: Robert Bathurst

Hardly a day goes by when nine-year-old Laurent Lepage doesn't cry wolf. From alien invasions to walking trees to winged beasts in the woods to dinosaurs spotted in the village of Three Pines, his tales are so extraordinary no one can possibly believe him. Including Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, who now live in the little Quebec village.

But when the boy disappears, the villagers are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.

And so begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth. What they uncover deep in the forest sets off a sequence of events that leads to murder, leads to an old crime, leads to an old betrayal. Leads right to the door of an old poet.

And now it is now, writes Ruth Zardo. And the dark thing is here.

A monster once visited Three Pines. And put down deep roots. And now, Ruth knows, it is back.

Armand Gamache, the former head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec, must face the possibility that in not believing the boy, he himself played a terrible part in what happens next.

©2015 Three Pines Creations, Inc. (P)2015 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"As Louise Penny explains in the introduction to her newest Chief Inspector Gamache mystery, Robert Bathurst had much to live up to when he was selected to succeed longtime narrator Ralph Cosham, who passed away last year. She listened to hundreds of candidates before selecting the British actor, best known to American audiences from "Downton Abbey." Be assured that her choice was right. Bathurst's pleasant light baritone and sensitive pacing suit the thoughtful series..." ( AudioFile)

Stop Whining about the Narrator - Great Book

I just read about 20 reviews of this excellent book, and I am irritated at the number of people who couldn't look past the new narrator. For goodness' sake ... the original narrator died suddenly last year, and the author went so far as to record an explanation of why Inspector Gamache would sound different in this book. I appreciated that explanation, and shed my own tear for the death of beloved Ralph Cosham. BUT, I moved on and listened to the book without bias.

People - grow up!

The new narrator was absolutely fine. And the story was gripping. My most common complaint about ANY mystery is that I figured it out too easily or too fast. Not so in this book; I had no idea until very close to the end.

Additionally, the plot is serious. Very serious. At one point, my heart was pounding in my chest! (NO SPOILER ALERT.)

So, if you loved all of the previous Louise Penny/Gamache books, read this one too, but try to give Robert Bathurst a chance.

Marvelous

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Any time and all of her books but best read in order for deeper appreciation of the characters

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

Complex

Have you listened to any of Robert Bathurst’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no, don't think so but I was relieved he did as well as the previous narrator

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

yes when a woman was described as pulling herself out of the water dripping in grief but no longer drowning in it
And when another woman described her grief and loss to be as if her bones were dissolving

Any additional comments?

I adore Lousie Penny

Où est le Québécois? Where was the accent?

Would you listen to The Nature of the Beast again? Why?

Probably not. While I loved the story and Penney's writing is spot on for the series there was one thing which I was not happy with at all, the narrator. I can imagine how hard it was for all concerned to try and find a new narrator and how hard it was for the narrator to fill the shoes of one of the best.

Who was your favorite character and why?

As always, Gamache.

What aspect of Robert Bathurst’s performance would you have changed?

I thought the majority of Mr. Bathurst's performance was well done but....I thought the lack of a Québécois accent was exceptionally disappointing. I loved Ralph Cosham and while I know there is no way to supplant his wonderful narration, I would have thought it an imperative that the narrator be able to pronounce Reine Marie, Sûreté du Québec and other French words with the appropriate accent which gives the narration the wonderful flavor that the novels project and the importance the language holds in Québec. I absolutely loved every time Mr. Cosham used his beautiful accent for the names, especially Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loup in A Beautiful Mystery. I do hope that if this narrator is kept for the next book that he goes to a voice coach to learn the sounds of the dialect.

New narrator hard to listen to

Would you listen to The Nature of the Beast again? Why?

I might READ it again, but I definitely would not listen to it again. The story is very much up to Louise Penney's Standards. She always includes some well researched facts, which inspire me to learn more about them. Her characters become more developed and even Ruth had some likable aspects this time. There are definitely more stories about that character to be learned. But I would NOT listen to another book read by Bathurst. Not even a Louise Penney. (see why below)

Who was your favorite character and why?

Besides Gamache? Hard to say. Ruth, because she is an enigma, putting on this hard facade, while clearly having a softer side. There must be a lot of story there, which LP hopefully will tell about one day. Basically, though, there are no characters to dislike, now that the Surreté is "cleaned up". Or is it?

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Bathurst has a staccato-like style of reading which I find very irritating. The narration fails to flow, pauses after every phrase and all the wrong places make it hard to listen to. I was surprised to find out that Bathurst has narrated other books. He sounded like this was new to him.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I rarely like to watch films of books I've read. They invariably distort or diminish the story.

Love the story but not the narration!

I have loved all of Louise Penny's Three Pines stories and this might be one of my favorites but Robert Bathurst's narration was painful! He just is not Armand Gamache. He doesn't even try to imitate the lovely accent of the Quebecois. His narration is so distracting and inconsistent I almost didn't finish. To be fair if he were narrating someone else's work he would probably be very good but Ralph Cosham left very big shoes to fill and Bathurst fell short. Maybe David Colacci would be a better choice?