Title: The Brutal Telling
Author: Louise Penny
Genre: Murder mystery
Publisher: Headline, 2009
374p
Synopsis: In the heart of the forest, two men sit at midnight, haunted by fear of discovery. In a few hours time one of them will be dead, his secrets following him to the grave...
When Chief Inspector Gamache is called to investigate a murder in picturesqe Three Pines, he finds a village in chaos. A man has been found, bludgeoned to death, and there is no sign of a weapon, a motive or even the dea man's name.
Gamache and his colleagues start to dig under the sking of this peaceful haven for clues. They slowly uncover a trail of stolen treasure, mysterious codes and a shameful history that slowly begins to shed light on the victim's identity - and point to a terrifying killer.
Opening the first page of a new Louise Penny novel is like having travelled the hour from Montreal and coming to the top of the slope down into the village of Three Pines........I am filled with the anticipation of renewing my aquaintance with these much loved characters. Gabri & Olivier at the bistro, Peter & Clara, the artist husband and wife, Myrna of the bookstore and the drunken, embittered old poet, Ruth, and Rosa her duck companion.
Then, of course, there are the outsiders - CI Gamache, his family and colleagues.........frequent visitors because this tiny village does have a tendency to attract murderous crimes. This one brings the chaos of fear, suspicion and distrust to this very closeknit community..........as CI Gamache searches for answers the plot twists and turns, wonderful literary clues and the interweaving a mythic tale lift the book above the ordinary.
Whether she is describing nature, food or human relationships Louise Penny's words satisfy the senses completely. Good walks alongside evil, kindness and compassion accompany greed and despair........and there is always humour.....there are newcomers to Hadley House, scene of sinister goings on in the past and the story of Dominique and her horses is quite delightful.
This is the fifth in the CI Gamache series and I think each successive book just keeps getting better and better. The author is not afraid to create a little chaos herself, upsetting the status quo and leaving the reader who loves these people feeling rather shattered and wondering what will happen next. The books can definitely be read as stand alones but if you haven't read any of them my advice would be to start at the beginning because the characters and their individual stories develop as they go.
Brilliant..............loved it! I think Louise Penny is one of the very best writers of this genre - you can visit her website here
Suspense/Thriller Challenge
The Four Month Challenge 3
Nah, not for me, but since you liked it I will tell my friend about it
ReplyDeleteYou don't know what you're missing, Blodeuedd. ;-)
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