Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

#BookReview- The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny #Mystery #Reading


Description via Amazon.com

The fifth novel in the Chief Inspector Gamache series, from worldwide phenomenon and number one New York Times bestseller Louise Penny

When Chief Inspector Gamache arrives in picturesque Three Pines, he steps into 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 dead man’s name.

As Gamache and his colleagues start to dig under the skin of this peaceful haven for clues, they uncover a trail of stolen treasure, mysterious codes and a shameful history that begins to shed light on the victim’s identity – and points to a terrifying killer…

About the Author

LOUISE PENNY is the author of the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (seven times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise lives in a small village south of Montréal.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

My Review

Murder comes to Three Pines, and everyone is a suspect!

Three Pines was asleep, as it always seemed to be. At peace with itself and the world. Oblivious of what happened around it. Or perhaps aware of everything, but choosing peace anyway.

The Brutal Telling- Louise Penny

A derelict hermit is found with his head bashed in on the floor of the bistro forcing Chief Inspector Gamache and his team to interrogate friends from the tiny village of Three Pines. Bistro owner Olivier is hiding something, but Gamache can’t decide if it’s nefarious or simply stress from the murdered man being found in his place of business.

A new family, the Gilberts, have moved into the Hadley house (the scene of a previous grisly murder) and while they’ve preformed miracles on the old place, the sudden appearance of the owner’s famous father leads to more questions, than answers.

What kills can’t be seen, the Chief had warned Beauvoir. That’s what makes it so dangerous. It’s not a gun or a knife or a fist. It’s not anything you can see coming. It’s an emotion. Rancid, spoiled. And waiting for a chance to strike.

The Brutal Telling- Louise Penny

Muddying the already dirty waters, are the eccentric characters who populate the town. Clara is torn by a moral dilemma on the eve of her first solo art showing, and husband Peter must decide whether to help, or hinder, her decision- if he can overcome his own jealousy over her sudden success. Ruth is her cantankerous self and hosts a strange dinner party while sending Inspector Beauvoir taunting stanzas from her poetry.

Greed, lies, loneliness and mistrust are explored at length in this novel. Gamache learns the tale of the Mountain King and travels west to Haida Gwaii in the Queen Charlotte Islands to trace the origins of a series of priceless carvings possibly created by the hermit.

To find a murderer you followed clues, yes. But you also followed emotions. The ones that stank, the foul and putrid ones. You followed the slime. And there, cornered, you’d find your quarry.

The Brutal Telling- Louise Penny

The lyrical quality of Louise Penny’s writing brings the Quebecois lifestyle alive; the history, attitudes, and scenery are portrayed with vibrant descriptions that bring Three Pines and its citizens to life for the reader.

it was vital to be aware of actions in the present. Because the present became the past, and the past grew. And got up, and followed you.

The Brutal Telling- Louise Penny

And I just heard Three Pines is going to be a television series- yay!

Have you read any Inspector Gamache books? Which is your favorite character? (Mine is a toss-up between Ruth and Jean-Guy) Would you like to live in Three Pines? I would- minus the murders! lol

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28 Replies to “#BookReview- The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny #Mystery #Reading”

  3. How cool the book is going to be a TV series! I haven’t read any of these, but I keep vowing I must take the time to discover a few. Three Pines sounds like a great place. Er, minus the murders, like you said 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. She is another author, like J.D. Robb, who mixes POV throughout the scenes, but it doesn’t matter- in face, I think it adds to the story 🙂
      The series is coming out on Amazon. They’ve started filming in Quebec ( squee! ), so it’ll probably be a year or so before it airs.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. This sounds like a fantastic read with lots of story threads. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this book. I think I would love it! And how awesome that it is going to be a TV series!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Wonderful review Jacquie. I have only read two books from this series and really enjoyed them both, not sure why I haven’t gotten back to it. Exciting that it is going to be a TV series, I will need to read more of them before it happens.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. This si not the first time that I have hear praise for Louise Penny’s penmanship Jacqueline! It makes me want to read that book now!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Three Pines is actually a small village, therein lies its draw. Most of its citizens escaped from the hectic lives they had in Montreal.
      It would be a great place to visit, though!

      Like

  12. Sounds great, Jacquie. I like a book filled with external and internal tension, and it sounds like this one achieves both.

    Liked by 1 person

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