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 … 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.
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There are people who never read a mystery and claim they aren’t written as well as great fiction. I give you Louise Penny and every one of her books is a treasure of language, people, hopes, dreams and life’s mysteries. The Inspector is so well depicted that I’d be able to pick him out of a crowd. The mysteries are deeply moving. Pick up any of her books and sit and savor. People that read these books all sigh and never want them to end and we all want to live in Three Pines, the community he discovered in the first book
and returns to again and again.
Great. Googly. Moogly.
I actually had guessed who it might be, but then completely talked myself out of it because 1. I thought it was ridiculous and 2. I am NEVER right with these books and have only once ever guessed the who AND the why [One out of eleven. Sigh]. So I just put my guess out of my head and then when it all started coming down, I just took and deep breath and went “WOAH”. I didn’t know the why [thankfully] and that was a bit shattering. This one delves into deep, serious scary territories and in the way only Louise Penny can do, leads right along until you’re completely sucked in and as horrified as the people on the page. It is ALWAYS one of the best rides ever.
“Nature, she knew, abhorred a vacuum, and these people aced with an information vacuum, had filled it with their fears.
The line between face and fiction, between real and imagined, was blurring. The tether holding people to civil behavior was fraying. They could see it, and hear it, and feel it coming apart.”
“Clara knew that grief took a terrible toll. It was paid at every birthday, every holiday, each Christmas. It was paid when glimpsing the familiar hand-writing, or a hot, or a balled-up sock. Or hearing a creak that could have been, should have been, a footstep. Grief took its toll each morning, each evening, every noon hour as those who were left behind struggled forward.”
I live in-between two (count ‘em, 2) borrow/lend library boxes. You can well imagine that I was particularly pleased to find a hardback copy of THE NATURE OF THE BEAST: A CHIEF INSPECTOR GANACHE NOVEL by Louise Penny. Never having read one before, I was delighted to discover that it’s written in such a way that the reader can hit the ground running. I’m not about to deliver any spoilers. Suffice it to say that Ms. Penny’s writing is so vivid, detailed, and so engaging (she reels you in hook, line, and sinker) that I intend to go back and start at book one. I’m glad I read the “Author’s Note” at the end of the book, first. It really(!) gave me pause to sit up and take notice. I’m confident it’ll be the same for you too!
My favorite author has surpassed herself!
Armand and Reine-Marie are enjoying their retirement in Three Pines and their neighbors. Laurent, a young boy in the village, has a great imagination and is always talking about things that he sees or finds on his adventures. He comes into The Bistro talking about a big gun that he found in the woods, bigger than a house with an alien on it. Everyone dismisses his story, but the next day he goes missing. The whole town comes together to look for him and when he is found dead, it is first believed to be an accident, but upon further investigation it was murder. Now everyone is trying to figure out what Laurent saw that caused him to become a target. This book was so engrossing, and a little of a departure from past books in this series, that I didn’t want to put it down. And it was fascinating at the end to find out that Gerald Bull was a real person. I can’t wait for more of this series.
This one is different from the rest, but in a good way. Louise Penny has done an excellent job transitioning through Gamache’s retirement.
I listen to the audiobooks and was saddened to learn of the death of the original performer. He embodied these characters. The replacement is going to take some getting used to. He’s wonderful, but very different. I am sure I will get beyond the change in another volume of the series.
Three Pines and its cozy comforts may never be the same again. Pulled from history, the doomsday gun descriptions, US draft dodger status of one villager, death of a sweet child, and the thrilling spy/serial killer chase to halt the nefarious plans of the governments in regard to weaponry. It is a very dark read, but not without its redeeming points. I enjoyed seeing the why behind some of the villagers attitudes and in learning about the real life Baby Babylon. Inspector Gamache is always the port in the storm, no matter that he is retired; no matter the difficulty of the case.
Louise Penney has plenty of fans. Doesn’t need my testimonial.
Another Chief Inspector Gamanche triumph. Read these books in order.
I forgot to review The Nature of the Beast until now (after I finished reading A Great Reckoning), but I didn’t want to leave a hole in my reviewing of the series! So, here goes (with what I can recall that stands out in my Mommy Brain). A child with a vivid imagination tells the village of Three Pines about a gun with a monster that he found in the woods, yet no one pays attention. Laurent Lepage has always been a fanciful child, often telling tall tales. It isn’t until his body is found by the side of the road, apparently in a bike accident, that Gamache and the villagers take notice. While Armand Gamache is no longer the head of homicide for the Surete, he can’t let go of Laurent’s death. He realizes quickly that the apparent accident was no accident. But who would kill a little boy? (At this point, I’m thinking Three Pines is a lot like Jessica Fletcher’s Cabot Cove, which became a rather dicey place to live.) Anyhoo, Gamache calls Isabelle Lacoste, now the chief homicide inspector for the Surete, and she comes down to Three Pines, along with Beauvoir, to poke around. As with all of Louise Penny’s books in this series, people are not always who they seem. And any new cast members who appear out of nowhere are probably suspects or connected to the crime in some way (although I do like how Penny takes chances and has main characters face ugly ends sometimes). With Gamache’s help, the investigation into Laurent’s death leads them to a monstrous gun in the woods with a terrifying history. It is the nature of Penny’s beastly good books that I kept turning pages well into the night to find out how this one ends. Not my fave, but still a good one.
Another great detective story!
I love all Louise Penny’s books!
Louise Penny is a great writer of stories with great characters
Louise Penny has done it again with this tale of mystery and murder in a tiny Quebec village.
All of Louise Penney’s novels are the best
Louise Penny is a wonderful author. Her stories pull you in from the first page and hold your attention. Armand Gamache and the cast of characters from Three Pines are so well drawn they become real and spending an evening reading one of her books feels like spending an evening with old, well liked friends. I hate to come to the final page in any of her books, I want more.
I suggest starting at the beginning of the Louise Penny series. These novels are cozy mysteries with a great cast of characters and always a focus on something to learn about Canada….. spiritual lessons included with strong mysteries. Great way to gain insight into Montreal and Canadian culture….
This series is a Feel Good series…. enjoy them all!
I loved it! Suspension the whole way through the book! It’s a masterpiece of writing. I can’t wait for the next book.
All of Louis Perry’s books are excellent. I normally listen to them on CD’s, the reader has a great bi-lingual voice and uses many Canadian phrases.
Louise Penny weaves factual information into her Inspector Gamache books. The subject of this one had me scrambling to find out how it was kept a secret…at least to me…for so long. Riveting.