Despite the enjoyment of his peaceful and happy
retirement and life in the small village of Three Pines,
the former Head of Homicide for the Sûreté du Québec
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache confronts the inevitable
debate of active people in early retirement. Should he
stay retired or take on another challenge?
Gamache's chat and easy bantering with his wife Reine-
Marie and his wise-cracking friends in the bistro are
suddenly interrupted by the noisy shouts of an excited
boy talking about a massive weapon he found in the nearby
woods. Nine-year-old Laurent Lepage is well known in
Three Pines for his very vivid and creative imagination.
He had called many of the villagers into his play
dramatics and some had grown weary of it. It is getting
late in the day and Gamache decides the best option is to
take the boy home.
What happens next makes Gamache regret that decision.
Yes, it may have been a simple accident, but something is
off. Is he on the right track, or is he just longing to
be back in his old role of investigating foul play?
Take note! Gamache is back!
THE NATURE OF THE BEAST is the long-awaited Book 11 in
the internationally-acclaimed Louise Penny's famous
Chief Inspector Gamache series. Fans were on tender hooks
as to if there would be more involving ex-Inspector
Gamache after THE LONG WAY HOME. They will be very
happy with this latest addition to this brilliant and
amazing series.
Any of the mysteries in the
Gamache series can be read as a stand-alone book, and THE
NATURE OF THE BEAST can be read that way as well. Given
that, new readers to the series, this is really not the
most optimal way. If you have the time, go for the first book STILL LIFE and
relish the series. It is an awesome series, full of the gusto of
life and the story pulls you in.
The storyline in THE NATURE OF THE BEAST is darker in
some ways than the earlier books and is inspired by real
incidents from the past. Most of the story
takes place in the very hard to find but authentically
based fictional town of Three Pines, nestled in the wooded
hills and beauty of the Eastern Townships of Quebec. The
Internet connection may be very slow but the local people
(many are characters highlighted in previous books) are a
quirky but delightful lot who pull together quickly to
support their friends. They all have their secrets and
fears, including Gamache.
As in all her books, Penny brings to the fore history,
art, literature, philosophy and the rich vibrancy of
emotions perfectly captured for each human situation. One
of Penny's many talents as a writer is how she fully
engages all of the reader's senses with her sensuous
descriptions of succulent food, the repartee between good
friends with a little wine in their spirited exchanges,
and how our cheeks feel the warmth of the fire and the
chill of the wind. Her hallmark is finding that perfect
tantalizing blending of humour, French/English
relationships, suspense, fear, courage and je ne sais
quoi that make her books so much part of the reader's
life.
So, do find out more about THE NATURE OF THE BEAST and
what happens to the boy who calls wolf too often. A dark
tale of secrets and the evil some do with both big and
little actions.
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.
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