The Beautiful Mystery (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #8)

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The Beautiful Mystery (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #8)

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 4,346 ratings · 1,092 reviews

The brilliant new novel in theNew York Timesbestselling series by Louise Penny,one of the most acclaimed crime writers of our timeNo outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate....more

ebook, 384 pages

Published August 28th 2012 by Minotaur Books (first published January 1st 2012)

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May 15, 2013 Megan Baxter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An Armand Gamache novel not at least partly set in Three Pines? What will I do with myself? I have so much enjoyed knowing a whole town involved in a murder mystery, as well as the detective and his team.

Despite the initial trepidation this set off in my head, it was quickly allayed by the story that Louise Penny laid before me. This was really damned good. Even if it had a heartbreaking ending. Penny's understanding and portrayal of human nature in all its warts and beauties shines through eve...more An Armand Gamache novel not at least partly set in Three Pines? What will I do with myself? I have so much enjoyed knowing a whole town involved in a murder mystery, as well as the detective and his team.

Despite the initial trepidation this set off in my head, it was quickly allayed by the story that Louise Penny laid before me. This was really damned good. Even if it had a heartbreaking ending. Penny's understanding and portrayal of human nature in all its warts and beauties shines through every page.

There are two things going on in this novel: the main mystery, and the longer through-line that has been there since the very first Penny book. The pieces have started to fall more into place the last couple of novels, and it's both upsetting and exciting to see where she will go with it. What will happen to our beloved Gamache?

So, the main mystery. It takes place, as I said, not in Three Pines, but in an extraordinarily remote monastery in northern Quebec. This monastery had lately become a sensation with the release of an album of Gregorian chants. The resulting fame has caused the monastery to go even further inwards, behind the walls they built to hide themselves from the world and the Inquisition. But the money the recording has brought in has split the community, a split made brutally clear when one man is killed. This brings Gamache and his right hand, Beauvoir, to the doors of the monastery, to carry out an all-too-earthy investigation.

And as a main mystery, this was a good one. Penny has a sure hand in creating all her characters, and the monks sprang to life off the pages. And they weren't treated with condescension, nor with pity. Each had their own reasons for joining such a reclusive order. This is not a novel where religious characters are simply called hypocritical and dismissed. But neither is it one that then assumes that religious belief is incompatible with pettiness, jealousy, and the kind of pain that eats away at someone until they lash out.

As for the larger storyline about Gamache and his place within the Surete de Quebec, and his relationships with his subordinates, particularly Beauvoir, we have seen what was coming come for such a long time. Those cracks that fester, those moments where trust is withheld because of personal pain, the type of hurts that lead to the murders Gamache has investigated, they have been dropped in, moment by moment, for books. And reach a breaking point here. More than one character we know and love comes close to their personal moment when they could commit murder.

I don't want to say anything more, for fear of spoiling this one. But it's very sad, and upsetting, and yet, we know who Gamache is, and perhaps have some idea of what he'll do next. I look forward to finding out. And I hope that certain things are not irrevocable, but they may well be. (less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canada, favorite-authors, favorites, highly-recommend, mystery

Gregorian chants are at the heart of Penny's latest Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery. A monk, the choirmaster, has been murdered on a quiet, isolated island off Quebec where the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups has been home to the Gilbertine monks since the middle of the 17th century. Only recently discovered after centuries of obscurity, these monks have the mission of singing and preserving the purity of the Gregorian chant. Gamache and his right-hand man, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, m...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is a departure from the others in the Gamache series. Set at a monastery rather than the perfect village, Gamache and Beauvoir must find the killer amongst the chanting monks. There is much to like about the novel, particularly the descriptions of the plainchants and the ancient neumes from which they are derived, yet I found the book unsettling rather than enjoyable. The antagonist in this story is not the murderer, but Gamache's boss who has joined them at the abbey, there to do his...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Mysterious Ed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, law-enforcement, mystery

#8 in the Armand Gamache series. This novel in the multi-award winning series is also the first without characters from the small village of Three Pines. Superficially, this is a locked room mystery - a monk has been murdered in a cloistered monastery with only 24 members - there are 23 suspects. It is filled out with the history and lore of Gregorian chants, the speciality of these monks. Gamache and his assistant, Jean-Guy Beauvoir arrive to solve the murder and bring their own baggage. The bo...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"That word? I do not think it means what you think it means" (Inigo Montoya, quoting from memory.)

Warning: Spoilers ahead! Like the others in Louise Penny's series, this was a quick and (for the most part) easy read. Briefly, it told two stories: that of a murder in a monastery in northern Quebec, and that of Jean-Guy Beauvior, still struggling to overcome his many wounds (physical and emotional)and to protect his boss, Gamache, from his boss's boss. That second story was convincing and absolute...more "That word? I do not think it means what you think it means" (Inigo Montoya, quoting from memory.)

Warning: Spoilers ahead! Like the others in Louise Penny's series, this was a quick and (for the most part) easy read. Briefly, it told two stories: that of a murder in a monastery in northern Quebec, and that of Jean-Guy Beauvior, still struggling to overcome his many wounds (physical and emotional)and to protect his boss, Gamache, from his boss's boss. That second story was convincing and absolutely gripping. Francouer, the "big boss", is as convincing a portrait of human evil as I've come across in a book. He's as believable as Dickens's Steerforth and Tolkien's Saruman, and far less sympathetic than either. I really felt for the insecure (if brave and loyal) young man caught in his wiles.

The primary mystery, however, felt contrived, and simply fell apart at the end. It wasn't the setting, which was actually well-realized. It wasn't that tensions between the monks got ugly, with one of them becoming a murderer. It was that, IMHO, Penny relied on cliches in devising her clues, and that one of these - a major one - simply made no sense at all. And now I'm getting into spoiler territory.

Spoilers

Spoilers

Spoilers

The choirmaster is found dead with a nasty head wound in the Abbot's private garden. He is curled up around a piece of parchment with neumes (an early form of musical notation) on it. Obviously, a fellow monk must have killed him, but why? And what is this piece of music the dead man is clutching?

As the story goes on, and the monks begin to talk to the investigators, it transpires that Frere Mathieu's last words were "Ecce homo". It's described as "homo", preceded by a sound like clearing the throat. Sorry, no dice. There is no way on earth that "ecce" sounds like someone's throat being cleared. This clue is contrived so that everyone can get exercised over a possible homosexual love affair. Now, that's all right. In his rule, St. Benedict has clear directives to help monks avoid special friendships, the abuse of children, and so on. This clearly indicates that the founder of monasticism was well aware of these abuses, and that they existed - however rarely. I didn't have much problem with the way the monks were shown, either. There were some charming characterizations. But it was just silly that the murderer would have repeated Pontius Pilate's words while bashing his mentor over the head, and it was even sillier that the poor dying man would repeat them, rather than trying to name his murderer. Really contrived! Finally, Pilate's words do not mean what Penny says they mean. And her information about the Cathars is incomplete and somewhat misleading.

So, in future, if I want to read a mystery with a fallen-away Catholic and his relationship with the Church, I'll stick to Elly Griffiths and the Ruth Galloway stories. She does it better. On the other hand, I am dying to know what will happen to poor, deluded Jean-Guy. That part of the story really caught me.
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Sep 11, 2012 PatK rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is probably more a 2.5 than a 2 star rating, from someone who has given almost entirely 5 stars to Penny's previous seven novels.

"The Beautiful Mystery" gravitas and plot depend so heavily upon events in two previous novels involving the Surete and Gamache's deadly feud with his superiors, that I would only recommend it to readers of the series. Even then I found myself confused, if not baffled by the alien action of the last 10% of the novel where those events are most intrusive.

The sudde...more This is probably more a 2.5 than a 2 star rating, from someone who has given almost entirely 5 stars to Penny's previous seven novels.

"The Beautiful Mystery" gravitas and plot depend so heavily upon events in two previous novels involving the Surete and Gamache's deadly feud with his superiors, that I would only recommend it to readers of the series. Even then I found myself confused, if not baffled by the alien action of the last 10% of the novel where those events are most intrusive.

The sudden and aerially spectacular appearance by their lone and detested supervisor to this remote murder site, is baffling from the onset. The way this invasion proceeds to upstage the murder investigation and detract from the general genre of a very different book, is unfortunate.

The precipitous and murderous decline of Jean-Guy at the end is unconvincing, too abrupt, if not contrived, even given the imported impetus (pills and DVD) by Francouer designed specifically to send him over the edge.

I have held serious reservations regarding Jean-Guy as Gamache's choice of protege since the first book; they have so little in common culturally and educationally and he has an inferior deductive mind. But I found myself appalled by his embrace of this man as prospective son-in-law. If the non-addicted persona never seemed a good match for Gamache--the new recidivist addict version seems less so.

The repeated face downs between Gamache and Francouer rapidly devolved into spitting contests with Gamache always on the verge of homicide, and Francouer always taunting him further. Enough already. How many times can you say 'stop that', slap his hands, and expect that to be an effective deterent? Lock him in a cell, hand-cuff him to an appliance,...take some action. On the other side of the argument, how many times does a subservient employee have to rough house you before you have grounds to simply fire him?

All the kerfluffle at the end between a drugged and paranoiac Beauvoir and enraged Gamache/Francouer abusing each other literally over the altar, immediately proceeds the denouement where the murderer is cleverly if hastily exposed. IMO it destroys what up until then had been a carefully crafted, interesting monastery murder. It upstages and abbreviates what should have been the repercussions among the monks of outing the murderer and importantly the resolution of the schism that divided them.

And so the importance of all the descriptors for this perfect music, the quiet untamed wildness, the rainbow play of light on stone, the allegory of the entwined wolves, the extraordinary diversity of the monks, the meticulous architecture of the monastery, the philosophical examination of monastic life, bliss, peace, ecstasy, the discovery and discoverer of the monastery's treasure, and the voice of God, and the apprehension of the murderer ...all these things are swept away in the furious, fast, final pages.

This cachophonous ending is not what I would have envisioned for a book named for plainchant.(less)

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Mar 10, 2013 Chandni rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: firstreads, mystery, reviewed

There were both good and bad parts to this novel. The beginning immediately drew me into this book. It was just so full of promise. Even the beginning of the investigation and getting to know all the monks was relatively interesting and I found myself getting really invested in who the murderer was. However, the middle is rife with politics. Not just the politics within the abbey, which at least moved the plot forward, but the politics between Gamache, Beauvoir and Francoeur. I haven’t read any...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Snail in Danger (Sid) by: GR monthly e-mail

Shelves: mystery-genre

2.5. These books hadn't really been working for me lately, but I figured I'd give this one a try. Because it's there and all that. Sometimes I enjoy this author's prose, though at other times it is (as I noted in my review of the last one) too much.

I think this was an improvement over the last one. But I think that the ... dreamlike literary quality of these has gotten to be a bit too much. The prose is still well-crafted, but this is a long book for relatively few events. I can't help feeling l...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

my first and wont be my last novel by Louise Penny. I was actually with the Chief Inspector during the whole novel. Ms.Penny had me from the very first word, I just couldnt put this book down. At the very end I felt that I wanted more and was disappointed that there wasnt.However after sleeping on it, realized Ms Penny had ended this novel just as it should have been. Can hardly wait to read more of her novels. Thanks so very much Goodreads, for the advanced copy, have been going on about The Be...more

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May 20, 2013 James rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries

The monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups is hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec. The two dozen cloistered monks who live there enjoy their isolation and peace. They are self-sufficient in almost all things. While they have taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their singing of Gregorian chants. As the story opens the choir director, an acknowledged world expert on the chants, is found murdered in the Abbot's private garden. To solve this crime, Chief Inspector...more

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May 09, 2013 Mandy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was tentative to start this book, because in general it's never good to start with the 8th of anything. In some ways, I'm glad I did and in others I feel I may have missed out on something by jumping in the middle. What convinced me to give listen to this book out of order was the setting and it's history for this "closed-room" mystery.

The abbey which serves as the setting is beautifully presented with detailed history and provides an interesting subject. I enjoyed the information regarding t...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Celia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a gripping story that makes me wish I had not read the books in this series out of order. The prior of a totally isolated monastery is murdered, and Chief Inspector Gamache and Inspector Beauvoir, the chief's right-hand man, are sent to investigate. What makes this monastery unique is that the 24 monks sing Gregorian chant in a way no one else does or can. They are dedicated to preserving plainchant almost as much as serving God. A CD of their singing was released and went viral. The mo...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Rebecca added it · review of another edition

Shelves: drama, mystery

The Gilbertines are a cloistered order of monks who have taken a vow of silence--except for their glorious Gregorian chants. When a recording of their chants hits the big time, suddenly everyone rediscovers the order, which had been thought extinct--but it survives in one monastery deep in the Canadian wilderness. When Chief Inspector Gamache hears that its choirmaster has been found murdered, he and Inspector Beauvoir become the first non-monks admitted to the monastery in living memory. As the...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Nathalie S rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beautiful gregorian chants can have a most profound effect on both singers and listeners---this is "the beautiful mystery". This was a most unusual premise for a book. A monk, the prior of a monastery, has been killed. There are only a very few of these monks, all of whom are amazing singers, all of whom live a very frugal, simple and self-sustaining life. The murderer has to be one of these few, unbelievable as it seems. These monks fled the inquisition centuries before and settled in the wilde...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the 8th book in a series of currently 9 mystery books by Louise Penny,
featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Detective Jean-Guy Beauvoir
but this is the first book that I read in this series. I had heard that the setting for
this book was very different from her earlier books so that you did
not need to read the 7 previous books in this series for background prior to reading this book. I agree that this mystery book stands well on its own.

The setting is quite exotic and compellin...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Nancy added it · review of another edition

The brilliant new novel in the New York Times bestselling series by Louise Penny, one of the most acclaimed crime writers of our time No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Marleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“They (Gregorian chants) had such a profound effect on those who sang and heard them that the ancient chants became known as “the beautiful mystery”.”

For hundreds of years the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-Les-Loups in northern Québec has been a refuge for a forgotten and thought extinct group of monks. Their existence became known when they released a collection of Gregorian chants of such extraordinary beauty that they captivated the world. But even after their songs became famous the broth...more “They (Gregorian chants) had such a profound effect on those who sang and heard them that the ancient chants became known as “the beautiful mystery”.”

For hundreds of years the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-Les-Loups in northern Québec has been a refuge for a forgotten and thought extinct group of monks. Their existence became known when they released a collection of Gregorian chants of such extraordinary beauty that they captivated the world. But even after their songs became famous the brothers in the community managed to maintain both their isolated existence and their vows of silence. All of that changes when one of them, the prior and choirmaster, is murdered.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache travels to the secluded monastery with his trusted side-kick Jean-Guy Beauvoir and together they enter a world where songs are far more than something to enjoy listening to. Here music is a way of life, a form of prayer and the most meaningful thing in the brothers’ lives. But now the music that once united the order has become the source of strive and opposing opinions, leaving one man upset enough to commit the ultimate crime. It is up to the two investigators to uncover what caused the division in the order and who committed the murder.

But the monastery isn’t the only community under threat. The ongoing problem in Sûreté du Québec follows Gamache and Beauvoir to the remote monastery in the form of Superintendent Francoeur. And it appears that this time his efforts to undermine Gamache and divide his team may be successful.

Anybody who reads my reviews regularly knows I’m a huge fan of Louise Penny and her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Her mysteries are always well plotted and beautifully written while her main character is the sort of person you would like to be your friend. Gamache is a compassionate soul with a huge sense of justice and great loyalty to those who are close to him, both loved ones and colleagues. He isn’t however a saint. He, like all of us, has weaknesses and strengths which make him all the more likeable as a character.

As always in Louise Penny’s books the setting is as much a character as the various humans are. When I started the book and realised that it isn’t set in Three Pines and doesn’t feature any of the inhabitants of that village I was afraid the story would end up disappointing me. I’m very relieved that I’m able to state that I was anything but disappointed. I wasn’t very far into the story before the monastery and the brothers who live there became as real to me as the regular characters in the previous titles are. Just as I’m able to vividly picture Three Pines and those who live there I found myself seeing the monastery and the brothers. And, much to my surprise, I could almost hear the chants described and understand the spell they weave.

This is the 8th title featuring Armand Gamache and although I would certainly advice anybody to read all of these books – simply because every single one of them is wonderful – it isn’t necessary to have read the previous titles in order to enjoy this one. There are some ongoing story-lines and references to earlier events but they are integrated in the story in such a way that they don’t interfere with the mystery in this book.

I really enjoyed coming across a Monty Python reference, especially since it was so very unexpected; it is true though, “No one does” expect the inquisition.

If I had to make one complaint about this book it would concern the ending. Although the mystery is solved in a very satisfactory way, the story does end on a bit of a cliff-hanger. I find myself more eager then ever to get my hands on the next book in this series to see how that particular story-line will develop and can only hope that it will be in a positive way.

This is a book for anyone who enjoys a well plotted mystery, featuring interesting characters, a fascinating subject and written in the most beautiful language.
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Mar 05, 2013 Barbara Sullivan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Louise Penny's writing. The extravagantly emotional and sensual thoughts of a now love-besotted Jean-Guy Beauvoir lift and carry us into the snowy world of a French-Canadian Gilbertine monastery, where the younger man's internal music combines and contrasts with that of his older mentor, the ever patient, stable-to-the-point-of-solidifying, Chief Inspector Gamache.

One of twenty-four monks has murdered a brother inside the cold complex of stones and secrets. And this vile act threatens to...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Anie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Louise Penny has a remarkable skill in character development. While reading, we start to believe that the book characters are real, and we start to care about them. I found myself thinking "no, don't do that" on more than one page. But in this book, while the usual characters remain remarkably well developed, the new ones are vague personalities. I know they are all supposed to be monks, and monks certainly appear homogenous. But they are also supposed to be real people. Frankly, they were not w...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, mystery-crime-fiction

Listened to as narrated by Ralph Cosham.

Although it took a while for me to get used to the reader's accent (which I understand from reviews is an excellent French Canadian accent), I was glad I stuck with this audio version because the story was excellent.

A renowned choir director is murdered at an obscure monastery on an island in the wilds of Quebec. Inspector Gamache and his associate Beauvoir are assigned the task of discovering which monk in this closed community murdered his brother. Addit...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Sherry Roberts rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have followed Chief Inspector Armand Gamache from the beginning. He is an old friend so when he hurts, I hurt. This time he must find out who murdered a monk in the isolated monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden on an island in the middle of a lake deep in the wilderness of Quebec. The suspects are 23 cloistered monks living in peace, prayer, and song. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Ankur rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first book of the series and definetly gives me immense pleasure to recommend the book.

Inspector Gamache is called upon to investigate a murder in a remote and reclusive monastery of St-Gilbert.

The monastery is cut-off not only from heartland, but also from the real world with a solitary desk-phone, no internet and mobile connection.

The prior of monastery has been murdered in the private lawn of the Abbott, with no murder weapon.

The best part about the book is that Gamache has no mod...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Larraine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From the beginning, the premise of this newest Louise Penny novel is a departure from her previous novels feature Inspector Gamache of the Quebec Surete. In the past, the books have taken place in the lovely, secluded village of Three Pines, a place not on many maps, a Canadian Shangri-la, if you will, although the people there are not immune from murder and mayhem. In this novel, a monk from a mysterious order known as the Gilbertines, has been murdered. The monastery, previously rather poor an...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Sheila rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 20, 2013 Cathy Colton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Beautiful Mystery of the title refers to the effect that Gregorian chants can have on the brain and a person's state of mind. When the ever-reflective, poetic, and spiritually balanced Chief Inspector Gamache and his partner, the cynical and atheistic Beauvoir, spend time at the site of their latest murder to solve--a secluded Quebec monastery, whose monks are renowned for the beautiful Gregorian chant recording--the perils as well as the benefits of a life spent in reflection become all too...more

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Jan 19, 2013 JoAnne Pulcino rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, adult-mystery

THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache,#8)

Louise Penny

Two dozen monks live in a cloistered monastery in peace, prayer and song. The monastery hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec is shut off from the world. Despite the monks vow of silence they all have exceptionally glorious voices that they raise in ancient chants. These gorgeous chants are known as the beautiful mystery.

As a great fan of Louise Penny I was delighted with her when she shed such wisdom and light on the origins...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Monica rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-or-evil

A locked monastery mystery - somewhere in the back of beyond in the northern Quebec wilderness there sits a 400 year old monastery inhabited by 24 members of a cloistered order who devote their lives to God and chanting. The unexpected popularity of a recording of their chants has created dissension in their ranks and a monk is murdered. Gamache and Beauvoir are called in to investigate.

The problems I have with this book: the abbot's recruiting of new members, poaching them from other monasterie...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Kristensilvermoore rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Well, as a huge fan of this series, I was definitely disappointed with this Gamache mystery. It takes place in a monastery rather than in the village of Three Pines, but this isn't the problem I have with it. I actually wish Penny had departed from the village's inhabitants sooner! Now, it's gotten to the point that I'm so invested in the characters from Three Pines that I did end up feeling let down that I wouldn't be finding out what was going on in their lives. (In particular, I'm left wonder...more Well, as a huge fan of this series, I was definitely disappointed with this Gamache mystery. It takes place in a monastery rather than in the village of Three Pines, but this isn't the problem I have with it. I actually wish Penny had departed from the village's inhabitants sooner! Now, it's gotten to the point that I'm so invested in the characters from Three Pines that I did end up feeling let down that I wouldn't be finding out what was going on in their lives. (In particular, I'm left wondering what's going to happen with Peter and Clara!) If Perry had made a point of letting Gamache leave Three Pines every few books, I don't think I would feel as put out! That said, this had to happen, because Gamache is the true center of these books AND people need to stop dying around the people of Three Pines, less that town get a reputation like Cabot Cove!

Anyway, my real issue with this book was that the subplot seemed to take over the book. The Evil Superintendent is trying to sabotage Gamache by getting his righthand man and pseudo-son Beauvoir addicted to painkillers again. Ugh! It did not work with the mood of the monastery! It just totally rubbed me the wrong way. And in many ways, Beauvoir seemed to be acting out of character. Okay, I get it, drugs are bad and make people do bad things they wouldn't otherwise do, but it just didn't feel authentic to me. More than anything, the real Beauvoir would have seen through the Superintendent's transparent machinations and wanted to kick him to high heaven, drugs or no drugs.

The actual murder and it's resolution is barely worth mentioning. I found myself kind of bored by it in the end. What was most interesting to me was the infighting around the Gregorian chants, and even that wasn't all that interesting!

So this book was, by far, my least favorite of the series, and I was surprised to see that it had such a high rating on this site. It's still better than a lot of books out there though, and I look forward to the next book! Hopefully, it will meet the higher standards of her previous work!(less)

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Jan 08, 2013 William rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is a lot to like in this latest of Penny's series centered around Armand Gamache. Unlike the previous books, it does not take place in Three Pines, Quebec. The result is more of a classic mystery, focusing on "whodunit," without the cuteness of the usual small-town setting.

The central plot, involving a murder in an isolated Quebec monastery, is terrific. Unfortunately, at least for me, Penny cannot resist adding some side plots along the way, which detract from the flow and focus of what i...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I'm hooked on this series, but alas, this isn't really a beautiful mystery. Or maybe it is, and I just got so annoyed at some petty details that I couldn't see the forest for the trees? Either way, I am still a devoted fan, but I was not as thrilled as I'd hoped to be. In summary: An interesting book with a compelling continuation of the main characters' story line, but with several unfortunate flaws.

In the latest installment of the Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries, Louise Penny breaks the mold...more I'm hooked on this series, but alas, this isn't really a beautiful mystery. Or maybe it is, and I just got so annoyed at some petty details that I couldn't see the forest for the trees? Either way, I am still a devoted fan, but I was not as thrilled as I'd hoped to be. In summary: An interesting book with a compelling continuation of the main characters' story line, but with several unfortunate flaws.

In the latest installment of the Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries, Louise Penny breaks the mold - the village of Three Pines and its inhabitants are nowhere in sight. Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir are on their way to a remote monastery of famous, reclusive singing monks, one of whom has just been murdered. And there they will stay until the murderer has been found ... or confesses his sin ...

As always, Penny skilfully links the unraveling of the mystery and the extraordinarily compelling struggles in the inner lives of Gamache and, in recent books, Beauvoir. In this book, she explores themes of silence versus communication and expression, misery versus joy, and hiding versus finding one's self. And as always, she explores Quebecois history and culture, here delving into the changing role of the Church in French Canadian society over the past several generations, and how these changes have affected everything from sexual mores to family relations to language. Fascinating, yet never didactic.

Unfortunately, she does become didactic on the subject of the novel, the Gregorian chants around which the monks' lives revolve. Even more unfortunately, she makes several basic, clumsy errors, which she repeats numerous times throughout the book. If you're not familiar with the subject, you won't notice the errors, but if you know chant or church music, you may be annoyed. (I also kept worrying that the errors would affect the plot; fortunately, they don't, really.) Penny also has certain characters make an error in understanding a significant French phrase, which makes no sense, as they are all francophones.

Also unfortunate, I thought, were jarring notes of melodrama - moustache-twirling villain, contrived denouement - amidst a true, if highly unusual, human drama. Penny seems to fall victim to this flaw in most of her books, and while it didn't spoil things completely here, it didn't improve them either.(less)

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About Louise Penny

Many of Louise Penny's books are published under different titles by UK/Canada and US publishers.
She lives with her husband, Michael, and a golden retriever named Trudy, in a small village south of Montreal.

Her first Armand Gamache novel, "Still Life" won the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony and Dilys Awards.

Awards:
* Agatha Award: Best Novel
o 2007 – A Fatal Grace – Winner
o 2008 –...more

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Books by Louise Penny

Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #1)

Bury Your Dead (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #6)

The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #5)

A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #2)

A Rule Against Murder (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #4)

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“What did falling in love do for you? Can you ever really explain it? It filled empty spaces I never knew were empty. It cured a loneliness I never knew I had. It gave me joy. And freedom. I think that was the most amazing part. I suddenly felt both embraced and freed at the same time.” — 5 people liked it

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The Beautiful Mystery (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #8)

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