Chaos is coming, old son. With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. As families prepare to head back to the city and ch...
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reviews
Aug 05, 2010
Andy
rated it: 
[This review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy won through the Goodreads First Reads program.:]
The Brutal Telling is an enjoyable, quiet mystery, with a couple of big flaws.
To repeat what some others have said, this is a nice small town mystery with interesting characters. Once the story pulled me in, I "couldn't put it down." (Okay, I could put it down. But I was always eager to return to it.)
You can read more about the plot and the characters More...
The Brutal Telling is an enjoyable, quiet mystery, with a couple of big flaws.
To repeat what some others have said, this is a nice small town mystery with interesting characters. Once the story pulled me in, I "couldn't put it down." (Okay, I could put it down. But I was always eager to return to it.)
You can read more about the plot and the characters More...
2 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Jan 01, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
My first book of the new year!
I'd really like to give this book 2.5 stars. The ending really irritated me but the rest was pretty good. I'm going to start of the new year with kindness and give it three stars.
This book is interesting and well written for the most part. It has a few slow spots but it's hard to put down once you reach the half way point. I'm sure it will be appealing to fans of this series. I haven't read any of Penny's books before so there have been a few More...
I'd really like to give this book 2.5 stars. The ending really irritated me but the rest was pretty good. I'm going to start of the new year with kindness and give it three stars.
This book is interesting and well written for the most part. It has a few slow spots but it's hard to put down once you reach the half way point. I'm sure it will be appealing to fans of this series. I haven't read any of Penny's books before so there have been a few More...
4 comments
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(10 people liked it)
Feb 13, 2010
Leah
rated it:
Won on "Giveaways"--was drawn in immediately by the description--sounded very creepy! This is my first "Gamache" novel by Louise Penny, so I came in with no real expectations, although I was hoping for something dark and creepy!
I was torn between giving 3 or 4 stars, but ultimately I couldn't stop thinking about the writing style, so I rest on three.
My dislikes: apparently the village of Three Pines has LOTS of murders which I find kind of ridiculou More...
I was torn between giving 3 or 4 stars, but ultimately I couldn't stop thinking about the writing style, so I rest on three.
My dislikes: apparently the village of Three Pines has LOTS of murders which I find kind of ridiculou More...
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(1 person liked it)
Sep 07, 2011
Amy
rated it:
Louise Penny brings back Chief Inspector Gamache and Three Pines in this intriguing mystery. Gamache and team arrive in the quirky village of Three Pines when an unidentified body is discovered in the local bistro. A new family has moved to Three Pines to rehabilitate the old Hadley place and turn it into an upscale hotel and spa. This presents competition to the local B&B and tensions have risen in the village. Suspician twists and turns as the team struggles to identify the victim and the mot
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Jan 01, 2010
"First off, I need to apologize to my Canadian friends. Until I read this, I was completely wrong on the location of the province of Quebec. Shame on me. I guess I didn't realize that there was something east of Ontario other than Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island. I'll be the first to admit that my Canadian geography is a little rusty, and now I know that it is located in Eastern Canada. I also know that based on this boo, it sounds like an absolutely stunning place to visit.[return]I
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Feb 11, 2012
Nancy
rated it:
Once again, a slow journey to the story's end, which was not unenjoyable. The question is, how plausible was the motive for the murder; well, the main question anyway.
I thought that, given the murderous tendencies within the village, the recurring character finally arrested for the crime was a good way to show that none of the author's recurring characters were safe from being suspects. Although, given the history of crime-solving in Three Pines, it would seem rather foolish to com More...
I thought that, given the murderous tendencies within the village, the recurring character finally arrested for the crime was a good way to show that none of the author's recurring characters were safe from being suspects. Although, given the history of crime-solving in Three Pines, it would seem rather foolish to com More...
Jan 04, 2012
Monica
rated it: 
“The Brutal Telling” is the eighth book in Louise Penny's mystery series featuring Inspector Armand Gamache. Once again Gamache is back in Three Pines...this time to solve a murder that is closer to home than ever.
Louise Penny has a wonderful talent for writing mystery novels. Her plots are intricate and never fail to entertain me and keep me guessing. Each of her many returning characters grow more complex with each book. And the poetry of Ruth Zardo? No Louise Penny book would be More...
Louise Penny has a wonderful talent for writing mystery novels. Her plots are intricate and never fail to entertain me and keep me guessing. Each of her many returning characters grow more complex with each book. And the poetry of Ruth Zardo? No Louise Penny book would be More...
Sep 16, 2011
Mary Lou
rated it: 
I have recently discovered Louise Penny and just finished this book--what a treat.
Her policeman, Gamache, is a combination of Miss Marple and Columbo, with a French accent. This is a thinking person's mystery with layers of meaning, and it's not all neatly wrapped up with a bow (Gamache himself continues to question the eventually convicted killer's guilt, on into the next book). The book has a number of themes: what do people fear more than anything else? What does it mean to be i More...
Her policeman, Gamache, is a combination of Miss Marple and Columbo, with a French accent. This is a thinking person's mystery with layers of meaning, and it's not all neatly wrapped up with a bow (Gamache himself continues to question the eventually convicted killer's guilt, on into the next book). The book has a number of themes: what do people fear more than anything else? What does it mean to be i More...
Jul 26, 2011
Louise Penny’s fifth book to be set in the beautiful Quebec village of Three Pines, The Brutal Telling, begins with a body found in the local bistro belonging to two gay partners, Olivier and Gabi.
In a tiny village where everyone knows everyone else, the fact that no one claims knowledge of the victim is as much a mystery as the murder itself. This gives celebrated Chief Inspector Armande Gamache and his team two mysteries to solve in order to solve the murder.
From the start More...
In a tiny village where everyone knows everyone else, the fact that no one claims knowledge of the victim is as much a mystery as the murder itself. This gives celebrated Chief Inspector Armande Gamache and his team two mysteries to solve in order to solve the murder.
From the start More...
Jun 22, 2011
"Miss"
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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May 17, 2011
Ann
rated it:
The fifth book in Louise Penny's "Chief Inspector Gamache Novel" series. Set in the tiny village of Three Pines, Quebec, Chief Insp Armond Gamache of the Surete du Quebec is called to investigate the appearance of body of an unknown man in a bistro. The story begins in a simple log cabin isolated in the woods outside Three Pines with a conversation between two men identified only as The Hermit and Olivier. A sentence is left hanging in the air: "Chaos is coming, old son."
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Apr 21, 2011
Stacy
rated it:
I read this book because a friend told me Penny had written a book with a librarian character and we are in the library business. That book wasn't available, so I chose this one. Chances are, I will not be reading the library one, unless I have nothing else to read.
There were a couple of positive things about Penny's writing:
1)It is set in Quebec and the cultural atmosphere, especially her detailing of the food, make me homesick for a place I used to live
2)She can be very humou More...
There were a couple of positive things about Penny's writing:
1)It is set in Quebec and the cultural atmosphere, especially her detailing of the food, make me homesick for a place I used to live
2)She can be very humou More...
Mar 25, 2011
Pamela
rated it:
"The Brutal Telling" is the fifth in Louise Penny’s excellent series featuring Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector of the Sûreté du Québec. In this outing, Gamache and his team return to the small town of Three Pines when the local bookstore owner reports seeing a body in the local bistro. The body is that of an unidentified man whom none of the locals claim to know or to have seen. With nothing to go on other than where the victim was found, Gamache begins his search not only for a murder
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Dec 31, 2010
Marleen
rated it:
What a great book to finish the year with.
This is the fifth C.I Gamache mystery by Louise Penny, and everyone of them has been fantastic.
Her characters are interesting and very real to life. No such thing as black and white distinctions in these books. Everybody in the books has their good and their bad sides, and that's one of the reasons these books are so fascinating.
Another reason is that the mystery is always well plotted and the solution always makes sense.
In this More...
This is the fifth C.I Gamache mystery by Louise Penny, and everyone of them has been fantastic.
Her characters are interesting and very real to life. No such thing as black and white distinctions in these books. Everybody in the books has their good and their bad sides, and that's one of the reasons these books are so fascinating.
Another reason is that the mystery is always well plotted and the solution always makes sense.
In this More...
Dec 29, 2010
Goose
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
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Sep 08, 2010
Richard
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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2 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Jun 05, 2010
Micheal
rated it:
Having read all of Louise Penny's previous novels about the perfect
village of Three Pines and the amazing Chief Inspector Gamache I was
prepared to be vastly entertained by a witty, sometimes funny and
intricately plotted mystery whose solution always lies in the hearts of
men and the ability of Gamache to suss out what lies within.
I was not prepared for this compelling and unflinching look into the
heart of darkness that resides within us all. It is a unive More...
village of Three Pines and the amazing Chief Inspector Gamache I was
prepared to be vastly entertained by a witty, sometimes funny and
intricately plotted mystery whose solution always lies in the hearts of
men and the ability of Gamache to suss out what lies within.
I was not prepared for this compelling and unflinching look into the
heart of darkness that resides within us all. It is a unive More...
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(3 people liked it)
Apr 03, 2010
Cate
rated it:
Mix of cozy Christie-like murder mystery and deeper, psychological meditation--that doesn't quite make it. A small village of Three Pines, mere kilometers north of the border of Vermont, is the site of an astonishing number of murders. In this one, the body of an man is found lying on the floor of the village bistro. Unusually, no one knows who he is, and Three Pines is so small that everyone knows everybody.
Chief Inspector Armande Gamache returns to the village to solve the mystery More...
Chief Inspector Armande Gamache returns to the village to solve the mystery More...
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Mar 20, 2010
Sheila
rated it:
This, the fifth in Louise Penny's wonderful Three Pines series, is not only a clever, well-plotted whodunit, but also an allegory, a myth brought to life, and a meditation on greed.
The story starts off with bistro owner Olivier Brule and a hermit, who will be the murder victim, sitting in front of a fire in a log cabin in the woods outside Three Pines. A story, involving a Mountain King and his treasures, and the coming of Chaos and the Furies, is being told. When the hermit's dead b More...
The story starts off with bistro owner Olivier Brule and a hermit, who will be the murder victim, sitting in front of a fire in a log cabin in the woods outside Three Pines. A story, involving a Mountain King and his treasures, and the coming of Chaos and the Furies, is being told. When the hermit's dead b More...
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(2 people liked it)
Mar 02, 2010
Lynne
rated it:
Three Pines, setting of Louise Penny's enjoyable, thoroughly Canadian series, has been a bit like Brigadoon. Not many people seem to find it or recognize its original beauty once there.
But those who do discover Three Pines have gloried in their personal journeys, secure that they are living in a place where they are valued for being their eccentric, quirky selves. Although there have been murders on a scale to rival Cabot Cove, the cast of continuing characters has been safe.
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But those who do discover Three Pines have gloried in their personal journeys, secure that they are living in a place where they are valued for being their eccentric, quirky selves. Although there have been murders on a scale to rival Cabot Cove, the cast of continuing characters has been safe.
More...
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(1 person liked it)
Jan 28, 2010
Debbie
rated it:
I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the many characters: the 70+ Ruth and her duck Rosa, the couple Peter and Clara, who are both artists, the gay couple-Olivier and Gabri, the retired psychologist and only black female in this small village near Quebec, plus the many other minor characters. Of course, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team from the homicide department of the Surete du Quebec, are amazing in their cases. They search the past for the answer to the present m
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Jan 01, 2010
S.D.
rated it:
Armand Gamache is a chief inspector in Quebec called out to investigate a murder in Three Pines. The deceased is supposedly an elderly man but forensics puts him in his early fifties. There are interesting characters in Three Pines: the town poet who owns, dresses, and walks a duck; a bistro owned by two gay men, an antique store owner, and the new owners of a bed and breakfast. When they finally locate the house in the woods where the deceased had lived, all kinds of puzzling questions come
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Dec 21, 2009
A murder has been committed in the tiny Quebec town of Three Pines, and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team are on the case. However, the identity of the victim is unknown, the body was clearly moved, and the whole town is suspect. Who was the dead man, where was he killed, and why?
Louise Penny has crafted an excellent small town murder mystery. The characters are both quirky yet well rounded and very human. The story is not just about solving a case, but more about how it affe More...
Louise Penny has crafted an excellent small town murder mystery. The characters are both quirky yet well rounded and very human. The story is not just about solving a case, but more about how it affe More...
Nov 19, 2009
Ronald
rated it:
Bon Dieu! How is it that I have not found this author before? "The Brutal Telling", by Louise Penny, is more than just a detective story. It is a literary novel. This work blends the lives of the characters and the reader by speaking to the souls of both. As in all great literature, the characters come to life through the words of the author, quickly becoming more than just the written word. The characters, such as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, are completely developed people, full o
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3 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Nov 11, 2009
Amy
rated it:
Title: The Brutal Telling
Author: Louise Penny
ISBN: 978-0-312-37703-8
Pages: 372
Release Date: October 2009
Publisher: Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press
Genre: Crime Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Publisher: Chaos is coming, old son.
With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. As families prepare to head back to the city and children say goodbye to summer, a stranger is found murdered in the village bistro and antiques st More...
Author: Louise Penny
ISBN: 978-0-312-37703-8
Pages: 372
Release Date: October 2009
Publisher: Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press
Genre: Crime Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Publisher: Chaos is coming, old son.
With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. As families prepare to head back to the city and children say goodbye to summer, a stranger is found murdered in the village bistro and antiques st More...
Nov 10, 2009
gautami
rated it:
"All of them? Even the children?" The fireplace stuttered and cackled and swallowed his gasp. Slaughtered?"
"Worse."
The opening lines set the mood and tone of this novel. How can one wish not to know more? In the village of Three Pines near Montreal, with no crime ratings, a murder is committed. The body is found in a bistro and antique store. The victim is a total stranger and the motive of the murder is almost impossible to find out. And Ch More...
"Worse."
The opening lines set the mood and tone of this novel. How can one wish not to know more? In the village of Three Pines near Montreal, with no crime ratings, a murder is committed. The body is found in a bistro and antique store. The victim is a total stranger and the motive of the murder is almost impossible to find out. And Ch More...
Oct 24, 2009
The Brutal Telling: a Three Pines Mystery, by Louise Penny, A-minus, narrated by Ralph Cosham, produced by Blackstone Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
This is, I believe number 5 in the Three Pines mystery series. The body of a murdered man turns up in the bistro-antique store. The man’s head has been bashed in. The owner of the bistro, Olivier, and his partner, Gabriel, are implicated in the murder. The Chief Inspector is back. He investigates the murder of this man, known pr More...
This is, I believe number 5 in the Three Pines mystery series. The body of a murdered man turns up in the bistro-antique store. The man’s head has been bashed in. The owner of the bistro, Olivier, and his partner, Gabriel, are implicated in the murder. The Chief Inspector is back. He investigates the murder of this man, known pr More...
Oct 18, 2009
LJ
rated it:
First Sentence: “All of them? Even the children?” The fireplace sputtered and cackled and swallowed his gas. “Slaughtered?”
As the seasons are changing, so are lives in the village of Three Pines. The body of an unknown man of a stranger is left in the bistro and antiques store of Oliver and Gabri. Chief Inspector Gamache must identify the victim as well as the killer uncovering secrets and lies along the way.
Quite different from the previous four books, this feels to More...
As the seasons are changing, so are lives in the village of Three Pines. The body of an unknown man of a stranger is left in the bistro and antiques store of Oliver and Gabri. Chief Inspector Gamache must identify the victim as well as the killer uncovering secrets and lies along the way.
Quite different from the previous four books, this feels to More...
6 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Oct 18, 2009
judy
rated it:
When I find myself in Three Pines it reminds me of Brigadoon, the fictional Scottish village that only emerges from the mist for a single day each hundred years. Fortunately Penny doesn't make us wait that long for another glimpse of the charming, magical, slightly other worldly Three Pines. Penny is an amazing writer. Through her prose I can actually see and feel the stunning power of Clara's paintings. I can sit in the Bistro enjoying the smells and watching Gabri deliver yet another superb
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Oct 04, 2009
Lourdes
rated it:
Three Pines must be the most pleasant place to live – with its cozy bistro, its bakery and used book store, tight-knit friends and wonderful views. Perfect, except for the murders. After yet another one in Three Pines, even the residents notice, joking: “Every Quebec village has a vocation. Some make cheese, some wine, some pots. We produce bodies.”
With that out of the way early in the book, we readers suspend disbelief and continue on with the story: a man who lived as a hermit deep More...
With that out of the way early in the book, we readers suspend disbelief and continue on with the story: a man who lived as a hermit deep More...
