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Bury Your Dead

(Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #6)

Louise Penny (Goodreads Author)

4.35 · Rating details · 52,524 ratings · 5,151 reviews

It is Winter Carnival in Quebec City, bitterly cold and surpassingly beautiful. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has come not to join the revels but to recover from an investigation gone hauntingly wrong. But violent death is inescapable, even in the apparent sanctuary of the Literary and Historical Society - where an obsessive historian's quest for the remains of the founde ...more

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Hardcover, 371 pages

Published September 28th 2010 by Minotaur Books

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Jun 02, 2017 Mary Beth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I just love this series. This is the sixth book in the Armand Gamache Series. I love the characters and love Three Pines. The characters have become my friends. They are so real and yet so quirky. I remember when I first started the series I thought that I would never remember all of their names because there seemed to be so many people, but now I can easily recall each person. And of course, the continuity is always provided by Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, who is a central character in each I just love this series. This is the sixth book in the Armand Gamache Series. I love the characters and love Three Pines. The characters have become my friends. They are so real and yet so quirky. I remember when I first started the series I thought that I would never remember all of their names because there seemed to be so many people, but now I can easily recall each person. And of course, the continuity is always provided by Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, who is a central character in each novel.
I had intended to savor this book and read it slowly, but from page one I got hooked and I couldn't stop because I had to find out how all these stories would be concluded. Louise's ability to juggle so many situations and characters at the same time is amazing. Some people considered this series to be "cozies", but they are much more in depth than a cozy, especially "Bury Your Dead".

Armand Gamache is taking a break from police work after a particularly traumatic case that left him, and members of his team, both physically and emotionally wounded. When a dead body is found in the Literary and Historical Society basement, one of the employees recognizes Gamache and requests his assistance. The body leads to another mystery surrounding the founder of Quebec, Samuel de Champlain. Meanwhile, Gamache is plagued by a question from a previous case in Three Pines and sends Jean Guy to quietly re-investigate to see if they missed or mis-read clues.

"Bury Your Dead" takes you to several locations throughout Canada, but her skill in tying it all back to Three Pines and the residents there is wonderful. I have no desire to spoil any of the storyline(s) for you, so I will just say that if you like your reading to include sly wit, heartbreaking emotions and a deep understanding of what makes us human, this is the book (and series) for you. Enjoy.

“It's a blessing Madame Gamache and I had at our wedding. It was read at the end of the ceremony.

Now you will feel no rain
For each of you will be shelter for the other
Now you will feel no cold
For each of you will be warmth for the other
Now there is no loneliness for you
Now there is no more loneliness.
Now you are two persons, but there is one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon this earth.

(Apache Blessing)”

I highly recommend this series and recommend that you read them in order. ...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Adina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, canada

As I said it before, Inspector Gamache series is my favorite of the mystery genre and this 6th installment did not disappoint. If anything, the books are getting better and better. Again, I have to underline that this series should be read in order for a better understanding of the characters the plot. This one is especially connected with the one before it.

SPOILERS about the previous book ahead

This novel has three connecting plots, there are three mysteries to uncover, one by Gamache, one by I ...more

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Aug 20, 2019 Beata rated it it was amazing

What can I say? Another excellent encounter with Inspector Gamache.

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Aug 17, 2017 Phrynne rated it really liked it

Number six in this series which keeps getting better and better!
Bury Your Dead takes place six months after The Brutal Telling and one of our Three Pines characters is languishing in gaol convicted of murder. A lot has happened to Gamache and his team in that six months including major injuries and deaths. all of which is revealed slowly as the book progresses.
Two mysteries run parallel in this book. Gamache is in Quebec recovering emotionally as well as physically from the earlier traumatic eve ...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Barbara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-mystery

I seldom give five stars to a book and I'm delighted to do so with Bury Your Dead. I read this at the beginning of my Christmas holiday and it was a perfect book to pull me out of my work world into relaxation. I couldn't put it down.

It's actually about three crimes in one book: a terrorist plot barely averted, from which Chief Inspector Armande Gamache of the homicide division of the Surete du Quebec is recovering; a murder in a small tourist village by the Vermont border for which a greedy gay ...more

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Sep 08, 2010 Richard Derus rated it really liked it

Dear Lousy Louise Penny,

You really know how to hurt a boy. You make, ex nihilo, people whose reality I completely buy into, whose very existence (in a well-ordered Universe) is simply necessary, and then you give them real, human flaws, and dreadfully painful pasts, and generally screw with my reality/fictionality compass.

And then you make them do yucky, tacky things. And even vile, evil ones. And somehow, throughout that process, you *don't* make me dislike them, or even judge them. You make me Dear Lousy Louise Penny,

You really know how to hurt a boy. You make, ex nihilo, people whose reality I completely buy into, whose very existence (in a well-ordered Universe) is simply necessary, and then you give them real, human flaws, and dreadfully painful pasts, and generally screw with my reality/fictionality compass.

And then you make them do yucky, tacky things. And even vile, evil ones. And somehow, throughout that process, you *don't* make me dislike them, or even judge them. You make me wince and cringe for their foolishness and then weep in anticipatory pain for the inevitable consequences of the actions YOU, Puppet Mistress of the Damned, make them perform!!

I just want to know one thing: How did you make so many people suffer these same pangs with only a few flicks of your cruel, cruel pen?

Your friend,
Little Richie D.

So if you're on the Three Pines Express, I don't need to sell this book to you. I do need to let you know a few things about it: 1) Not very much of it involves Three Pines, Clara or the bookstore. 2) The manner in which Lousy Louise stitches the three story lines together is disconcerting, and very effective most of the time; when a fourth story line is added, it becomes too much and feels like short shrift is given to some fan favorites. 3) Gamache and Jean-Guy are the primary movers in the stories, and each comes across as a multidimensional character with new and unexpected dimensions; but both are also required to do a little too much on-the-page soul searching for effectiveness, and the end result is each character now feels a little more fictional than before.

And we are ALL OVER THE PLACE all the time. I truly, truly wish we weren't given a picture that's quite so fractured. It's not quite as much fun as previous outings, but it's still head and shoulders above the vast majority of non-four-hankies-and-a-pistol books. It's a fine addition to the body of work Penny's accumulating, to be appreciated by the intelligent, thoughful commoner with nothing to prove.
...more

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Oct 08, 2010 Barbara rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016-challenge

3.5 stars

In this sixth book in the 'Chief Inspector Armand Gamache' series, the Chief Inspector of the Sureté de Québec and his associate, Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir, are recovering from severe injuries incurred during a recent police action. While they're regaining their strength Gamache looks into a murder in Québec City and Beauvoir investigates a case in Three Pines. The book provides enough background to be read as a standalone.

*****

To get a bit of rest, Gamache is visiting his mentor in ...more

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May 12, 2012 Matthew Iden rated it liked it

Recommended to Matthew by: Frank Gallivan

Shelves: crime-fiction

Many readers have fallen in love with Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache books, especially Bury Your Dead, and it’s easy to see why. Her descriptions of place are gentle and thorough, lifting every cover and opening every cupboard of a setting until we feel that we’re strolling down the streets of Old Quebec or pushing our way through the waist-high snow of a Canadian village.

Her characters are also the beneficiaries of this intelligent and pleasant cataloging. We’re treated to wonderful physical Many readers have fallen in love with Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache books, especially Bury Your Dead, and it’s easy to see why. Her descriptions of place are gentle and thorough, lifting every cover and opening every cupboard of a setting until we feel that we’re strolling down the streets of Old Quebec or pushing our way through the waist-high snow of a Canadian village.

Her characters are also the beneficiaries of this intelligent and pleasant cataloging. We’re treated to wonderful physical descriptions of the important personas, then are given a trip inside their heads and hearts as they move through her drama. The intimate 3rd person narration gives one the sensation of riding along on the shoulders of the characters like an invisible eye.

Unfortunately, the same pre-occupation with detail and intricacy doesn’t always work well with plots and it’s here that Penny loses me. There’s a fine mystery series convention, the standard “A” and “B” story lines (A being the crisis of the moment, B being the protagonist’s ongoing life issues), that’s worked well for thousands of mystery writers and their books. Bury Your Dead, however, is a riot of plot lines, an attempt to weave together four separate mysteries, only two of which have even a passing connection to each other.

That’s a lot of balls to keep in the air. A and B are fine; when you toss in a C and a D, you better be prepared to wrap it up well. Unfortunately, I think Penny bit off more than she could chew, with the result that I was left feeling that none of the stories were given their due or ended particularly well. (view spoiler)

Had Penny sacrificed the artificial complexity of the two extraneous mysteries and concentrated instead on writing a simple, yet compelling plot, we’d have a book worthy of all the accolades it received. As it is, we’re left with a beautiful mess filled with warm descriptions and lovable characters that ultimately falls short as a satisfying novel. ...more

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Oct 25, 2018 Matt rated it really liked it

Recommended to Matt by: Marty Fried

Shelves: audiobook

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache must wrestle with the core of his being in this next novel of Louise Penny’s ongoing series. The piece opens with Gamache in Quebec City, ready to enjoy a winter carnival. He’s on leave, as is the rest of his Sûreté du Québec Homicide squad, after a brutal terror attack left many dead. While taking the time to hone his knowledge of Quebec history, the murder of local amateur archeologist, Augustin Renaud, creates quite the buzz. Found at the Literary and Historical Chief Inspector Armand Gamache must wrestle with the core of his being in this next novel of Louise Penny’s ongoing series. The piece opens with Gamache in Quebec City, ready to enjoy a winter carnival. He’s on leave, as is the rest of his Sûreté du Québec Homicide squad, after a brutal terror attack left many dead. While taking the time to hone his knowledge of Quebec history, the murder of local amateur archeologist, Augustin Renaud, creates quite the buzz. Found at the Literary and Historical Society, Renaud was said to have been trying to unearth the body of Quebec’s founder, Samuel de Champlain. Eager to offer his assistance, Gamache gains access to the investigation and begins to poke around, while also using his mentor and long-time friend to discuss matters of policing and personal politics. Without needing his compatriots, Gamache sends Inspector Beauvoir back to Three Pines to covertly reexamine the case of local resident, Olivier Brulé, whom series readers will know was arrested and convicted of murder at the end of the previous novel. Could it be that Olivier is innocent after all, as his partner, Gabri, has been touting in daily letters to the Chief Inspector? While there, Beauvoir interacts with Three Pines residents, many of whom have nothing but disdain for this man who chose not to support their friend. Beauvoir recounts to the locals some of the happenings related to the aforementioned terror event, explaining the step-by-step process that had Gamache in the middle of trying to save one of his new agents without ceding complete control to a farmer with a mission. In the present case, Gamache is trying to wrestle with the idea of his connection to the Quebecois, something that parallels a nationalism many feel for their country. Penny explores this struggle throughout, pushing her protagonist into the middle as he tries to find not only the killer, but to examine how the Literary and Historical Society—an Anglophone organization in the heart of French Quebec—has survived this long and what take they have had on Champlain and his role in Quebec’s founding. With three criminal investigations on the go within the single narrative, there is much to discover and explore, but nothing will be clear-cut, nor will happy endings be bountiful. Penny has really pushed the reader to their limits with this one, seeking to juggle multiple crimes in a series of time periods. Recommended to series fans who have a great handle on the characters and writing style. At this point, I would suggest new readers begin where the series began and progress accordingly.

Louise Penny has taken a significant gamble at this point in the series and I can see where some might bemoan her decision, though I do not entirely agree with the criticism. This story straddles three cases, all of which reveal themselves in the narrative, though their timelines differ greatly. Additionally, Penny seeks to explore Quebec nationalism and paint her protagonist into a corner as he works in Quebec City. Let us first explore the characters who appear and evolve on the page, then tackle some of the narrative and other parts of this complicated novel. Gamache has grown so much over the past few novels that the series reader might not expect as much development as can be found in this sixth piece. Not only does the reader discover some of Gamache’s deeply held beliefs as a Quebecois, but also what drives him as a leader and a man. Penny does well to explore these most sensitive aspects of her protagonist, without pulling him from the job for which readers have come to love him. The other characters prove to be a mish-mash, receiving some minor development, but Jean Guy Beauvoir deserves a few lines here. His icy demeanour is one that series readers know well, so tossing him into the Three Pines community without the shield of Gamache was sure to prove entertaining. Beauvoir forged into the area, armed with trying to see if his own notions about the guilt of one resident could stand after exploring some evidence. This also forced him to engage with the locals, thereby testing his ability to work independently and stop the incessant judging of all things Anglophone. Penny does a decent job of coaxing out some development with this plot line. The story is actually three, as mentioned before. While I thoroughly enjoyed them all, I felt throughout that the ‘terror cell’ should have been its own story (novel or novella), as it kept things somewhat confusing. While series readers are an intelligent bunch and I am the last person to criticise an bestselling author, I felt things got too clouded throughout. Penny would have done well to explore the terror cell theme in a stand-alone piece (#5.5?) and allow oblique reference to it in this piece, rather than trying to juggle everything. Gamache still ends up in Quebec City for this novel, Beauvoir is still able to return to Three Pines on his own, but the reader has that intense storyline out of the way and free from constant flashbacks. A throughly enriching experience can be found in this novel, which taps not only into Canadiana, but plunges headlong into the depths of Canadian and Quebec politics on a level that is both complicated and much needed. I applaud the political dignity Penny utilises in this hot potato topic and hope she will not shy away from the Quebecois struggles within her protagonist as the series continues.

Kudos, Madam Penny, for keeping me enthralled. And now...your sole short story in the collection. Let’s have a look!

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... ...more

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Jul 28, 2019 PattyMacDotComma rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction-adult, aa, aa-ce, mystery-crime-thriller

4★
“Chief Inspector Gamache knew that most killers didn’t consider their act a crime. They’d somehow convinced themselves the victim had to die, had brought it on themselves, deserved to die. It was a private execution.”

This is the sixth in the series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, and it is a follow-up to the previous book, The Brutal Telling. There are three threads to follow. First, Gamache is recovering from trauma. Second, Gamache is being pestered about t ...more

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Jul 15, 2015 Margitte rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, detective-story, suspense, reviewed, 2015-read, canadian-authors, murder, drama, fiction

I forced myself to wait. It was difficult! Spacing the books in this series out made it so much more exciting.

The Brutal Telling and this book must be read together. Bury Your Dead completes the previous book in the series. What a conclusion!

Once again Louise Penny took us heart and soul into the lives of the many characters and history of Quebec. She made it impossible to read this book without getting heads over heels involved in the plot and story.

Inspector Armand Gamache and his second-in-c ...more

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Mar 09, 2019 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: crime, borrowed-from-library, canadian-author, mystery

What a heartbreaking, amazing episode! Bury Your Dead is the 6th in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series and is closely linked with the previous book, The Brutal Telling. This is a series that benefits reading it in order, but most definitely #5 then #6 or the context will be completely lost. The events which have occurred since the ending of The Brutal Telling had devastating consequences, which were slowly revealed through Bury Your Dead. With Armand in Quebec City recuperating, he was dr ...more

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Aug 24, 2018 Holly rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, mystery-suspense-thriller-horror, 2018-read

This installment in the Armand Gamache series includes FOUR mysteries in one:
- who really killed the man in the woods in the town of Three Pines?
- who killed an amateur archaeologist in Quebec?
- where is Quebec's founder, Samuel de Champlain, buried?
- what happened recently to Armand Gamache and his team, resulting in their injuries and PTSD?

These four storylines are seamlessly interwoven, taking this series from it's 'cozy' feel to something with just a bit more bite while still maintaining it' ...more

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Apr 09, 2016 Paula rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: mystery and crime series lovers

Shelves: best-prose, crime, cultural, mystery, favorite-books, audio-book, favorite-authors, series, award-winner, read-in-2016

One of the finest of the series I have read to-date. Penny has 3 plots going in this one which makes it very interesting and more complex which I enjoyed. One reopened case is in Three Pines with Gamache's 2nd in command, another in Montreal which delves into French Canadian history, and another case set in the not too long ago past which shows us another side of the kind and thoughtful Chief Inspector Gamache.

A terrific book and a favorite.
5 out of 5 stars. ...more

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Apr 18, 2019 C. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: riedel-titles-2019

Volume #5 sparks a profound series twist, that continues in “Bury Your Dead”, 2010. Read it first. It so complexly connects several storylines, I hesitated to do it justice. I looked forward to this mystery above all others, because it spins an old one: locating historical figure, Samuel De Champlain! I love puzzles. Like most authors, Louise added a modern case I would normally call superfluous; except that the flavour of a bizarre Canadian city which cemented everything, was uniquely enthralli ...more

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Apr 15, 2017 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-2017, mystery-suspense-thriller

“Not everything buried is actually dead. For many, the past is alive.”

4.5 Stars

This is actually 3 different stories. It starts with a police action that goes horribly wrong. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his lieutenant, Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir, are severely injured. Several other Surêté officers are killed and injured. Both Gamache and Beauvoir are on medical leave as they recover. Armand Gamache is in Québec City visiting an old friend and mentor and spending his days in the sanctuary “Not everything buried is actually dead. For many, the past is alive.”

4.5 Stars

This is actually 3 different stories. It starts with a police action that goes horribly wrong. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his lieutenant, Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir, are severely injured. Several other Surêté officers are killed and injured. Both Gamache and Beauvoir are on medical leave as they recover. Armand Gamache is in Québec City visiting an old friend and mentor and spending his days in the sanctuary of the Literary and Historical Society ("Lit and His") as he struggles to recover from the physical and emotional trauma. The details of the police action that resulted in Gamache and Beauvoir being injured is not fully disclosed at first. The events are slowly revealed as Gamache relives the past and visits by a ghost.

The second story revolves around the murder of Augustin Renaud, an obsessive historian, who spent his life searching for the burial site of Samuel de Champlain, Québec's founder. Renaud's body is found in the basement of the Literary and Historical Society. Most considered Renaud as eccentric or obsessive / compulsive. Many considered him a nuisance or troublemaker but why would someone want to kill him? Whatever the reason the crime is about to ignite long-smoldering tensions between the English and the French and Gamache finds himself pulled into the investigation. As a "consultant".

The third story picks up where The Brutal Telling left off. That story had ended with Olivier Brulé being arrested and convicted for the murder of The Hermit. Everyday his partner, Gabriel Dubeau, writes a letter to Gamache ... "He didn't do it, you know." Gamache asks Jean-Guy Beauvoir to return to Three Pines. Outwardly Jean-Guy is supposed to be on vacation, resting, recovering. In actuality he asks Jean-Guy to reopen the investigation into the murder. Presume Olivier is innocent.

This book also provided some history. It was an insight into Samuel de Champlain. That in itself is a mystery story. No one knows where he is buried. No one is even sure what he looked like. It is story of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1769, at which the English General Wolfe defeated French General Montcalm and thus New France to the English and to Canada. It is an open wound that still throbs. The cultural tensions of English and French in Quebec City resonate throughout.

A haunting and beautiful story. Louise Penny continues to create characters that you would like to meet and get to know. When the three interwoven stories reach their conclusion and the past and present meet Armand Gamache finds he can finally bury his dead. ...more

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Oct 08, 2015 Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star, audio

This is my first ever Louise Penny and I wonder why it took me so long to discover her!

I loved the quiet progression of this novel, where so much happens so seemingly effortlessly.

Past and present collide in this novel, where Inspector Gamache must relive and come to terms with an investigation that went horribly wrong, leaving several of his team dead.

While on holiday in Quebec, and indulging his love of history at in the Literary and Historical Society, a body is discovered in the basement... ...more

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Oct 26, 2016 Carol added it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, fiction

The Hook - When I read the sad news that Louise Penny’s husband Michael had passed away I felt a need to read the next book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series as a tribute to both she and the man she loved.
The following links lead to two of Louise Penny’s newsletters. Find the first from June 2014, which opens in pdf format and shares the crack” which appeared in she and Michael’s life. The second is from October 2016 that begins with the sad news of Michael’s passing. Penny’s newslet ...more

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Jan 07, 2020 Barbara rated it really liked it

As the pristine white snow covers the village of Three Pines and Quebec City, my reading palette is cleansed, too. No more dark thoughts of unresolved human issues or political turmoil. I am covered in a cool, white enveloping blanket.

Although my friends in Three Pines are visited again in this book by Louise Penny, the action takes place mainly in Quebec City during winter Carnival. A foot or so of snow frequently transforms this northern city in the magic of winter (much nicer to read about th ...more

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Nov 12, 2010 Mary rated it it was ok

Shelves: police-procedurals

I was hoping to have discovered a "new" series to enjoy since this book is apparently the sixth Inspector Gamache adventure but sadly I was not that impressed. I enjoyed the tidbits of Quebec history and the descriptions of Old Quebec but the story itself lagged and finally just became uninteresting. It didn't help that there were three seperate plots to keep track of. Sometimes this kind of writing works but not in this case, it was just annoying, mainly because one or possibly two of the plot ...more

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Nov 08, 2018 Lewis Weinstein rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-thrillers

Another superb Chief Inspector Gamache story ... actually three stories blended with exquisite control in Penny's hands. One part concerns a murder in Quebec City, with enough local color to make me want to visit the city again. A second part re-investigates a murder from a previous novel, one whose conclusion was not quite satisfactory. (I wonder if Penney always intended to change that ending or did so after getting feedback from readers. In either case, a chance for Gamache to worry about a p ...more

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Feb 05, 2020 Cherie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Firstly, reading the prior book "The Brutal Telling" is required, as a large plot line here is a follow-up of a murder investigation that occurred in "The Brutal Telling." So, you will definitely be lost if you haven't read these two in order.
3 to 4 story lines are juggled here, making this one the most complicated and intricate plots of this series so far. I felt one of the plot lines got bogged down in Quebec history lessons that slowed down the pacing, but I enjoyed it overall. In ...more

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May 26, 2012 Anne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers

What Louise Penny does is create a small, intimate world, while creating a sense of place so pervasive you feel you know it. Canada is rarely featured in best-selling books, and to have it so celebrated is wonderful. It is Quebec, to be sure, but the Quebec of Anglo-culture, notwithstanding the fact that most the central characters are Québécois.

Most powerful, for me, is the way she builds quiet characters of amazing strength and depth. These are not cartoon-brilliant people. They are, for the ...more

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Dec 07, 2013 ☕Laura rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-suspense, owned-books, favorites

This is one of my favorite series and I have read all of the books up until this one. As much as I have loved them all, this was my favorite by far. There is a restraint to this one, a simple, poignant elegance, a sadness and beauty which took my breath away. This story continues the themes of belonging and exclusion which were so present in The Brutal Telling and fleshes out some of the characters and plot points from that book. It also introduces themes of fault and forgiveness, of loss and ho ...more

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Jul 28, 2018 Wendy rated it it was ok

Shelves: 5000-books, wom-2018, aug-18

I love the setting of Three Pines and the characters I revisit with each book.
However, this instalment in the series wove together 3 investigations, shifting back and forth, which made it confusing.
Most loved it.
Did I miss something?

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Jun 27, 2019 Katie Ziegler (Life Between Words) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-favorites, mystery

Man oh man do I love this series. Was this one the best yet? Yes. But I say that every time. It took me all month to read, but I'm not even sorry about it. I like to spend my time with Inspector Gamache. I wish he were real. ...more

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Jun 28, 2010 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: old-reads, mt-bookpile-2010

I'm really impressed with the intertwining of three mysteries in this latest Gamache mystery. The first is off-stage: who kidnapped Paul Morin, why, and what happened to Gamache and his team, told in flashbacks (on Gamache's part) and in narrative (from Jean-Guy). The second is Gamache's request that Jean-Guy unofficially reopen the case against Olivier (because, as Gabri keeps asking, "why would he have moved the body"?), flashing back to The Brutal Telling. And the third is Gamache helping (ag ...more

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Oct 12, 2018 Alex Cantone rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, read-2018

For (archeologists and historians) the past was as alive as the present. And while forgetting the past might condemn people to repeat it, remembering it too vividly condemned them never to leave...

Chief Inspecteur Armand Gamache and his German Shepherd, Henri, are in Québec City, at the height of winter and the Carnaval Festival, as guests of his mentor, Émile Comeau. Months earlier 4 Sûreté agents lost their lives thwarting a terrorist plot against the dam, and both Gamache and Inspecteur Jean For (archeologists and historians) the past was as alive as the present. And while forgetting the past might condemn people to repeat it, remembering it too vividly condemned them never to leave...

Chief Inspecteur Armand Gamache and his German Shepherd, Henri, are in Québec City, at the height of winter and the Carnaval Festival, as guests of his mentor, Émile Comeau. Months earlier 4 Sûreté agents lost their lives thwarting a terrorist plot against the dam, and both Gamache and Inspecteur Jean Guy Beavoir were injured. Though he is recovering physically, Gamache is haunted by mistakes made during the attack, replaying conversations with a kidnapped agent over in his mind.

Another case leaves him uneasy, the murder of a hermit living in the woods outside Three Pines in the Eastern Townships. Olivier, co-owner of the B&B and bistro, was charged with the murder based on the evidence, but his partner Gabri believes he was innocent, each day sending a letter to Gamach. Gamache asks Jean Guy Beauvoir to unofficially “re-investigate” - in case there has been a miscarriage of justice.

For relieve Gamache spends many hours browsing the library at the “Lit and His” society in the Anglo enclave, researching the Plains of Abraham battle where General Wolfe won out to Montcalm, a decisive battle that lead to the English ruling Canada.

It was a room at once intimate and grand. It smelled of the past before computers, before information was “Googled” and “blogged”. Before laptops and Blackberries and all the other tools that mistook information for knowledge. It was an old library, filled with old books and dusty old thoughts.

And it is in the basement of the Lit and His, that the body of amateur archaeologist Augustin Renaud is found, just days before it is to be concreted in. Renaud was an unpopular man possessed of a singular passion: to find the remains of the founder of Québec, raising questions and more than a few eyebrows. How did he get there? If he was searching for clues to Champlain, who was trying to stop him and why?

Though the Sûreté has no jurisdiction over the cities, the officer in Charge, Inspecteur Langlois invites Gamache to “consult”, talking informally to the members of the board, mostly elderly, with a young priest from the Presbyterian Church, and through his friend and mentor, the Societé Champlain.

“It seemed obvious. The place was in disrepair, it was a question of losing a few unused books to save the many. It should have been an easy decision.”
Gamache nodded. That was often the equation, give up the few to save the many. From a distance it seemed so simple, so clear. And yet, from a distance you might see the big picture, but not the whole picture, you missed the details. Not everything was seen, from a distance.

The three themes twist and turn throughout the book, which is well-written, but to me overlong. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Québec City in winter, and its history (very well-researched), but perhaps I have grown tired of the Three Pines and its eccentrics, and it is time for me to move on. ...more

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Jun 05, 2010 Micheal Fraser rated it it was amazing

I always hate it when people ask you, who is your favorite author? How can you possibly do that? I could possibly tell you my favorite 10-20 authors if I can separate the dead from the living authors. But having said that, I will have to go out on a limb and say that after reading Bury Your Dead, Louise Penny may be my favorite mystery writer.

How psychologically astute yet how utterly satisfying a read! She paints her characters with a subtle yet very fine brush so that, for instance, a used bo ...more

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Dec 09, 2013 ☮Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio, favorites, read-in-2015

Louise Penny never makes the murder mystery her only story line; the places and the characters and their relationships are typically front and center. Now this time Ms Penny decided to juggle 3-4 story lines at once, along with the usual characters plus some--and it worked so well. One of the balls in the air involves Gamache, of course, in Quebec City working on the murder of an archeologist who was obsessed with finding the burial site of their Canadian hero, Samuel Champlain. Beauvoir meanwhi ...more

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Crime, Mysteries ...: Bury your Dead (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #6) by Louise Penny - July 2019	23	71	Dec 31, 2020 11:28PM
The Three Pines: Bury Your Dead #6	1	26	Jan 18, 2017 09:21AM
Whose Books Should I Read First: Michael Connelly or Louise Penny?	22	296	Aug 14, 2015 12:42PM
Madison Mega-Mara...: #72 - Bury Your Dead (Gamache #6)	1	10	May 28, 2015 08:09PM
Madison Mega-Mara...: Bury Your Dead	1	7	Apr 03, 2013 07:23PM
Madison Mega-Mara...: Bury Your Dead	1	6	Apr 21, 2012 07:19PM

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About Louise Penny

Louise Penny

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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 ...more

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“It's a blessing Madame Gamache and I had at our wedding. It was read at the end of the ceremony.

Now you will feel no rain
For each of you will be shelter for the other
Now you will feel no cold
For each of you will be warmth for the other
Now there is no loneliness for you
Now there is no more loneliness.
Now you are two persons, but there is one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling place
To enter into the days of your togetherness.
And may your days be good and long upon this earth.

(Apache Blessing)” — 84 likes

“Things are strongest where they're broken.” — 65 likes

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(Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #6)

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