The Beautiful Mystery

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Mystery / Penny, Louise	4-week checkout	On Hold Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Mystery / Penny, Louise	4-week checkout	Due 05-15-2024
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Mystery / General / Penny, Louise	4-week checkout	Due 05-19-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Mystery / General / Penny, Louise	4-week checkout	Due 05-06-2024
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Mystery / General / Penny, Louise	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024

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 glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is known as "the beautiful mystery." But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery's massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Surete du Quebec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. One of the brothers, in this life of prayer and contemplation, has been contemplating murder. As the peace of the monastery crumbles, Gamache is forced to confront some of his own demons, as well as those roaming the remote corridors. Before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in between.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Excellent mystery! submitted by thislittlecat on June 19, 2016, 10:31am Another Louise Penny mystery= perfection! A must read!

A Must read... submitted by jaimonr on July 26, 2016, 2:47pm I recently discovered Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache mysteries. This particular book hit an accord with me. I love the Gregorian chants and the way the author describes the history of chants you can almost hear them. The book is based within a closed monastery where a monk has been murdered. Inspector Gamache has to figure out which one of the monks killed their fellow man. The author does a great job describing the different emotional states of man... and how even a monk can be pushed to murder.

her best so far submitted by 21621031390949 on August 29, 2017, 10:13pm This is probably my favorite of Penny's mysteries. Love the setting.

Peace and joy submitted by lballard on July 23, 2018, 6:26pm Rarely does an author create a book that is peopled with characters that are not only interesting but who make you feel like a better person for knowing them. The focus on monastery life and the Gregorian chant add interest to the book.

great submitted by Kenes on July 11, 2020, 6:15pm great author

ahhh! submitted by rowleygray on August 1, 2020, 12:49pm it's been a while since i've read a Gamache story. once i begin reading i remember why i love these books. the story lines are interesting but the language is beautiful! everything about this story from the characters to the place make this book another great Louise Penny book - and my favorite...so far!

Cool submitted by ann arbor air on June 11, 2021, 5:44pm Great author

little details sometimes distract submitted by camelsamba on June 27, 2021, 10:40pm Here's something to ponder: the plot is set in a mysterious monastery, supposedly so remote in the wilds of Quebec as to be basically forgotten until they released their plain chant recording, but yet Gamache and Beauvoir manage to get there (car, plane, and boat) within a few hours of the murder? Details like this seem to crop up in all the books.

I rather enjoy Gamache mysteries that are NOT in Three Pines and don't involve that cast of characters. I was worried we would find out that the newest monk, poached ... errrr, recruited! - from a monastery near the US border, would turn out to be from Three Pines. Glad he wasn't. Anyway, I digress. As with the book that revolves around Champlain, I like when there are mysteries to be solved that aren't just the whodunnit element.

Satisfying read submitted by mandevil on September 27, 2023, 4:08pm Very enjoyable

Worst yet submitted by apf1950 on November 28, 2023, 9:24pm I'm about halfway through the Louise Penny mysteries. This is the most contrived and unbelievable plot yet, not to mention at least one-third too long because of excessive dialog. Please, get us back to Three Pines. When will she finally let go of the terrorist attack and the conflict between the chief inspector and the chief superintendent?