Bloggin' 'bout Books: 04/05/17

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"Locked Room" Mystery Another Intriguing Installment in An Always-Appealing Series

1:33 PM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for The Beautiful Mystery, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Armand Gamache novels. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Concealed deep in the Québec wilderness, in a remote spot accessible only by boat, the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups is not a place that welcomes visitors. Even the most determined tourists are turned away from the 300-year-old community of Gilbertine monks. Isolation guarantees the holy men the quiet peace they need to worship God and tend to their simple chores. Although the Gilbertines have recently received worldwide attention due to a recording of their ancient and achingly beautiful Gregorian chants, they desire only to be left alone.

When Frére Mathieu, the order's choirmaster, is brutally murdered in the abbot's private garden, the monks are forced to ask for outside help. Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector of the Sûrete de Québec, is soon on the job along with his right-hand man, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. As the duo investigates the crime, they find an order torn between privacy and publicity, its loyalties divided between two dynamic leaders. Discontent wafts through the monastery's silent corridors. Tension simmers below the surface—in one of the gentle brothers, it has bubbled over. But which one? Who was angry enough to bash Frére Mathieu's head in? It's up to Gamache and Beauvoir to find out.

At the same time Gamache and Beauvoir are examining the cracks in the Gilbertines' peaceful exterior, they're experiencing troubling fissures a lot closer to home. When time-honored loyalties are put to the ultimate test on both fronts, no one will escape unscathed—not the Gilbertines, nor the Sûrete de Québec and its infamous Chief Inspector.

As much as I love Three Pines—the quaint village where most of Louise Penny's books are set—I'm always intrigued when the author chooses a different location for one of her mysteries. The monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups (which is fictional, unlike the Gilbertines who existed but went extinct) is a fascinating locale, especially because it creates a "locked room" mystery that is all the more complex despite fewer players on scene. Like the previous seven books in the Armand Gamache series, The Beautiful Mystery offers a compelling, multi-layered story peopled with interesting characters. Kind, intelligent Gamache is always my favorite. I enjoyed the deeper look at his psyche, especially as it intertwines with that of his protegé, Beauvoir. I'm not going to lie, though, the ending of The Beautiful Mystery broke my heart more than a little. Gamache's pain went straight to my heart. I had to inhale the next book in the series immediately, just to reassure myself that the Chief Inspector would be okay. At least eventually. My investment in these characters is a testament to Penny's skill at creating a vibrant, believable world filled with people I wish I knew. I love this series, which gets better with every installment.

(Readalikes: Other books in the Armand Gamache series, including Still Life; A Fatal Grace; The Cruelest Month; A Rule Against Murder; The Brutal Telling; Bury Your Dead; The Hangman [novella]; A Trick of the Light; How the Light Gets In; The Long Way Home; The Nature of the Beast; A Great Reckoning; and Glass Houses)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

To the FTC, with love: Another library ~~fine~~ find

Books Read in 2024 (asterisks denote favorites)

1. The Nightmare House by Sarah Allen (Jan)
2. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan* [audio] (Jan)
3. Graysen Foxx and the Treasure of Principal Redbeard by J. Scott Savage (Jan)
4. The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor by Aubrey Hartman* (Jan)
5. Ditch the Glitch by Camille Smithson (Jan)
6. Zeke Zooter and the Eye of Balor by Bruce Jacobs (Jan)
7. Never Lore: Journey to Mt. Smolder by Taya and Nathan Okerlund (Jan)
8. God Spare the Girls by Kelsey McKinney [audio] (Jan)
9. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Jan)
10. The Last One by Will Dean (Jan)
11. Last Word to the Wise by Ann Claire (Jan)
12. My Plain Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Jan)
13. Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong (Jan)
14. Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda* (Jan)
15. The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant (Jan)
16. Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity by Elizabeth C. Bunce* (Jan)
17. Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson* (Jan)
18. More Than a Body by Lindsay and Lexie Kite (Feb)
19. All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay (Feb)
20. Slayed on the Slopes by Kate Dyer-Seeley (Feb)
21. My Imaginary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Feb)
22. Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee (Feb)
23. Artifice by Sharon Cameron* (Feb)
24. Something About Sophie by Mary Kay McComas (Feb)
25. Ill-Fated Fortune by Jennifer J. Chow (Feb)
26. My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Feb)
27. Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt (Feb)
28. Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead (Feb)
29. Murder on Millionaires' Row by Erin Lindsey (Feb)
30. Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson (Mar)
31. End of Story by A.J. Finn (Mar)
32. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (Mar)
33. My Contrary Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Mar)
34. Where There's Smoke by E.B. Vickers (Mar)
35. Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong* (Mar)
36. The Kind to Kill by Tessa Wegert (Mar)
37. Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban (Apr)
38. Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Apr)
39. Swimming in a Sea of Stars by Julie Wright (Apr)
40. The Girl Who Wasn't There by Penny Joelson (Apr)
41. The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers [audio] (Apr)
42. The Secret of Rainy Days by Leslie Hooton (Apr)
43. How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin (Apr)
44. The Nights the Lights Went Out by Karen White (Apr)
45. Flippin' Skaters by Teresa Richards (Apr)
46. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch [audio] (Apr)
47. The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes* (Apr)
48. Dust by Dusti Bowling* (Apr)

49. Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie (Apr)

50. One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (Apr)

51. Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest (Apr)

52. The Hunter by Tana French (May)

53. Murder at Rough Point by Alyssa Maxwell (May)

54. The Hard Parts by Oksana Masters [audio] (May)

55. Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird (May)

56. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson* (May)

57. No Matter What by K.M. Frost (May)

58. Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen (May)

59. The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain [audio] (May)

60. Candy Cane Crime by Amanda Flower [novella] (May)

61. An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves (May)

62. Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs* (May)

63. Borrow My Heart by Kasie West (May)

64. Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham (May)

65. Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis (May)

66. The Weight of Everything by Marcia Argueta Mickelson (May)

67. Make the Fireflies Dance by Rachel Bateman (May)

68. The Lost Girls of Willow Brook by Ellen Marie Wiseman [audio] (May)

69. A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan (Jun)

70. Where They Lie by Claire Coughlan (Jun)

71. The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss by Gary Foster [audio] (Jun)

72. The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan (Jun)

73. A Deadly Endeavor by Jenny Adams (Jun)

74. The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie (Jun)

75. Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen, and the Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn [audio] (Jun)

76. The Watchers by A.M. Shine (Jun)

77. Deep Water by Jamie Sumner (Jun)

78. First Victim by Debbie Babitt (Jun)

79. One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome* (Jun)

80. Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix [audio] (Jun)

81. When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer (Jun)

82. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (Jun)

83. The Great Trouble: A Story of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson [audio] (Jun)

84. 49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards (Jun)

85. Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell (Jun)

86. Trouble Island by Sharon Short (Jun)

87. Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn (Jun)

88. I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever by Barbara Rae-Venter* (Jun)

89. Falling Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Jun)

90. Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey (Jun)

91. First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly* (Jun)

92. Homecoming by Kate Morton* (Jul)

93. The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King* [audio] (Jul)

94. Middle of the Night by Riley Sager* (Jul)

95. The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon (Jul)

96. The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave (Jul)

97. Operation: Happy by Jenni L. Walsh* (Jul)

98. Shutter by Ramona Emerson (Jul)

99. Anywhere You Run by Wanda M. Morris (Jul)

100. The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry by Anna Rose Johnson (Jul)

101. The Monsters We Make by Kali White (Jul)

102. The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall by Ali Standish (Jul)

103. Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon [audio] (Jul)

104. Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney* (Jul)

105. A Patchwork of Clues by Sally Goldenbaum (Jul)

106. Popcorn by Rob Harrell* (Jul)

107. Library Girl by Polly Horvath (Jul)

108. Such a Lovely Family by Aggie Blum Thompson (Jul)

109. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (Aug)

110. The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon (Aug)

111. Basket Case by Nancy Haddock (Aug)

112. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett* (Aug)

113. Front Country by Sara St. Antoine [audio] (Aug)

114. Stowaway by John David Anderson (Aug)

115. Consigned to Death by Jane K. Cleland (Aug)

116. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman* (Aug)

117. Louder Than Hunger by John Schu (Aug)

118. Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd (Aug)

119. Peanut Butter Panic by Amanda Flower (Aug)

120. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Aug)

121. Flight 171 by Amy Christine Parker (Aug)

122. Criminally Cocoa by Amanda Flower [novella] (Aug)

123. The Kaya Girl by Mamle Wolo (Aug)

124. The Last Word by Gerri Lewis (Aug)

125. The Last Kids On Earth by Max Brallier* (Aug)

126. Cruzita and the Mariacheros by Ashley Granillo (Aug)

127. It Could Be Anyone by Jaime Lynn Hendricks (Aug)

128. Return to Wyldcliffe Heights by Carol Goodman (Aug)

129. A Winter Grave by Peter May (Aug)

130. Laika by Nick Abadzis (Aug)

131. Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin [audio] (Aug)

132. A Quiet Retreat by Kiersten Modglin (Aug)

133. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell [audio] (Aug)

134. The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson (Aug)

135. Peking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien (Sep)

136. Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler, ed. (Sep)

137. Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko (Sep)

138. After the Storm by G.D. Wright (Sep)

139. Area 51 Interns: Alien Summer by James S. Murray and Carsen Smith (Sep)

140. The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James [audio] (Sep)

141. The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels by India Holton (Sep)

142. An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder* (Sep)

143. Up to No Gouda by Linda Reilly (Sep)

144. Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green (Sep)

145. Last Gamer Standing by Katie Zhao (Sep)

146. Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman (Sep)

147. Murder at the Library by Ellen Jacobson (Sep)

148. A Fatal Collection by Mary Ellen Hughes (Sep)

149. All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris [audio] (Sep)

150. My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara (Sep)

151. The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose* (Sep)

152. Shipwrecked! Diving for Hidden Time Capsules on the Ocean Floor by Martin W. Sandler (Sep)

153. Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens (Sep)

154. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter* (Sep)

155. Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine* (Oct)

156. The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong* (Oct)

157. Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James* (Oct)

158. Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens by Rebecca E.F. Barone (Oct)

159. Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan (Oct)

160. The Good of the Woods by Liz Moore (Oct)

161. History Smashers: Salem Witch Trials by Kate Messner (Oct)

162. Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools by Dan SaSuWeh Jones (Oct)

163. The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods (Oct)

164. Gone to Hot Pot by Vivien Chien (Oct)

165. The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (Oct)

166. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James* [re-read] (Oct)

167. Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez (Oct)

168. Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis (Oct)

169. Exclusion and the Chinese American Story by Sarah SoonLing Blackburn (Oct)

170. A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner (Oct)

171. The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters (Oct)

172. Sightseeing With Aliens by Insha Fitzpatrick (Oct)

173. Remember This: The Fascinating World of Memory by Monique Polak (Oct)

174. The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning [audio] (Oct)

175. Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino (Oct)

176. Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes (Oct)

177. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare* (Oct)

178. Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie (Oct)

179. The Enigma Girls by Candace Fleming (Nov)

180. The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin (Nov)

181. Sleeping Spells and Dragon Scales by Wendy S. Swore (Nov)

182. The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth [audio] (Nov)

183. Chadwick Boseman: King of Wakanda: A Hero On and Off the Screen by Chris Singleton (Nov)

184. The Legend of the Last Library by Frank L. Cole (Nov)

185. Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston/adapted for young readers by Ibram X. Kendi (Nov)

186. The Beautiful Game by Yamile Saied Méndez (Nov)

187. The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander [audio] (Nov)

188. A Stranger in the Family by Jane Casey* (Nov)

189. The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion by Ann Bausum (Nov)

190. Ruby, Who? by Jill Campbell (Nov)

191. Gothictown by Emily Carpenter (Nov)

192. A Murder at the Movies by Ellie Alexander [audio] (Nov)

193. Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking by Raquel V. Reyes (Nov)

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"Locked Room" Mystery Another Intriguing Installment in An Always-Appealing Series

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