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• Wonderful unfolding story and characters

  In this book we have the one main mystery and Inspector Gamache is not under threat at the moment. Set again in Three Pines, my only complaint is that a small village that is depicted as so full of love and safety has so many murders and hidden passions. Disregarding this small blip, it is an excellent murder mystery with the peeling away of layers to discover the secrets of the characters. It's not necessary to have read the earlier Gamache novels to enjoy this book.

• The Brutal Telling

  What can I say? I love all of the Inspector Gamache mysteries. This one has more mystique than some, with hints of the occult but mostly I like reading of the interaction between the characters.

• Book 5: Solitude, Friendship, Society

  Book 5: Solitude, Friendship, Society I skipped over The Brutal Telling, Louise Penny's fifth Chief Inspector Gamache Book, due to some readers' reviews that described it as brutal in destroying their illusions about Three Pines. I read it after the next three novels in Penny's series--but, having read it, I disagree that this book made Three Pines and its residents less attractive. From the very first novel in this series, Still Life, Penny depicted the Three Pines residents as quirky and flawed. In The Brutal Telling, their moral struggles come to the forefront. Peter struggles with what to advise Clara and Clara with whether to defend a friend if doing so means risking her dreams. Ruth's impulse to make a wild animal even tamer goes to ridiculous lengths, which she seems not to recognize in spite of her poetic insights into other characters' struggles. Characters, including the Gilberts who are new to Three Pines, are called on profitting at others' expense. Olivier's greed and lies are the central moral issues in this novel, and the tale of the Mountain King is a powerful allegory about greed and trust. At crucial points, characters reflect on what they need to be happy, which must be a major issue for Penny as she brought many of these characters to Three Pines after less happy lives elsewhere. In fact--although this is a police procedural in terms of tracking down the clues and arresting a suspect--this book could be considered a Louise Penny treatise on solitude, friendship, and society (or withdrawal from society). Three Pines is not on any map and is described in many of these mysteries as being found by only those who need it, and they often need it in order to escape the rat race or troubled relationships. In most of Penny's mysteries, we learn a backstory that explains a character's flaws (perhaps ironic for an author who has one character, Myrna, abandon her career as a psychologist as unfulfilling) and also explains why Three Pines is a refuge for that person. For her most important Three Pines characters, Three Pines is like an intentional community set apart from the outside world. Penny explores intentional community more explicitly in The Beautiful Mystery; but here, in addition to Three Pines, she has Gamache visit a remote Haida community on Queen Charlotte Islands; she describes the greed that almost destroyed that society, as well greed as a destructive force in Three Pines and for the villagers in the allegorical Mountain King tale. Thoreau's quote about three chairs from Walden, "One for solitude, two for friendship, three for society." is included five times in The Brutal Telling. Besides The Hermit, at least three other characters are described as choosing a solitary or removed existence over family and friends. Gamache says he only needs a second chair for friendship, for his wife Reine-Marie, in order to be happy; but I think he is wrong--he has a talent for society, for fitting into and appreciating each of the set-aside groups that Penny has created in her mysteries as locales for his detective skills. The only group in which he cannot fit is the corrupt upper echelon of the Surete, where "society" already has been destroyed by greed and lies. Fortunately, that looming specter is absent from this particular novel. Louise Penny not only develops characters who become real and develop from book to book, she carries their stories over from one book to later books. I do not know whether she has planned what will happen over several books; but, looking back (easier with the Kindle versions), she has usually dropped hints earlier of developments to come. As with the surprises that change the meaning of Clara's paintings, many of these hints go against what we think we know about the characters but, when understood, change our perception permanently. For example, in Still Life, four books previously, Penny describes Olivier very positively but also mentions, "The greedy antique dealer in him, which composed a larger part of his make-up than he'd ever admit..." and "beside himself with lust after Jane's home. He'd kill to see beyond her kitchen door." It is not giving away anything to state that the backstory in The Brutal Telling is Olivier's history, which accounts for his lies and secretiveness, which ultimately threaten the community. There are many lessons to be learned from this book, as well as some light-hearted moments (a duck in a raincoat?) despite the serious issues. Along the way, The Brutal Telling also arouses readers' social conscience (mistreatment of native peoples, prejudice against gays) and educates us about literature (Thoreau), art (Emily Carr), and music (Martinu). Very worthwhile.

• Parfait

  très bon état arrivé à la date

• Penny's novels are filled with fascinating characters, good and evil who constantly surprise

  Louise Penny has once again delivered an absolute stunner with *The Brutal Telling*, reminding me exactly why the Three Pines series is in a league of its own. Returning to the world of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache feels like stepping into a familiar landscape that has suddenly been cast in long, chilling shadows. This installment is dark, mysterious, and deeply thoughtful, moving beyond a simple whodunit to explore the heavy weight of secrets and the complexity of human nature. Penny masterfully balances Gamache’s world of cold facts with his intuitive understanding of feelings, creating a procedural that is as much about the soul as it is about the law. The setting of Three Pines is famously picturesque, but the discovery of a man bludgeoned to death in the local bistro shatters that tranquility. The case is a true enigma; there is no weapon, no obvious motive, and initially, no one even knows the dead man’s name. As Gamache and his team dig beneath the surface of this peaceful haven, they uncover a labyrinthine trail involving stolen treasures, cryptic codes, and a shameful history. The investigation is gripping, but it is the growth of the characters that truly keeps me hooked. The residents of the village and the members of the Sûreté team continue to evolve, their relationships becoming richer and more nuanced with every book. What makes this particular entry a five-star masterpiece is how it handles the truth. It is a haunting exploration of the stories we tell ourselves and the "brutal tellings" we hide from the world. The atmosphere is thick with a sense of impending reckoning, and Penny’s prose is as elegant and evocative as ever. By the time I reached the final pages, I was left breathless and reeling. The ending is powerful and emotionally taxing, leaving you desperately hoping for a different outcome while acknowledging the narrative brilliance of the one you were given. It is a profound, unforgettable addition to the series that proves Louise Penny is a master of her craft.

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