Thursday, September 4, 2014

The Beautiful Mystery

Title: The Beautiful Mystery

Author: Louise Penny ; Read by Ralph Cosham (IMDB) (AudioFile)

Publisher: Macmillian Audio

Series: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache / Three Pines Mystery, Bk 8

ISBN: 9781427226099

Length: 11 discs; 13.5 hours

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

It's the next in the series, and I'm getting behind.  It qualifies for the 8th annual Canadian Book Challenge.

Comments:

Oh, Beauvoir! ::sigh:: Deep breath in, deep breath out.  Have I mentioned how I hate addiction?

Anyway, Gamache and Beauvoir go to a secluded and hidden monastery in the depths of Quebec where one of the monks has been murdered.  This order, long thought gone, has recently exposed itself by way of a recording of their Gregorian (plain) chant.  Apparently this caused a rift among the brotherhood that leaves Gamache and Beauvoir suspecting every one of those left surviving.  Which, of course, means the reader is also left with suspicions - even if you have formed theories along the way.

Beyond the mystery, the book offers and intriguing look into both the chant (which I find lovely though perhaps not in such a religious light) and what a small group of men cut off from the world need to sustain themselves.  One is a doctor, one is a engineer sort, one is excellent with the animals, another with the plumbing.  They garden, sing and worship together.  It was all a very interesting look at the social structure, which is actually right up my alley considering my education in sociology.

I have a few other audiobooks to listen to, but once I've finished those I'll be listening to the next book in this series, How the Light Gets In.

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