I never thought this day would come. This is the first time I've been disappointed in a book written by Louise Penny, and making this admission hurts. I'm so used to writing glowing reviews of her work-- her fascinating, in-depth character studies, the sheer poetry of her descriptions-- that I'd rather not say a word at all, but...

The Nature of the Beast just doesn't measure up to her previous books. Once again we have murders in Three Pines, a tiny village that's become the Cabot Cove of Quebec. Gone are her mouth-watering descriptions of meals eaten at the bistro. Gone are her insightful characterizations. Always before even the worst of her characters have been shown to have shreds of humanity. Here characters like John Fleming are simply evil.

In previous books, Penny would've broken our hearts with little Laurent's fate. Here he's little more than a plot device. I also experienced great anticipation knowing that my favorite character, Ruth Zardo, would have a larger role in this book, but her part fell flat. In fact, the entire book felt flat and slow.

In The Nature of the Beast, too many things stretched belief beyond breaking point-- even something based in truth like the "Whore of Babylon." I am familiar with Penny's current circumstances. Her beloved husband has Alzheimer's, and they've had to move from their idyllic life in the country to a condo in Montreal. Loved ones come before books. They always should. I've seen the deep affection her fans feel for Louise Penny. I am one of those fans, and I don't think I'm the only one who would rather she take some time off instead of risk causing irreparable harm to characters and to a village so many of us adore.

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Another absorbing entry in the Gamache series. I've been slowly working my way through these (not necessarily in order) for the past few years ever since seeing a piece on Louise Penny on the CBS Sunday Morning show. I have enjoyed them all including this one although I thought it was outside the usual realm of Penny's arc to the series.

This book starts out from two different directions that seem to merge together as the story progresses. First a young nine-year-old boy named Laurent comes out of the woods into the bistro telling everyone that he has found a huge gun in the woods with a monster on it. Well no one believes him of course because he is always telling tales about aliens, monsters, and invasions. Then the town is disturbed when a couple want to produce a play that was written by a vicious serial killer named John Fleming. Okay, so then Laurent disappears and is found killed in the woods. At first it seems an accident by falling off his bike but then it appears that his body was moved from another location. So who could have killed a young boy and why? Well, turns out the big gun is real and has been hidden in the woods outside Three Pines since the 80s. And what about the play? Is it somehow related to the discovery of the gun and is the infamous author involved? Well all of the threads eventually come together as Gamache is now living in retirement in the quaint village.

As usual, I thought this story was quite compelling and I enjoyed the give and take of the various inhabitants of Three Pines including Ruth, the foul-mouthed poet; Clara, the artist who is recovering from the death of her husband Peter; Gabri and Olivier, the gay owners of the bistro; and Myrna, the retired psychologist and bookstore owner. Isabelle Lacoste is now the Chief Inspector, taking the place of Gamache and Jean-Guy now works for her. At first, I thought this story was quite far-fetched but then Penny tells us in her author's note at the end that the big gun really existed and was designed in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction! I've read the next book in the series but will be looking forward to no. 13âGlass Houses.

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Only the best ever, love her writing

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