Reviews for The Brutal Telling (Armand Gamache Series #5)

The average rating for The Brutal Telling (Armand Gamache Series #5) based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-06-05 00:00:00 Susan Brookes Having read all of Louise Penny's previous novels about the perfect village of Three Pines and the amazing Chief Inspector Gamache I was prepared to be vastly entertained by a witty, sometimes funny and intricately plotted mystery whose solution always lies in the hearts of men and the ability of Gamache to suss out what lies within. I was not prepared for this compelling and unflinching look into the heart of darkness that resides within us all. It is a universal truth that we can never fully know another human being and many times, not even ourselves. But Penny shows us a unique insight into the very "black box" of her characters - the good people of Three Pines who, like the residents of St Mary Mead, have sometimes huge contradictions and even frightening aspects to their inner lives while outwardly are wonderful, interesting and truly good peeople. And in the center of all of this strides Gamache when an unknown man is found murdered in this idyllic paradise, some modern day seer into the soul who, like Miss Marple, not only has an intimate knowledge of human nature, but has compassion to temper his judgment. And it is this intimate knowledge that lets him find out how and, more importantly, why, murder is done. I know all these people from her previous novels and they have become friends, people I thought I knew with all their contradictions. But here Gamache and his team strip away veneers and shows us even more about these people, the worm in the apple. This is a terrific read if you like mysteries but it is also a stunning look at our universal condition. In a brutal telling itself, Penny connects us with our own humanity as well as others. She shows us the fragility of our existence and that even living within the pale doesn't exempt us and we can have everything taken away in a very short time. Thanks so much for sending me this book which I could not put down, could not stop thinking about after wards, and so thoroughly enjoyed. Louise Penny's books transcends the genre of mystery like any good literature and speaks to us.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-07-24 00:00:00 Anthony Lane Although Armand Gamache series is my favourite among the mystery genre The Brutal Telling is the first that got 5*. It checked all the right boxes but what finally made me to give it the top mark was the author's courage to make one of the most loved characters as top suspect . Once again, I have to point out that this series has to be read in order so if you like crime fiction, which is a bit cosy but also dark try this series but from book 1. I am not going to repeat the blurb, I will only write what I enjoyed about this novel. Firstly, the writing is beautiful as always. The characters are all interesting, even the secondary ones. The way the plot was waved was so intricate, I particularly enjoyed the story about the mountain and how it was mingled with the main plot. All the art talk. The way Mrs Penny writes about food makes my mouth water every time. It was almost perfect. The next novel is connected with this one so I have to get to it soon.