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The Nature of the Beast: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
The Nature of the Beast: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
The Nature of the Beast: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
Audiobook12 hours

The Nature of the Beast: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

Written by Louise Penny

Narrated by Robert Bathurst

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Hardly a day goes by when nine year old Laurent Lepage doesn't cry wolf. From alien invasions, to walking trees, to winged beasts in the woods, to dinosaurs spotted in the village of Three Pines, his tales are so extraordinary no one can possibly believe him. Including Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, who now live in the little Quebec village.

But when the boy disappears, the villagers are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.

And so begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth. What they uncover deep in the forest sets off a sequence of events that leads to murder, leads to an old crime, leads to an old betrayal. Leads right to the door of an old poet.

And now it is now, writes Ruth Zardo. And the dark thing is here.

A monster once visited Three Pines. And put down deep roots. And now, Ruth knows, it is back.

Armand Gamache, the former head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec, must face the possibility that, in not believing the boy, he himself played a terrible part in what happens next.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 25, 2015
ISBN9781427263872
The Nature of the Beast: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
Author

Louise Penny

LOUISE PENNY is the author of the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Globe and Mail bestselling series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels, and coauthor with Hillary Rodham Clinton of the #1 New York Times bestselling thriller State of Terror. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (nine times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise lives in a small village south of Montréal.

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Reviews for The Nature of the Beast

Rating: 4.171100216324063 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am a huge fan of this series--- and this one is probably my least favorite, because it's on the edge of the kind of Thriller where there's a sick dangerous Madman and I don't usually read stories like that. But I trust Louise Penny, and this was the only one I hadn't done a repeat read of, the first time having been a library book. So I tried it again and it kept me awake in a very agitated state for a few nights -spoiler- there is a horrific crime described- but, in the end there are character details and layers of humanity I had forgotten that I really really liked. The subject matter of the Giant supergun that actually existed is very timely (and fits well with the recent release of the film "Oppenheimer"). As always, deep philosophical musings, historical truth-telling, beloved characters, incredible storycraft, and our dear Three Pines.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This might be the best of all of the Inspector Gamache books. Penny introduced some new characters which makes her novels of Three Pines so interesting as the town doesn't get stale.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A bit too complex for light listening, but I loved the narrator.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    On edge of seat. Uncomfortable but loved it! Wish I lived in Three Pines.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book and wonderful reading! I've read all the Gamache novels but this audio book adds a new and unexpected dimension.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Monsters, whether real or imagined, play a role in what started out as a creepier than usual episode in the Gamache series. Gamache's retirement to Three Pines, that special place that doesn't seem to appear on any maps, is disrupted by a missing child and the discovery that one of their own may have had ties to sinister dealings. While New Chief Inspector Lacoste and Inspector Beauvoir are up to the task when the Surete is called in to investigate, retired Gamache is still able to do what he does best. Listen, and pull a few strings with former colleagues. Read in succession, I only know of a couple of series that do such a wonderful job of exploring both the major and secondary characters, layering in their stories in each installment. To think Ruth was labeled as nice at one time, and that the bistro/bookstore et al, weren't always right where they should be.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am glad to be back in Three Pines with my favorite cast of characters. Louise Penny is one of my favorite authors and her books do not disappoint. Her writing is exquisite and her characters are unique and memorable. This story is very interesting with a link to real events in history. There are lots of twists in this complicated mystery and keeps the pages turning until the very end. There is also a hint that Gamache may come back from his retirement in another capacity of police work. I anxiously await the next installment in this series as it is always enjoyable to read about Three Pines.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found this latest book in the Gamache series good though not as compelling as some of the earlier books. The scariest part was the author's afterword, which informed me that Gerald Bull and Big Babylon were true! Now that is scary!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Listened to Audible book narrated by Robert Bathurst. Bathurst does a good job but his performance of Ruth sadly doesn't come close to Ralph Cosham's.

    This novel is set in Three Pines but is not a straight murder mystery. Once again Gamache must save the world singlehandedly - a bit far fetched and tends to put this book more in the action thriller category.
    Still it was an enjoyable listen but I am not sure I'll revisit this book anytime soon.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love all of Louise Penny's books about Three Pines and Armand Gaumache! I have listened to almost all on audiotape. I was a bit wary that I might not like the voice or style of the new narrator, after having listened to all the others with her first narrator.
    I had nothing to worry about! Audiobooks are difficult for me because I am an extreme visually oriented person. However, with the excellent narration and Penny's wonderful knack of creating scenes and real life characters, it was a wonderful listening experience!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the first book in the Inspector Gamache series narrated by Robert Bathhurst (Ralph Cosham having passed away). He brings a very different feel to the narrative. It is also very well done, but there was a reflective quality to Gamache’s style and an anger in that of Inspector Beauvoir, which are lacking here. This is a very interesting plot revolving around a huge cannon that was commissioned by Saddam Hussain as a weapon of mass destruction. Gamache is in retirement but gets involved with his former team. It is a fast-pace thriller with more than one secret.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A compelling story featuring all the Three Pines characters, including the Inspector who is now retired. Louise Penny truly captures the grief people feel, even those not very close to a person, when a young person dies. Also had some creepy, spy-like characters which was interesting, and scary. It was not my favorite LP book, but still captivated my attention and interest.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I thought the plot was a bit unbelievable but to my surprise that was the real part of the story. Thanks for the author’s note
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After considering my last book by Penny a dud, I enjoyed this one a lot more. After some anxiety that Robert Bathurst's narration wouldn't live up to the high standard set by the late Ralph Cosham, my fears were unfounded; he did an excellent job and became Gamache very quickly. Although the story was rather far-fetched, it was taken from actual events in Canada making it all the more chilling. There was one puzzling detail: when he found the huge gun, the little boy Laurent was riding his bicycle in the forest, a pretty challenging activity! And if it was a well-established path it's hard to believe the weapon would have remained hidden for years. Apart from that, Penny has a remarkable ability to combine prosaic details of village life with the considerable menace of the plot and make it sound natural. So, while in the middle of a gripping story, the parsnip and apple soup served in the bistro sounded particularly good.

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Okay I have listened to all 10 other Gammache books, and Ralph Cosham became Gammache to me. The new narrator was good but the pronunciations were so so different it kept throwing me off. Also this was a lot more dramatically read than the last books. I wish the new narrator would have been slower and more deliberate about his pronunciations and words! Other than that, great book.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'm not sure if Louise Penny is prescient, or just really, really good at paying attention to current events -- in addition to the story (excellent, cliffhanger right to the end, so nice to spend time with 3 pines and the Gamaches again), I really enjoyed the thoughtful conversation about whether artwork can be separated from the maker, can be enjoyed despite the behavior of the maker. Clearly there's not final answer to this, and it's always going to be an individual choice, but in the me too world it becomes an ever more relevant question. Which is not to say that it hasn't been a relevant question before -- history written by the winners, evils of colonialism, the long history of repression and persecution that flows throughout human culture, but I think more people are confronting this question for themselves now. More people are aware of predatory and unacceptable behavior.

    Anyway, such a sad, intense, extra creepy book. I worry about what happens next.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    THE NATURE OF THE BEAST is a much darker book than the previous ones in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. It is based on an actual event that happened in Canada.. Nine-year-old Laurent Lepage was known for his wild imagination. People in Three Pines, Quebec, had been taken in by his stories in the past so when he came running up to a group talking about a monster larger than a house with dragons on it, no one was willing to follow him into the forest to see it. Now retired Armand Gamache drove him home and the subject was stored with previous tall tales. The following day, the boy did not return home from his regular adventures in the forest. His body was found in a ditch near his overturned bicycle. The local police, newly on the job, determined it was an accident. When Gamache and his former assistant examined the site where his body was found, the condition of his body, and thought about at what was missing, they realized the boy had probably been killed.They soon learned that the monster Laurent had found was real. It was a mammoth missile launcher, hidden in the woods and aimed at the US.At the same time, many of the townspeople were involved in a local production of a very funny unknown play by an unknown author. When Gamache found out the identity of the author, he strongly advocated that the play not be produced. While there was a strong effort to keep the story of the weapon secret, some people began coming to the village to investigate it. Some realized that something that big so close to Three Pines could not have been secret to everyone living there but no one would admit to knowing anything about it.And then another murder took place.As usual, Louise Penny has written another gripping mystery with interesting characters and twists. TIDBIT: In the Author’s Note regarding a story about the actual event: “It was, he said, the largest effin (Allan is a great journalist with a vast vocabulary)...”
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked the well developed characters in the series and this book is not exception.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have to quit reading these at bedtime. I'm staying up too late.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    My favorite yet, I think. Based on a real person and a real supergun makes it all the more interesting!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A young boy goes missing the day after he tells tales of seeing a giant dragon in the woods. This dark mystery was inspired by the real life work of Gerald Bull, a man who invented a "super gun". The story is fascinating, though it feels less like a Three Pines mystery than some of the others.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I picked up The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny as part of a reading challenge. I needed a crime story and the audio book performed by Robert Bathurst was available at the library. I hadn't read any of the series previously, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book itself. It's your typical small town mystery, but it's well written and performed just as well, so it keeps the attention and made the experience an enjoyable one.The story takes place here Three Pines village, Canada, where Inspector Gamache and a slew of others want to find out who killed a boy who discovered a "monster" in the woods. At first everyone thinks the monster is just another make believe creature, but they soon discover that it really exists, just not as they imagined it was. Once the secret gets out, all kinds of people show up to examine the monster and see what it turns out to be. Meanwhile there is a play someone wants to put on and the boy's murder is still under investigation.Yes, I felt that there were a lot of sub plots all rolling around together in one giant knot of story, but it didn't put me off in any way and as in all interwoven mysteries, each character's story has its purpose for being there. The writing style is such that I honestly felt as if I could have been watching a movie, which helped me settle into what others might consider to be confusion. The characters and plot were all clear to me, thanks to a pleasant writing style and narration that made the hours pass by quickly as I listened. I finished the book feeling intrigued and felt as if I might want to explore the rest of the series. I love to read mysteries, but I generally figure them out right away. This one kept me unsure until nearly the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ralph Cosham, who narrated the previous Gamache mysteries, has sadly died. Robert Bathhurst narrates book eleven, The Nature of the Beast. Gamache has retired. He and his beloved wife, Reine-Marie, are now living in Three Pines, in the same house that Armand rented as a hideout in book ten, How the Light Gets in.There's a very imaginative nine-year-old boy named Laurent Lepage, son of a farmer Al, and his wife, Evelyn. One day Laurent comes rushing into Olivier's Bistro with what Gamache and others assume is one of his tall tales: he has found a huge gun in the woods. The gun has a monster on it. No one goes to be shown this marvelous gun. Not so long after, Laurent has an accident. Gamache is not so sure it was an accident. He asks to have it investigated. The police who investigate it are certain it was an accident. Unluckily for someone, Laurent's ever-present stick, with his name carved on it, is missing.The search for the stick leads to the discovery of an enormous gun with a monster etched on it. The rest of the novel involves investigating Laurent's 'accident' and the gun. As a subplot, Antoinette Lemaitre, a friend of the Gamaches, is producing a play. Some of the Three Pines residents are in it. Unluckily for her, her lover, Brian Fitzpatrick, gives away the name of the author. Antoinette can't understand why so many actors want to drop out of a very funny play when they find out who wrote it. Armand Gamache knows more than most of his compatriots what crimes John Fleming committed before he was caught, tried, and imprisoned. This is because part of Fleming's trial was private, to protect the Canadian public from the full horror of what he did. Gamache was the unlucky soul chosen to represent the Canadian public and keep what he learned to himself. Yes, we do eventually find out what it was. This long-time horror film fan wasn't too horrified, but I admit I would be if it were done in real life.A couple of CSIS agents are trying to find the plans for the gun -- not to mention a crucial piece that is missing -- as is a professor who had long thought it to be a myth. Though the gun is a few decades old, its design is not obsolete. In fact, it would be just as useful and deadly today as it was when it was hidden. Of three men known or suspected of being involved with the design/making of the big gun, only one is still alive. He's the worst of the three.There are plenty of twists, turns, red herrings, and white-knuckle moments in another excellent entry.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This isn't the type of book I usually read; I read it for a book club. I though the premise was far-fetched, until I read the Author's Note at the end of the book and found it was based on reality and that Dr. Bull was a real person. I wish I'd read that fist -- I would have found the story more intriguing knowing it was based on fact.As always, I find these books refer to past stories with the same characters (a marketing ploy?) which I haven't read; and I found certain aspects of the plot unbelievable. But, what I did like about this particular book was the Canadian setting, and the issues the story raised in terms of separating an artist's behaviour from his/her work (think Woody Allen or Bill Cosby); and the issue of the immorality around arms dealers.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Hardly a day goes by when nine-year-old Laurent Lepage doesn't cry wolf. From alien invasions, to walking trees, to winged beasts in the woods, to dinosaurs spotted in the village of Three Pines, his tales are so extraordinary no one can possibly believe him. But when the boy disappears, the villagers are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true. And so begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth. What they uncover deep in the forest sets off a sequence of events that leads to murder, leads to an old crime, leads to an old betrayal. A monster once visited Three Pines. And put down deep roots. And now, it is back.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It all begins with a nine-year-old boy, Laurent Lepage, who was prone to making up wild stories, entering the bistro of Three Pines and announcing that he had found a large gun--bigger than anything you could imagine--that had a monster on it. He wanted former Chief Inspector Armand Gamache to come and look at it. Instead, he takes him home to his parents. Not long after that the boy is dead in a bicycle accident that Gamache figures out is murder because of how the body is situated and because the stick that the boy's father gave him as a birthday present that he is never without was not found at the scene, meaning that it was left where his body was killed.A search is conducted in the woods where the boy played to find the stick, but instead of finding the stick a false opening is found to a cavern that Gamache and Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir enter to find the boy's stick on the floor but also what appears to be a missile launcher of some sort hanging from the ceiling with a seven-headed monster being ridden by a wild woman etched on the side.Chief Inspector Isabelle Lacoste is brought in and she calls a General from the military and shows him pictures hoping he can help her with this problem but he has no one who can help with this missile that is analog, meaning it has no electrical components. It doesn't even need a battery to charge it. Beauvoir contacts a retired physics professor who worked on trajectory systems. Professor Rosenblatt who confirms what the gun actually is and who made it.Dr. Gerald Bull in the eighties began building the Babylon Project, a missile launcher that could launch any missile including a nuclear one from anywhere without a power source. He was planning on selling it to Saddam Hussein but was assassinated supposedly by Mossad in Brussels in 1990 in order to keep him from finishing the project. But there were rumors that he had completed it and the plans were out there somewhere. On the side of the gun are the words in Hebrew "By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept". The woman on the gun is supposed to be the Whore of Babylon bringing about the Apocolypse. This gun would be able to wipe out an entire city, or a spy satellite, so in a way this was true.Two CSIS intelligence agents show up and Lacoste believes that the General must have sent them. They know way more than they're telling about the gun and what their agenda is, though part of that seems to be to get ahold of the plans of the gun and the firing pin that is also missing. They appear to be two bumbling file clerks who have never done field work, but appearance can be deceiving.The other storyline going on in this book the local theater group led by Antoinette Lemaitre and her partner Brian Fitzpatrick. The play is called She Sat Down and Wept and it's a comedy that they soon find out is written by John Flemming, Canada's most famous serial killer. Gamache, in particular, wants to shut down the play because the public trial wasn't the only trial held for him. In Canada, they can hold a trial within a trial for acts to brutal for the public to hear and require one person to be present to hear the trial to represent all of Canada and Gamache was chosen as that person. He heard some truly horrible things at that trial.Gamache also sees a connection between Fleming and the gun based on the title of the play. But everyone tells him he is crazy. Then Antoinette is found murdered in her home that has been searched through. What were they looking for and is the same person who killed Laurent the same person who killed Antoinette? I couldn't flip through the pages fast enough in this book that really held me in its grip. It was a truly fascinating read made even more so when you realize there really was a Dr. Gerald Bull and a Project Babylon. This novel won the 2016 Lefty Award for Best World Mystery and was a finalist for the Agatha and Anthony Awards. I give this book a solid five out of five stars. You won't regret reading this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Nine-year-old Laurent Lapage is known around Three Pines for his overactive imagination and frequent tendency to cry wolf. Laurent has claimed the woods to be full of aliens and dinosaurs and giant beasts! His tales are those of fantasy and fairytales, but his latest might have also been full of truth. Laurent has disappeared after spreading word that he had found the biggest gun to ever exist, which was being guarded by a monster. The hunt for the boy ends in sorrow as his body is discovered in a ditch. Unable to believe that Laurent’s death was an accident, Armand Gamache calls upon the Surete du Quebec to find this boy’s killer.The investigation into Laurent’s death reveals that the history of Three Pines traces back to a several individuals hiding in the shadows as they worked on a machine that would change the way wars are fought and bring terror to the world. This quaint, charming town has a past that is now claiming the lives of those they know, as an old crime leads to new ones being committed. A monster once visited this village and put down roots that are quickly coming back for more. Can Armand get to the bottom of this case before time runs out and more lives are lost?Louise Penny has officially won me back after I was less than satisfied with book 10 in this series. THE NATURE OF THE BEAST contains a fascinating backstory for the village of Three Pines that involves a few residents we have come to know over the series. This backstory is perfectly interspersed with the current murderous activity gripping the village. Penny has once again charmed me with Armand Gamache leading this case. Despite being retired, he still has the ability to command a situation and allow others to work and shine as well. There are multiple layers to this story and each one is more interesting that the last. Penny lands a brilliant ending to lure readers to carry on and pick up book 12!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If this weren't based on a real historical figure, I'd describe the whole thing as hooey, and I'm afraid a lot of it is. All our favorite characters, some back story about Ruth, some pseudo-bumbling secret police. and a crisis that seems impossibly anachronistic. If you love Three Pines, by all means read on.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I began this book but couldn't even finish the first chapter!! I thought the narrator was Jean-Guy and the terror was palpable. No spoiler alert, but will just say that after several friends told me I was misreading something, I began again and found it was the Louise Penny I have loved for several years!
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Louise Penny had a good run with the Inspector Gamache series, but she should have stopped before jumping the shark. I got right close to the end and couldn't take the hyperbole and melodrama anymore. So disappointing.