Customer Reviews

The Brutal Telling

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First Sentence: "All of them? Even the children?" The fireplace sputtered and cackled and swallowed his gas. "Slaughtered?"

As the seasons are changing, so are lives in the village of Three Pines. The body of an unknown man of a stranger is left in the bistro and antiques store of Oliver and Gabri. Chief Inspector Gamache must identify the victim as well as the killer uncovering secrets and lies along the way.

Quite different from the previous four books, this feels to be a transitional book, both for the author and the characters. As with all Ms. Penny's books, it is wonderfully written. One of the magical things about her books, is that you can read them as simple mysteries, or you can take the time to realize all the depth and layers that exist therein.

She is an author who makes you want to read passages aloud to others because they are so well done. You can tell that Ms. Penny loves her characters and the setting yet knows neither is perfect. They convey both the best, and the worst, of all people.

I love Penny's sense of humor; it is wry, subtle and brilliant. One character talks states that "I decided since I turned fifty, I needed to get into shape." She smiled fully then. "Or at least into a different shape. I'm aiming for pear rather than apple." She patted her stomach. "Thought I suspect my nature is to be the whole orchard."

Ms. Penny is a very descriptive writer of places, people and animals. She brings everything to life, without ever being cute or maudlin about it. She has a clear love and respect for all living things.

Three Pines and its residents are undergoing significant changes. I'll admit I shed a few tears at the end of this book. I am anxious to see where the road, and author, takes them.

THE BRUTAL TELLING (Pol Proc-CI Gamache-Canada-Cont) - Ex
Penny, Louise - 5th in series
Minotaur Books, 2009, ARC Trade Paperback - ISBN: HC- 9780312377038

This series just gets better and better and despite trying to ration them and not read them all at once I find myself going back to the next one as soon as I finish one .The characters are as well-drawn as ever ...the creation of the poet Ruth is an absolute triumph! AN EXCELLENT BOOK!

I have read all of Louise Penny's Three Pines novels and greatly enjoyed her previous ones, but this was certainly a disappointment. First of all, aside from the murder itself, nothing really happens for at least the first 200 pages. Finally the action picks up a bit, but the denouement seems forced and unrealistic, not to mention boring. Although I have recommended her previous novels to friends and family, I can't do the same for The Brutal Telling. Best to stay away from this one.

I have just fallen in love with this author after buying a bargain pack of three of her stories. The action takes place in French Canada mainly in a magical village called Three Pines. The detectives of the series are a fine and varied group under the leadership of Gamache, a family man and the sort of detective you would love to meet - kind, clever, inspiring. But there are dark forces afoot, not only murder but in the police force itself as some of them seek to bring about the downfall of Gamache. I loved the stories so much I went on to buy the whole series - beautifully crafted, hard to guess the murderer, some extremely suspenseful moments

Another murder in the tiny village of Three Pines? Stretching credibility a bit here aren't we? I thought that as I started the book, but was soon won over by the quality of the writing. In "The Brutal Truth" Louise Penny has created her most engrossing mystery so far. In the past I have accused Ms Penny of writing modern day Agatha Christie's (particularly the last one in the series), but that is not true here. Ms Penny's writing rises to new levels as she gives us a truly enthralling mystery. It's true that some of the regular characters in these books annoy me, but this book is much less about them than the previous ones - and is the better for it in my view.

And as the book ends the question remains, did the person they arrested for the murder do it? That is a question taken up in the next book in the series "Bury your Dead". I've only just started it but it too is brilliant.

These are a gentler kind of murder mystery and probably not for those that like the hard-bitten and rather grim novels of late. Highly recommended.

Absolutely excellent police/murder investigation. Gamache is the kind of person you would like to know, and all the inhabitants of Three Pines seem like the kind of folks you would like to live near. Louise Penny seems to have an insight into the thoughts and minds of all sorts of people, and this is conveyed into words brilliantly.
I recommend you read in conjunction with the others in the series so that you get to know the characters well, and you can appreciate the atmosphere better. The follow-on book, Dead Cold, is also a MUST READ.
Ms Penny is an excellent ambassador for Canada - I want to visit!!
Can't wait for more.

This is the first book I've read by Louise Penny, and whilst I did enjoy it, I felt it really dragged at times. The characters and the village of Three Pines were what kept the story interesting, somehow the crime aspect of the story got in the way and didn't really ring true, as someone else has said in a review the ending was frustrating.

I won't be rushing out to find another book by Penny but found this story enjoyable.

Having purchased "Bury Your Dead" as a special offer, I realised that it was actually the latest in a series. I'd enjoyed this exciting, twisting, beautifully written book so much that I wanted to read the rest.
Reading them from "Still Life" and finishing with a reread of "Bury Your Dead" I have been breathing the Canadian air through all the seasons.
The amazing beauty of Canadian forests, settlements and cities are the backdrop to the investigations of detectives Gamache and Beauvoir.
Each book has its own plot and place, from the Plains of Abraham in old Quebec to an exclusive hotel in the wilderness, but the connecting thread is the Three Pines community.
In Three Pines Louise Penny has created a group of real people. Each character is so well drawn and developed through the novels that I personally want to know what happens to them next.
There is humour and tragedy. The wonderful old poet Ruth, so rough and yet so gentle; artists Clara and Peter; book-shop owner Myrna; Gabri and Olivier (who seem to feed everyone as they come together each day in the Bistro!) ... all seem to have been hurt or damaged in some way and have found healing in Three Pines.
Overlaying this delicately created background, Louise Penny has then taken us on a thrilling tightly-interwoven mystery of murder or espionage and, in some stories, both!
Betrayal, revenge, greed, prejudice, ancient history, deadly-politics and beneath it all a loyalty and hope that survives throughout.
These books are so well written that a second read is an added bonus!
I'm looking forward to the next instalment.
Why is it so difficult to find Louise Penny's books in England?
In the large book chains in the North of England I could only find two of her novels.
Then I remembered Amazon and have managed to get the rest of the series. Thank You Amazon!!

If you have read all the previous books then you will be straight into this story. Not to worry if you haven't you will soon know all the people in the village once into the book it is hard to put down

Even better than usual, and that's saying something! As usual, Louise Penny has combined expert characterization, a compelling story-line and excellent writing skills to produce a memorable read.