Reviews

Det smukke mysterium by Louise Penny

threegoodrats's review against another edition

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4.0

I am very worried about Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Otherwise, this was the very best sort of country house mystery, except that it takes place at a monastery (which, technically *is* a sort of house and it's definitely in the country.) The intrigue and inner conflicts echo that of the Surete, which also appear here, carrying along the overarching plot about Gamache and his relationship with the Superintendent. Very much looking forward to the next installment (and hopefully returning to Three Pines.)

bethdillman's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jenniehunt's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

oliviaraine's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

angjon15's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

cpt_abbott's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

bookishnookish's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.5/5 

Wow. I just cannot seem to get enough of this series and while I want to slow down and savour the books, Louise Penny's writing is of such calibre that anything else I pick up feels not adequate compared to the Gamache Series. 

What an intense book. It starts off quite slow and is set in a quaint monastery hidden away from the world where monks have taken a vow of silence for centuries and only use their voices to sing chants that sound otherworldly in their beauty. 

The mystery, once solved, seemed so simple and something that was in front of us the entire time, but the way it is written is so wonderfully complex and interesting. I loved the main plot and the parallel plot - leaves us on quite a tense note honestly. Now on to the next one. 

eleart's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Much much better than the last one! Incredibly atmospheric and the personal arcs of the characters developed very satisfyingly

fitzofinspiration's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

katiegilley's review against another edition

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5.0

My favorite Inspector Gamache so far! A murder has occurred at a secluded monastery and the murderer can only be one of the monks there. Armand and Jean-Guy are on the case!

This was beautiful in so many ways - I always marvel at Penny's description of food, but she's also such a genius at recognizing the motivations of others and how they factor into our decision making. This is such a fantastic series!!