A Grand Vacation
Before the first chapter ended, I was immersed in the atmosphere of Old Quebec City and caught up in the interactions between the main character Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his former chief and mentor, 80 year old Emile, Armand's wife and even his German Shepherd, Henri. Something traumatic had obviously happened to him, but what? I was hooked! So began my journey into the lives of people, both past and present, in Old Quebec City and small town Three Pines. As this beautifully written story unfolded, the city and characters were given life,through lush and concise descriptions and subtle and sometimes silly humor. The depth of the characters indicates the author's keen understanding of human behavior and nature.
In the end, with three mysteries solved, I closed the book, saddened to leave these people and to return home from Old Quebec City and Three Pines.
Rated of 5
by Joyce S. (Tyrone, GA)
Oh Soo Good!
Oh So Good
Bury Your Dead grabbed me on the first page and with quick transitions in time and place pulled me through a whole series of characters and events that were intriguing, likeable, believable and hard to put down for the demands of my real world. The day after I finished it I was at the local library finding another of Louise Penny’s books. Chief Inspector Gamache of the Quebec Province and his family, friends and associates are real, interesting and part of three mysteries that are all unfolding at the same time and keep you enthralled and guessing to the end.
Rated of 5
by Nancy M. (Greer, SC)
Bury Your Dead
If you have not yet met Chief Inspector Armand Gamache you are truly in for a treat with this book. While trying to finally come to grips with a very emotional and tragic episode involving the Surete du Quebec, Gamache and his agent Jean Guy Beauvoir each find themselves involved in mysteries with roots in the past. The majority of the history in the book concerns Samuel de Champlain and it was fascinating to learn about him and the history of the French and English conflicts through the eyes of Gamache. A beautifully written book with wonderfully rich characters and a wonderful village mystery, or two.
Rated of 5
by Joyce W. (Rochester, MN)
Bury Your Dead
A wonderful literary read--the mysteries were well paced and solved. I pictured myself walking the streets of Old Quebec. Really enjoyed learning about the Francophones versus the Anglos and Champlain's story. Wonderful characters with flaws, guilt and regret like every human.
Rated of 5
by Nona F. (Evanston, IL)
Bury Your Dead: Louise Penny gets better with each book
I was eager to read Louise Penny’s Bury Your Dead, the sixth novel in her mystery series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Each novel in the series has built on characters and situations that occur in previous books, and Penny’s style and depth—which were always very good-- have also grown with the series. Bury Your Dead is absolutely superb in characterization, plot development and construction. It follows Gamache and his second in command, Inspector Jean Guy Beauvoir, as they recover physically and psychologically from a terrorist threat that has left four agents of the Homicide Division of the Surete du Quebec dead.
Gamache, staying with his old Surete mentor in Quebec City, agrees to consult with local homicide authorities on a murder which has connections with Quebec’s founder, Samuel de Champlain, and which has the potential to provoke deeper divisions between Francophone and Anglophone Quebecoises. Beauvoir, at his Chief’s request, returns to the small village of Three Pines, the site of several of the previous books, to look again at the murder case which was the subject of the previous novel The Brutal Telling. In their isolation (Gamache is without his investigative team and far from his beloved wife Reine Marie; Beauvoir is without his badge and his Chief), each man not only solves the mystery at hand, but comes to a new understanding of himself.
Penny provides sufficient background of the case from The Brutal Telling to allow new readers to the series to follow Inspector Beauvoir’s case, but the greatest satisfaction and emotional impact from this novel will be felt by those who have enjoyed the investigations of Gamache, his team, and the denizens of Three Pines in the past. Readers would be well rewarded to read some prior books in the series, especially The Brutal Telling, before embarking on this excellent novel. Murder mystery aficionados looking for more than a cozy or romantic mystery, who want to look into the depth of the human heart and its capacity to both wound and heal, would be well advised to look at Louise Penny's series.
Rated of 5
by Vivian H. (Winchester, VA)
Bury Your Dead
I loved this book and hated to put it down. After finishing Bury Your Dead I am anxious to read the prior episodes in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series.
The plot involves a delightful cast of eccentric, artfully crafted characters that feel real and comfortable, like a favorite pair of pajamas. It is clear Louise Penny has a sense of humor as well. She has crafted an engaging story interweaving the investigations of two murders with the flashbacks of Gamache's recent tragedy, the history of Quebec's founding by Samuel De Champlain, the continuing centuries old divisiveness and mistrust between the Anglos and French in Quebec, and vivid descriptions of place.
Unlike many mysteries, Penny continues to keep one guessing until the final pages and the solutions do not feel contrived. Fans of P.D. James and Elizabeth George will love Penny's book!
Rated of 5
by Irene B. (Denton, TX)
Bury your Dead
I thought this book was well written, lots of dialog that made it easy to know the characters. Quebec City is a delightful place and was portrayed in such a way that made it seem like your were there. It's been years since I was in QC - I enjoyed the time there with Ms. Penny. Let's have more Louise Penny books
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of 5
by Barbara K. (Brooklyn, NY)
