The Brutal Telling: Book summary and reviews of The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

The Brutal Telling Summary

Chaos is coming, old son. 

With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. Everybody goes to Olivier’s Bistro - including a stranger whose murdered body is found on the floor. When Chief Inspector Gamache is called to investigate, he is dismayed to discover that Olivier's story is full of holes. Why are his fingerprints all over the cabin that's uncovered deep in the wilderness, with priceless antiques and the dead man’s blood? And what other secrets and layers of lies are buried in the seemingly idyllic village?

Gamache follows a trail of clues and treasures from first editions of Charlotte’s Web and Jane Eyre to a spiderweb with a word mysteriously woven in it - into the woods and across the continent, before returning to Three Pines to confront the truth and the final, brutal telling.

The Brutal Telling Reviews

"This superb novel will appeal to readers who enjoy sophisticated literary mysteries in the tradition of Donna Leon." - Library Journal

"If you don't want to move to Montreal with Gamache as your neighbor - or better yet, relocate to Three Pines and be welcomed into its community of eccentrics - you have sawdust in your veins, which must be very uncomfortable." - Kirkus

"Readers keen for another glimpse into the life of Three Pines will be well rewarded." - Publishers Weekly

"There's always a log fire burning and it's always story time in the charming mysteries Louise Penny sets in sleepy Three Pines … While constant readers may think they know all there is to know about its eccentric villagers, Penny is a great one for springing surprises." - New York Times

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The Brutal Telling Reader Reviews

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Rated of 5 by Jane N
Brutal Telling
Louise Penny has once again created an old fashioned "who done it". Three Pines is a village that I would love to exist in real life. The characters are so real that I felt that I knew them when I finished the book. The inn keepers, both old and new,Clara and Peter and all the rest. Ms. Penny weaves the history of Canada with the history of her characters in a way that entertains and teaches. I have read all of her books and this one by far, I felt was her best. The end was a shocker and I am waiting to read her next one !

Louise Penny Author Biography

Louise Penny's first novel, Still Life, won the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards. Her second book, A Fatal Grace, won the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel, as did her third, The Cruelest Month. Her next, A Rule Against Murder, was a New York Times bestseller, followed by The Brutal Telling, which was a New York Times, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and National Indie bestseller. Louise lives in a small village south of Montreal.

Pronunciation Guide: Louise Penny's website provides a wealth of interesting information about her and her books including a pronunciation guide to the characters and places referenced in her books.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series (to 2011)

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