Published
by Minotaur Books, July, 2013.
ISBN: 978-1-250-03112-9
This newest in the
Armand Gamache series takes place far from the latter’s usual territory.
Gamache, Chief Inspector for the Surete du Quebec, and Inspector Jean-Guy
Beauvoir, his second in command for more than a decade, have been called to a
“near mythical monastery. . . which is home to two dozen cloistered,
contemplative monks. Who had built their abbey as far from civilization
as they could get.” After four centuries, no one not among those two
dozen had entered there, until the murder of one of their own brings the
outside world in.
The Gilbertines
were an order of monks until recently thought by the world [including the Vatican] to be
extinct, whose members had taken vows of silence, poverty and isolation.
What had
changed that perception was a recording of the millennia-old chants sung,
several times a day, by these monks, the result of which was a clamor for more
information about them, and the unexpected success of the recording. This
in turn had caused a rift among the monks, about half of them aligned with the
abbot, who wanted their existence to continue as it had, and those who favoured
the suspension of their vow of silence, and the wealth that would surely come
to the monastery in the aftermath of a second recording. Somehow that
divide had led to murder. The dead man was the choir director, described
by all as a genius, a brilliant musician with a glorious voice [as were all the
others, though to a lesser degree].
The two
detectives come to gain some insight into each of the monks: How they
came to be here, in this remote place, with no link to the outside world, but
men not unlike themselves. Jean-Guy, finds that one of the monks in
particular is so like him that they are like opposite sides of the same
coin. The rift in the monastery is mirrored by the one inside the Surete
itself, with its roots going back some time, exacerbated by horrific events
described in an earlier book in the series, its effects, both physical and
emotional, still felt by both Gamache and Beauvoir. Those effects are
again explored at some length, as are the thoughts and feelings of the
protagonists.
About the
title: The author summed it up in her Acknowledgements better than I ever
could. It deals with the effects of music on our brains, in this case the
majesty of the Gregorian chants: “I wanted to explore this beautiful
mystery. How just a few notes can take us to a different time and
place. Can conjure a person, an event, a feeling. Can inspire great
courage, and reduce us to tears. And in the case of this book, I wanted
to explore the power of ancient chants, Gregorian chants. On those who
sing them, and those who hear them.” And in this aim, the author has
wholly succeeded. The reader too can, just for a moment, merely reading
about the effects on those who sing them and hear them, get a glimpse of what
that must be like. It’s been a very long time since I heard a Gregorian chant,
but its memory was still very strong in my mind’s ear, if you will. The
book, while slowing down somewhat in the middle, contains such consistently
charming prose that this is a minor quibble, and the book is highly recommended
-------
Reviewer: Gloria Felt
The latest book
in the series How the Light Gets In,
will be published in August)
Louise Penny was born in
Toronton in 1958 and became a journalist and radio
host with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, specializing in hard news and
current affairs. My first job was in Toronto and
then moved to Thunder Bay at the far tip of Lake
Superior, in Ontario.
It was a great place to learn the art and craft of radio and interviewing, and
listening. Since I was a child I've dreamed of writing and now I am. Beyond my
wildest dreams (and I can dream pretty wild) the Chief Inspector Gamache books
have found a world-wide audience, won awards and ended up on bestseller lists
including the New York Times. Even more satisfying, I have found a group of
friends in the writing community. Other authors, booksellers, readers - who
have become important parts of our lives. I thought writing might provide me
with an income - I had no idea the real riches were more precious but less
substantial. Friendships. Louise lives with her husband Michael in a small
village 
Ted and Gloria Feit
live in Long Beach,
NY, a few miles outside New York City. For 26 years, Gloria was
the manager of a medium-sized litigation firm in lower Manhattan. Her husband, Ted, is an attorney
and former stock analyst, publicist and writer/editor for, over the years,
several daily, weekly and monthly publications. Having always been avid
mystery readers, and since they're now retired, they're able to indulge that
passion. Their reviews appear online as well as in three print
publications in the UK
and US. On a more personal note: both having been widowed, Gloria and Ted
have five children and nine grandchildren between them.
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