Summary: How do you solve the murder of an unknown man?
Chief Inspector Gamache is again back in Three Pines. That small little village that he loves, filled with people that he loves, once again has a dead body. This time the body is found in Olivier’s Bistro, but no one seems to know who he is. And because there is no blood in the Bistro, no one seems to know where he was killed.
Gamache is on a trail that seems to lead to his friends. But treasures appear that complicate matters and secrets are revealed that may be coincidence (or clues).
This is a story that just can’t be discussed in a review, because finding each new step is important.
But the main characters are all back. Ruth and her duck seem to be present all the time providing a bit of levity, but also some thematic inspiration to the story. Jean-Guy Beauvoir, Gamache’s second in command, is less of an important character here, but this book does make him less two dimensional and sets him up for a greater presence in later books.
There does seem to be a time line problem in the telling of these. To me it seems that just over a year has gone by since the first book. But Gamache references having known these people for years. So I am not sure how much time has actually gone by.
The Brutal Telling: Chief Inspector Gamache #5 by Louise Penny Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition, Scribd Audiobook, Audible.com Audiobook, audiobook is discounted to $3.99 with the purchase of the kindle edition
