Review of "The Nature of the Beast: A Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Mystery" by Louise Penny

In this 11th book in the 'Chief Inspector Armand Gamache' series, Gamache is retired and living in the Québec village of Three Pines.



There he gets involved in a situation that has dire international implications.....and costs a child his life. The book provides enough background information to be read as a standalone.

*****

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache was once head of the homicide department at the Sûreté du Québec. After spending years rooting out corruption at the Sûreté, and having recovered from a gunshot wound, Gamache has now retired to the Québec village of Three Pines- which isn't far from the Vermont border.



Gamache, his wife Reine-Marie.....



and their German Shepherd Henri.....



are happily ensconced in the picturesque town, which is filled with endearing and eccentric people.

One of the most imaginative residents of Three Pines is nine-year-old Laurent Lepage. Laurent loves to explore the woods on his bicycle - with his trusty 'rifle' (stick) for protection - and always reports seeing otherworldly creatures and the like.



So no one pays much attention when Laurent runs into the bistro one afternoon, with a story about seeing an enormous gun in the forest - manned by a monster.

The next day young Laurent is missing, and a feverish search reveals the boy's dead body in a ditch, presumably the result of a bike accident. But the scene looks 'iffy' to Chief Inspector Gamache, and Laurent's ever-present 'rifle' is missing. Gamache organizes a hunt for the stick, and lo-and-behold it's found beside a heavily camouflaged missile launcher - as big as a house - with a picture of a monster etched onto it. Moreover, the barrel of the enormous gun is pointed toward the United States. What the hell??!! 😮



It's now pretty clear that Laurent was murdered, and that his body was moved to prevent discovery of the hidden armament.

Gamache no longer has authority to investigate homicides, so the Sûreté sends Chief Inspector Isabel Lacoste and Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir (Gamache's son-in-law) to look into Laurent's death.



Moreover, the missile launcher attracts the attention of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which deploys two agents to Three Pines. The CSIS employees - a dowdy woman and a nondescript man - claim to be paper pushers when they're at home.....and they're plainly not '007.' But appearances can be deceiving.....



Before long there's another murder in the village, and it becomes clear that someone is desperate to find the plans for the missile launcher, perhaps to sell them to a third world dictator. The police suspect that the current mayhem in Three Pines harks back to a time, decades before, when a number of Quebecois - including several from the village - worked in the weapons industry. Most of these former munitions people seem to be dead, so the homicide cops and intelligence agents have their work cut out for them. It's not going to be easy to catch the killer and safeguard the plans for the super-gun.

Gamache helps the investigation from the sidelines while he contemplates his future. Among other job offers, the Chief Inspector has been offered a position with the United Nations, and has also been asked to return to the Sûreté - as head of the whole shebang. (This would probably be a good move, since some rude and disrespectful detectives - who were trained during the era of corruption - need ousting!!)



Louise Penny's 'Chief Inspector Gamache' novels tend to be hit or miss (for me), with the best ones combining a great mystery with lively interactions among the populace of Three Pines - accented by fun conversations, good food, and amusing scenes with Henri (the German Shepherd). This book has a compelling mystery with international implications. Unfortunately, the characters don't shine in this story.....though Henri does gaze lovingly at his crush, Rosa the duck (which always cracks me up.)



Though this isn't my favorite Louise Penny book, it's an okay mystery. I'd recommend it to thriller buffs, especially fans of the 'Three Pines' series.

Rating: 3 stars