In this 8th book in the 'Chief Inspector Armand Gamache' series, the homicide detective investigates a murder in a monastery. The book can be read as a standalone but familiarity with the characters is a plus.
*****
'The Beautiful Mystery' opens with both Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté de Québec....
.....and his second-in-command, Inspector Jean Guy Beauvoir, largely recovered from injuries incurred in a police action in a previous book.
Nevertheless, the police incident - in which several Sûreté agents were killed - still haunts the two men and continues to have psychological repercussions.
The setting of the novel is a Quebec monastery called Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loupes. The monastery was founded several hundred years ago, by a group of monks fleeing the Inquisition.
The friars at Saint-Gilbert raise vegetables and make delicious chocolate covered blueberries that they trade to other monasteries for cheese, cider, and other goodies.
In fact the meals at the monastery sound quite delicious, usually consisting of thick hot soup, cheeses, and baguettes.
Saint-Gilbert maintains a vow of silence, except for the beautiful Gregorian chants the brothers sing at each mass.
In fact, the Abbot, Dom Philippe, makes the rounds of other monasteries as needed, to recruit monks who have excellent singing voices as well as needed talents - such as doctor, farmer, cook, carpenter, plumber, music director, etc. St. Gilbert has 24 monks in total, and does not allow outsiders to come in.
The one exception to St. Gilbert's isolation is the release of a CD of Gregorian chants, sung by the monks. Against all expectations the CD is a smash hit, and brings in money for much-needed repairs to the decaying monastery.
As it turns out, the success of the CD creates dissension among the friars. The choirmaster, Frère Mathieu, wants to release a second CD and wants the vow of silence lifted, so the brothers can go on tour and do interviews.
However the Abbot, Dom Philippe is absolutely against the idea, believing the chants' one purpose is to show a love of God. Each side has its advocates, and there's tension in the air.
One morning the choirmaster, Frère Mathieu, is found dead in the Abbot's garden, murdered by a blow to the head. Mathieu's body is curled around a piece of paper containing ancient musical notations and Latin phrases, and it's clear the friar used his last breath to protect the composition.
The Abbot calls the police, and Gamache and Beauvoir arrive to investigate Frère Mathieu's death. Since the monastery is on an isolated island in the boondocks, the detectives settle in to make their inquiries. While cloistered with the monks, Gamache and Beauvoir attend masses, eat with the brothers, and sleep in their own cells. The policemen also proceed to interview the monks again and again, the vow of silence having been lifted for the investigation.
While Gamache and Beauvoir try to identify the perpetrator, the Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté, Sylvain Françoeur, unexpectedly swoops into the monastery by private plane.
Françoeur is Gamache's long-time nemesis - ever since Armand made it his business to root out corruption in the Sûreté - and it's clear Françoeur has some underhanded agenda.
As the story unfolds we learn a good bit about Jean Guy Beauvoir's backstory, current romantic entanglement, hair-trigger temper, and struggles with an addiction to painkillers.
The surprise arrival of another monk leads to the story's denouement, which is satisfying and sets the stage for future books in the series.
I liked the novel, my major quibble being that the story is too slow and drawn out. Still, I'd recommend to book to mystery lovers, especially fans of Inspector Gamache.
(This is a link to monks singing Gregorian chants, in case you're interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YejnW...)
Rating: 3.5 stars
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