Gamache's chat and easy bantering with his wife Reine- Marie and his wise-cracking friends in the bistro are suddenly interrupted by the noisy shouts of an excited boy talking about a massive weapon he found in the nearby woods. Nine-year-old Laurent Lepage is well known in Three Pines for his very vivid and creative imagination. He had called many of the villagers into his play dramatics and some had grown weary of it. It is getting late in the day and Gamache decides the best option is to take the boy home.

What happens next makes Gamache regret that decision. Yes, it may have been a simple accident, but something is off. Is he on the right track, or is he just longing to be back in his old role of investigating foul play?

Take note! Gamache is back!

THE NATURE OF THE BEAST is the long-awaited Book 11 in the internationally-acclaimed Louise Penny's famous Chief Inspector Gamache series. Fans were on tender hooks as to if there would be more involving ex-Inspector Gamache after THE LONG WAY HOME. They will be very happy with this latest addition to this brilliant and amazing series.

Any of the mysteries in the Gamache series can be read as a stand-alone book, and THE NATURE OF THE BEAST can be read that way as well. Given that, new readers to the series, this is really not the most optimal way. If you have the time, go for the first book STILL LIFE and relish the series. It is an awesome series, full of the gusto of life and the story pulls you in.

The storyline in THE NATURE OF THE BEAST is darker in some ways than the earlier books and is inspired by real incidents from the past. Most of the story takes place in the very hard to find but authentically based fictional town of Three Pines, nestled in the wooded hills and beauty of the Eastern Townships of Quebec. The Internet connection may be very slow but the local people (many are characters highlighted in previous books) are a quirky but delightful lot who pull together quickly to support their friends. They all have their secrets and fears, including Gamache.

As in all her books, Penny brings to the fore history, art, literature, philosophy and the rich vibrancy of emotions perfectly captured for each human situation. One of Penny's many talents as a writer is how she fully engages all of the reader's senses with her sensuous descriptions of succulent food, the repartee between good friends with a little wine in their spirited exchanges, and how our cheeks feel the warmth of the fire and the chill of the wind. Her hallmark is finding that perfect tantalizing blending of humour, French/English relationships, suspense, fear, courage and je ne sais quoi that make her books so much part of the reader's life.

So, do find out more about THE NATURE OF THE BEAST and what happens to the boy who calls wolf too often. A dark tale of secrets and the evil some do with both big and little actions.

Book Summary