A World of Curiosities
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4.2 • 197 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
"Robert Bathurst performs this 18th Inspector Gamache mystery with the assurance of one who knows the village of Three Pines and its (mostly) gentle residents well....fans are in for a treat." - AudioFile Magazine (Earphones Award Winner)
"Narrator Robert Bathurst skillfully evokes the mood and suspense of the story." - Library Journal
"Robert Bathurst's narration is calm, collected, and earnest, reflecting the blend of emotion and professionalism that Gamache embodies as an investigator. It's perfect for listeners seeking both captivating intrigue and insightful reflection." - BookPage
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns in the eighteenth book in #1 New York Times bestseller Louise Penny's beloved series.
It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge.
But something has.
As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines.
But to what end?
Gamache and Beauvoir’s memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back. Did their mother’s murder hurt them beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered and are now about to erupt?
As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up.
As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there’s more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge.
In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache’s home.
A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
While investigating several deaths in the quaint town of Three Pines, Louise Penny’s charming, razor-sharp hero Chief Inspector Armand Gamache unearths a famous 17th-century painting in a bricked-up attic. But this is no typical piece of art—it’s packed with hidden messages relating to the community’s dark history and its potentially deadly future. Penny’s thrilling story jumps between the past and present, amping up the suspense with powerful themes of misogyny, deceit, forgiveness, and even a hint of the supernatural. Robert Bathurst, who’s narrated numerous previous entries in the long-running Gamache series, reads with a calm, English-accented voice that’s perfect for portraying Penny’s emotionally complex characters—and keeping the listener riveted. Even if you’re new to the series, this mystery will hook you.
Customer Reviews
An unlikely but enjoyable story.
Although the plot held my interest, I also felt that this story was a far-fetched and highly unlikely work of fiction. In fairness to Ms. Penny, I enjoyed the story and loved some of the characters.
Captivating
Louise Penny’s Three Pines Gamache mysteries are intelligent, spiritual and insightful. Each one that we have read contains historical research intermingled with psychological struggles. Weaving several crime scenes with human weakness and community strength leads the reader to a place of hope.
She does not shy away from difficult topics; neither does she use such topics for sensationalizing her story.
This particular story incorporates the Three Pines community succinctly while delving into dark dark sinister minds. It takes us through hidden rooms in the village and in the minds, across the Atlantic and back, through the woods of course, before cozy fireplaces and Olivier’s food, into Mirna’s Bookshop, Clara’s studio, Armand’s basement, and St Thomas’s nave.
Enjoy!
Back in Time
I liked that we had a taste of Gamache in his early years.