Book Report: The Nature of the Beast

12. Louise Penny, The Nature of the Beast ( 2015) (5/11/23)

Continuing my need to dip into something with a driving plot, I picked up this, the eleventh in the Chief Inspector (now Monsieur) Gamache series (I read the tenth last November). It carried me along nicely, introducing a few new characters—one of whom may end up being recurring, but mostly not—and a fantastic story of a giant missile launcher hidden in the forest near Three Pines for some forty years, with possible ties to Saddam Hussein. A cold-blooded serial killer who wrote a play that kicks the story off also figures in. There are two murders: a young boy and the director of the play. An old war crime is uncovered.

Every mystery writer has something different to offer. With Penny, I especially enjoy the development of the lead characters, both in the police force and among the Quebecois villagers. The plots themselves often have me shaking my head, but that's okay. Mysteries aren't meant to be believable per se. They're meant to carry us along. And this one did that. Although the murderer's motive is rather weak to my mind, there was plenty to keep one guessing about as the story progressed. Who doesn't love a red herring or two?

Nothing to quote this time. It is apple season, though, and Penny likes to throw in lots of food allusions—in this book, every single dish seems to be made of or with apples. Including the potato chips!