Nine-year-old Laurent Lepage, known to the villagers of Three Pines for his vivid imagination, rushes into the local bistro shouting that he has found an enormous gun hidden in the forest. It’s bigger than a house, and there’s a monster with wings on it. Variously charmed, annoyed or amused, the lunchtime crowd chuckles collectively and ignores him and his wild tales. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Montreal Sûreté, who has recently retired and moved to Three Pines, gives Laurent and his bicycle a lift back to his parents’ farm. When Laurent rides off the next day on one of his adventures and fails to return for dinner, the villagers turn out in force. His body is found early the following morning next to his bike in a ditch beside the road. The incident is declared an accident by the police.

Gamache may have retired, but his keen detective mind has not. The evidence doesn’t add up, and he suspects the boy may have been murdered. But why? He contacts his former colleagues in Montreal to investigate further, and a more thorough search of the woods uncovers the enormous gun with a monster etched on its surface just as described by Laurent. Hidden beneath camouflage netting and covered by years of moss, the giant weapon lies deep in the dense Canadian forest just over the border from Vermont. 

"THE NATURE OF THE BEAST is a triumph of terrifying depth as the implications and potential consequences of the monstrous weapon discovered by the boy are revealed. This tale of the terrors that exist in today’s world broadens the scope of a series that continues to grow in possibilities."

THE NATURE OF THE BEAST is a triumph of terrifying depth as the implications and potential consequences of the monstrous weapon discovered by the boy are revealed. This tale of the terrors that exist in today’s world broadens the scope of a series that continues to grow in possibilities. Each new novel unveils more about the main characters and the history of the remote reaches of eastern Canada’s Quebec province. These are more than provincial cozies --- they are novels that embrace the compelling pathos, joy and sorrow, and ultimate redemption of the human spirit.

Louise Penny can be compared to British authors Elizabeth George, P.D. James and James Lee Burke in terms of character development. An unabashed fan of series mysteries by authors from many decades (even centuries) and countries, I no doubt bore friends and family with my enthusiasm. Penny is speedily climbing to the top of my thumbs-up endorsements.   

The imaginary village of Three Pines is inhabited by artists, writers and nature lovers, and is nestled in the dense forests of southeastern Quebec. Not to be found on any GPS or roadmap, it is one of the attractions from Penny’s first novel, STILL LIFE, that initially pulled me in because it closely resembles our chosen location. We call them boondocks out here in the West, and until recently had trouble getting cell phone reception. Civilized creations such as high speed Internet are empty promises from the service providers, and streaming is impossible, so I smile each time one of Penny’s characters has to stand on a bench on a high spot in the village to receive cell phone reception. When we got our first cell phone, we had to dial “1” to call from our front yard to our backyard, not because we live on a huge ranch, but because the coverage boundary ran right through the middle of our house. Alas, our address is now available on GPS, which comes in handy when repairmen are needed, but we remain well off the beaten track and rarely receive unwanted salesmen.

May Three Pines continue in its halcyon state of inaccessibility. Though the possible incredulity of so many crimes occurring in or near this little haven stretches the imagination, isn’t that what imaginations are for? For mystery lovers who haven’t yet dipped into Penny’s repertoire, a read of STILL LIFE is recommended to help establish the characters. And for fans who are up to date, I don’t believe for one minute that Inspector Gamache will stay retired for long. Footnote: Don’t skip the brief author’s note at the end of the book. Save it for last --- the better the goosebumps.