The Beautiful Mystery

by Louise Penny
Scott County Library audiobook 11 CDs
read by Ralph Cosham
genre: murder mystery

This book was frustrating! Jean-Guy was *not* an enjoyable character in this tale. At one point I jotted, "Dude! Listen to Gamache!" The video, the painkillers, the regression, rising to Francour's bait . . . ugh!

"Honestly, they're worse than crackheads." This comment of Beauvoir's, early in the story, as a commentary on the monks' chanting, made me laugh. As the story went on, though, his attitude and psychology ruined the story.

I liked Frere Bernard! And some of the other monks, as well. Toward the end, my list of suspects went from the 23 possibilities to five names, to one of three. The killer was one of the three I expected. Although I love the Three Pines stories and characters, it was kind of nice to have a different setting and different characters.

I think I'll take a break before I get the next Inspector Gamache story, though. I like him tremendously, but I think there will be some Beauvoir / Francour drama recurring in the next book. Ugh.

A Rule Against Murder

by Louise Penny
Hennepin County Library audiobook 9 CDs
read by Ralph Cosham
genre: murder mystery / warning: Spoiler at the end of the post!

My random car notes:
Pierre Paternode (Maitre D')
Elliot (bratty young waiter)
Manoir (?)
The Finneys - yuk!

• Thomas - mean, nasty 
• Julia Martin
• Spot (Peter) Morrow!
• Marianna (Magilla gorilla) and daughter Bean

Auberge - (it's another word for "inn" . . . ) but I wasn't sure and had to look it up
sugar / ants - that's significant!
Honore' - significance?
nasty family!

My suspect list:
1. Thomas
2. Veronique
3. Elliott
4. Bean
5. Bert Finney? Why?

poetry, patience, . . . positive things Honore' gave his son. Why does Armand have such an issue with Daniel choosing this name for a baby boy?

From the Gamache website: "It is the height of summer, and Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache are celebrating their wedding anniversary at Manoir Bellechasse, an isolated, luxurious inn not far from the village of Three Pines. But they’re not alone. The Finney family—rich, cultured, and respectable—has also arrived for a celebration of their own. The beautiful Manoir Bellechasse might be surrounded by nature, but there is something unnatural looming. As the heat rises and the humidity closes in, some surprising guests turn up at the family reunion, and a terrible summer storm leaves behind a dead body. It is up to Chief Inspector Gamache to unearth secrets long buried and hatreds hidden behind polite smiles."

Spoiler!!!!
I didn't even have Pierre as one of my suspects! Initially, I circled Elliott's name. "He's not on the grounds" from Gamache . . .  Penny loves to mess with her readers' expectations.