**The brilliant novel in the New York Times bestselling series by
Louise Penny, one of the most acclaimed crime writers of our time.
**
No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of
Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec,
where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow
vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing.
Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks
have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient
chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is
known as "the beautiful mystery."
But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the
monastery's massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector
Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they
discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony.
One of the brothers, in this life of prayer and contemplation, has been
contemplating murder. As the peace of the monastery crumbles, Gamache is
forced to confront some of his own demons, as well as those roaming the
remote corridors. Before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the
Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in
between.
The Beautiful Mystery is the winner of the 2012 Agatha Award for
best novel, the 2013 Anthony Award for best novel and the 2013 Macavity
Award for best novel.
