Bury Your Dead

Chief Inspector Gamache, Book 6

By: Louise Penny

Narrated by: Adam Sims

Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

As Quebec City shivers in the grip of winter, its ancient stone walls cracking in the cold, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache plunges into the strangest case of his celebrated career. A man has been brutally murdered in one of the city’s oldest buildings - a library where the English citizens of Quebec safeguard their history. And the death opens a door into the past, exposing a mystery that has lain dormant for centuries... a mystery Gamache must solve if he’s to catch a present-day killer. Steeped in luscious atmosphere, brimming with the suspense and wit that have earned Louise Penny a massive global following, Bury Your Dead is the most ingenious suspense novel of the year.

©2010 Louise Penny (P)2011 Hachette Digital

Critic reviews

"Murder, an attractive detective, and terrific atmosphere . . . Impressive." ( The Times)

"Magic . . . an elegance and depth not often seen." ( The New York Times Book Review)

"Ingenious." ( Guardian)

"Shudders and suspense . . . terrific." ( Time Out)

Did not live up to expectations!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, considered several times deleting it, but ploughed on. Read great reviews, but this book had way too much going on for me to keep track of. Might be better if read. Way too many characters - 25 - 30 people, probably about 4 or 5 main characters. Too many irrelevant side stories. Too much Quebecois history shoved down your throat, and I've even been there, so probably a bit more appreciative than the average listener. The history would be more acceptable if you were say a high school student in Quebec, but it's local history, and not really something outsiders have more than a passing interest in. It's almost like the book had a political statement to make as well because many Quebecois people want independence from Canada, and this was very very evident in the book, to the point where it annoyed me.

What could Louise Penny have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Cut out all the irrelevant side stories, and instead of their being two murder cases plus the police situation at the beginning, which continually reappeared throughout the novel (and this to-ing and fro-ing time wise threw me out on a few occasions), just stick to one thread.
This should shorten it, which it desperately needed.

Have you listened to any of Adam Sims’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. But he was excellent I thought, and did the accents well.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No, hardly made it through the book.

Any additional comments?

Wish I hadn't bothered with it. Dragged on, and bored me for the most part.

Murder Mystery

This book left some questions unanswered until the end of the story. By doing this it keeps the reader engaged and guessing. I liked the setting of the story. The canadian content made the story more relavent to me. The author does a very good job of discribing the setting. You can feel the cold winter winds as you listen to it.

Bravo Louise Penny!!!

Well Louise, you've done it again, and again, and again!!!!!!! There is nothing more enjoyable than picking up a novel written by this author and joining the team of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and the delightful residents of "Three Pines". If you have not read any of her books, you are in for a treat!

Amazing Book

3 stories crammed in one book.
Amazing work by Louise Penny, possibly the best Gamache book yet.

A brilliant weaving if three stories.

I really lived how she wove the three stories together and also the self awareness and self discovery of some of the charaters.

Mixing the past with the recent past and present

Would you consider the audio edition of Bury Your Dead to be better than the print version?

I prefer audio

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bury Your Dead?

the final twists in an old case but the ongoing lead up to a terrible tragedy

What about Adam Sims’s performance did you like?

Love Adam Sims just started a new book with a different speaker and he's not quite got what Sim's has

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Bringing the past to the present

Any additional comments?

love this book

French accent

Very good book with the three stories. However the pronunciation of French sometimes wrong. Augustin has no e at the end, with an e its a female name...the d in Armand is silent.

An excellent addition to the series.

Although I generally don't enjoy stories being narrated in parallel, it works here. And the tying-together of previous plot points worked, as did (my take on) the hints of further developments. Highly recommended, and looking forward to the next in the series.

Three stories in one

Best book of the series so far. Three mysteries in one book. Enjoyed every second

set in Quebec City

Where does Bury Your Dead rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Around 5 on a scale of 10

Would you recommend Bury Your Dead to your friends? Why or why not?

Long on description, short on story

Which scene was your favorite?

All the scenes describing that yummy French food

If you could take any character from Bury Your Dead out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Gomanche of course so that I could eat -and drink- a fabulous meal

Any additional comments?

Reminds us of the still simmering Anglo French attitudes