Louise Penny. Bury Your Dead.
New York: Minotaur Books, 2010.
As reviewed by Ted Odenwald
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete of Quebec Province is a protagonist who is certain to fascinate readers throughout Louise Penny’s series of mystery novels. Guided by his mantra—“I’m sorry. I was wrong. I need help. I don’t know.”—he remains humble (though he is accused of pride by his political enemies), slow to judge, and deeply concerned about the mental and physical well-being of citizens affected by crimes. He investigates by mixing in with the locals, observing their behavior, and listening to their language, believing that the guilty will ultimately reveal themselves. As this sixth novel in the series reveals, Gamache also has a conscience: a sense of responsibility for how his decisions have affected his subordinates; and a willingness to admit that he may have erred, even in his most celebrated cases.
The main plot is driven by the death of Augustin Renaud, an eccentric considered by many to be a lunatic, who has dedicated his life to discovering the remains of Quebec’s founder, Samuel de Champlain. Renaud’s quest had taken him throughout the city, digging for a grave (usually where he was not wanted)—and ended in the basement of the Literary and Historical Society, where he himself was murdered and buried. The Society was one of Quebec’s few bastions for Canadians of British descent. Its executive board’s refusal to allow Renaud to attend their meetings, and his subsequent violent death beneath their building, accentuated their sense of fearful isolation.
As is typical of his investigative methods, Gamache immerses himself in the case; he spends a great deal of time living with and observing the members of the community. “Unraveling a murder is more about getting to know the people, then the evidence. People who were contrary and contradictory, and who often didn’t know themselves.”
Gamache also retraces Renaud’s investigations, including the scanning of numerous old volumes that the “fanatic” had purchased. Additionally, he reads through Renaud’s diaries. As Gamache’s search proceeds, Penny presents several interesting historical lessons that give reasonable answers to many of the puzzles of Quebec’s history: “Why is so little known about Champlain’s life?” “Why, if he was such a great hero, would he have been buried secretly?” “Why was his body exhumed and reburied?” In addition, Gamache learns that Renaud had uncovered evidence that an 18th-century French commander may have betrayed his countrymen by selling out to the British—thus causing the French defeat on the plains of Abraham. By unraveling the stages of Renaud’s quest, Gamache has revealed the “madman’s” discoveries. He has also come to better understand the nature of the tensions between the French and British citizens of Quebec—tensions that had probably led to the murder.
As the investigation proceeds, it becomes evident that the Chief Inspector is a damaged character. Penny’s earlier “Three Pines” novels had shown him to be a sensitive, caring, introspective officer, but in this sixth novel in the series, he is also exceptionally vulnerable—recovering both from severe wounds sustained in a brutal firefight with terrorists, and from psychological scars caused by the deaths and woundings of members of the team he had led into that fight. The terrorists had set a trap, and Gamache had misjudged their intentions and their firepower. Several times as he works the Renaud case, he questions his judgment. Will he inadvertently lead others into danger? Whose lives does he hold in his hands? As the main plot develops, the background plot of terrorist activity broadens our understanding of the challenges which he faces in his leadership position.
Another subplot grows from Gamache’s self-doubt. He sends his second-in-command, Jean Guy Beauvoir, back to Three Pines to quietly re-investigate a murder case which the Chief Inspector had solved in an earlier novel. Gamache fears that he may have been blinded by an obvious piece of evidence; he wonders if he may have “just seen the façade of the case and failed to see what was hiding beneath it.” He asks Beauvoir to ignore all of the conclusions and judgments that both men had formed earlier, and approach the case objectively—listening and observing; in essence, the associate is asked to be the Chief’s surrogate.
While the weaving together of these three plots is handled skillfully, a more fascinating accomplishment of this novel is the expansion of our insights into Armand Gamache as a dedicated professional, a brilliant though troubled investigator, and a humane public servant , capable of a wide range of feelings.
Ted Odenwald and his wife, Shirley have lived in Oakland for 42 years. He taught HS English at Glen Rock High School for all of those years plus one more. Now he is enjoying time spent with his family, singing in the North Jersey Chorus and quenching his wanderlust. Ted is also the Worship Leader at the Ramapo Valley Baptist Church in Oakland.