Louise Penny. The Beautiful Mystery.
New York: Minotaur Books, 2012.
As reviewed by Ted Odenwald
The two plot lines of Louise Penny’s eighth mystery novel are straightforward. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the homicide division of Quebec’s Surete is asked to solve the murder of the Prior of a remote monastery. In a secondary plot, Gamache’s professional world is closing in on him as he finds that his enemies within the Surete are hell-bent on avenging his exposure of corruption in their administrative level. His foes strike in areas where he is most vulnerable. As the two plot lines dovetail frequently, the tensions increase, and the enormity of potential disasters becomes apparent.
The monastery of Saint Gilbert Entre Les Loups [among the wolves] had existed in virtual anonymity for centuries—unknown even to the Vatican. Their founders had isolated themselves for protection from both the Reformation and the Inquisition. Their most notable accomplishment was the impeccable performance of plainchants, Gregorian chants, which they sang so sublimely that listeners, regardless of faith, were transfixed. The chants “…aren’t just music and they’re not just prayer. They’re both, together. The word of God sung in the voice of God.” These chants –performed to perfection—constitute a beautiful mystery. Ironically, the monks’ desire to remain separate and unnoticed was betrayed by the very gift which had been central to their isolation. A recording of their inspired singing earned the monastery a fortune—and much unwanted notoriety as well. “The world had found [the monks] and slipped through the cracks in their thick walls. A crack produced by a crime….” As Gamache discovers, there are major divisions in the brotherhood of Gilbertines: those who favor the Abbot’s desire to return to obscurity, singing to and for God alone; and those following the Prior/song leader, who had wanted to expand upon their recording success, renouncing the vows of silence, poverty, and isolation. Gamache’s challenge is to work his way into this unusual world of reticent witnesses. “Here was a community divided, a fissure running though them. And this tragedy…was simply widening the gap. Somebody lived in that dark crevice—it would almost certainly have nothing to do with faith or God.”
Gamache’s personal problems and his professional challenges are interconnected. He is combating the trauma both of wounds and subordinate officers killed in combat with terrorists. Outwardly, the evidence of his suffering is subtle: a hand tremor which appears when he is tired or stressed. Inwardly, he struggles to deal with the guilt of having lost several young officers, who had followed his lead into a trap. His day-to-day concern for his second-in-command and fellow survivor of the gunfight, Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir, permeates all of their interactions. Beauvoir has failed in his recovery efforts because he has become addicted to pain killers, a dependency which affects both his judgment and his professional behavior. All that it will take to turn him against his loyal and caring boss is the enticement of drugs.
That luring comes from Superintendent Francoeur, Gamache’s superior, who suddenly appears at the monastery ostensibly to oversee Gamache’s routine, but with obvious intentions to undermine the Chief Inspector’s reputation and authority. The animosity between the two senior officers has grown out of Gamache’s refusal to back down from his accusations of corruption. Francoeur’s immediate target is the weakened Beauvoir. The Superintendent, having unethically and illegally read through the psychological profiles of both Beauvoir and Gamache, attacks their weaknesses. He undercuts Beauvoir’s loyalty by posting a video of the deadly gunfight on YouTube, and suggesting that Gamache had abandoned the younger officer, who was seriously wounded. Francouer then dangles a supply of pain-killers in front of Beauvoir, thus winning him over.
The two main plots are held together by two themes: leadership and loyalty. Dom Philippe, the Abbot, is described as being like the commander of a ship, “infinitely aware of every corner of his vessel.” But his leadership had been tested by a mutiny of the several monks, led by the Prior, who wanted to change the long-established way of life of the monastery. The murder is ample evidence that Dom Philippe’s leadership had been challenged and then defended violently. Gamache seems to personify self-assured leadership. But his effectiveness as a leader—in spite of his having conducted several successful investigations—is questioned by his superior and his second-in-command. His restraint and dedication to duty are used against him by those who should be most supportive. Francoeur certainly is a skilled leader, but his obsessive hatred for Gamache and his cunning plans to destroy the Chief Inspector cause all of his talents to appear to be perverse.
Divided loyalties create palpable tensions throughout the mystery. The monks had dedicated their lives to God through their vows of isolation from the world, and through focusing upon God through their plainchants. When the recording earned the Gilbertines the attention of the world, the monks divided in their loyalty. Were they to embrace the notoriety, earning money to literally reinforce the foundations of their monastery? Were they to withdraw again from the world, leaving all they had learned and earned behind? Were they to allow themselves to be re-embraced by the Church’s hegemony, which they had fled? Gamache’s loyalty is constant; yet it causes him much anguish. His sense of honor and justice is unshakeable, putting him at odds with corrupt officials within the system, who claim that he has betrayed the establishment. He is deeply concerned about the welfare of his subordinates, individuals he has hand-picked because of their special skills—even though his selections may often be at odds with usual Surete criteria. His dedication to his people makes him vulnerable to the diabolical devices of Francoeur, who attacks through their weaknesses. Gamache’s loyalty to his family provides another opening for Francoeur; Beauvoir and Gamache’s daughter, Annie, have an on-going relationship. Francoeur sees that he can damage his nemesis through his machinations with the lovers. Will Gamache be forced to end the romantic relationship to save both his daughter and his subordinate?
Louise Penny’s novels engage readers through clearly delineated plots and through incisive character development that evolves from her earlier novels. She examines unusual worlds, in this case the spiritual and artistic world of the monastery. She also explores issues of human behavior with uncanny understanding for individuals—even murderers whose personal issues have driven them to extreme action.
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.