This Inspector Gamache mystery finds the Inspector and Jean Guy in a remote monastery, where no outsiders ever visit, yet one of the monks has been brutally murdered. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate, and they sing; it is their choir leader who is murdered. 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." As Inspector Gamache and his trusty assistant solve this murder, cracks begin to show in their relationship. These cracks result in a terrible break, which continues in the next book,
How the Light Gets In.
400 pages
I read part of this series when I was younger, so I'm excited to read the whole series. I love Brian Jacques' descriptions and his characterizations.