The Nature of the Beast
A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
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Narrated by:
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Robert Bathurst
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By:
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Louise Penny
About this listen
Hardly a day goes by when nine-year-old Laurent Lepage doesn't cry wolf. From alien invasions to walking trees to winged beasts in the woods to dinosaurs spotted in the village of Three Pines, his tales are so extraordinary no one can possibly believe him. Including Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, who now live in the little Quebec village.
But when the boy disappears, the villagers are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.
And so begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth. What they uncover deep in the forest sets off a sequence of events that leads to murder, leads to an old crime, leads to an old betrayal. Leads right to the door of an old poet.
And now it is now, writes Ruth Zardo. And the dark thing is here.
A monster once visited Three Pines. And put down deep roots. And now, Ruth knows, it is back.
Armand Gamache, the former head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec, must face the possibility that in not believing the boy, he himself played a terrible part in what happens next.
©2015 Three Pines Creations, Inc. (P)2015 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Twenty years ago little Brian Arlington was kidnapped from his family's Long Island estate and was never seen again. The trail went cold, but investigative journalist Griff Hadley has always thought there was more to the story - much more. When the Arlingtons' patriarch invites him to stay at their estate to research his true crime book, Griff can't say no. It's the story of a lifetime. But not everyone is happy about Griff's presence. Relatives and staff alike regard him coldly, including Pierce Mather, the Arlingtons' attractive lawyer.
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Possibly the most enjoyable mystery romance I've ever read! Quintessential Lanyon!
- By Christopher P. on 09-19-15
By: Josh Lanyon
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A Dark and Stormy Murder
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Lena London's literary dreams are coming true - as long as she can avoid any real - life villains.... Camilla Graham's best-selling suspense novels inspired Lena London to become a writer, so when she lands a job as Camilla's new assistant, she can't believe her luck. Not only will she help her idol craft an enchanting new mystery, she'll get to live rent-free in Camilla's gorgeous Victorian home in the quaint town of Blue Lake, Indiana.
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Human or computer reading?
- By Mountain Dancer on 11-06-18
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Privileged Information
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Alan Gregory is a clinical psychologist with a thriving practice in Boulder, Colorado. His life begins to unravel when one of his female patients is found in an apparent suicide and the local paper begins printing accusations from an unnamed source of sexual impropriety between the woman and Dr. Gregory. He launches a psychological and personal quest for the truth that rapidly intensifies when more of his patients die untimely deaths, and Gregory suspects not only that the deaths are related but that another one of his patients may be somehow involved. Lacking facts but roused by suspicion and troubled by seemingly random acts of terror around him, Gregory starts to fear for the safety of the people he loves. The question of the inviolability of confidential disclosures made to Gregory by his patients - privileged information - becomes crucial as the psychologist pursues an unsettling romance with Lauren Crowder, a lovely deputy district attorney investigating one of the deaths. Bound to silence, Gregory follows the psychological tracks of someone he fears may be a cunning and disturbed killer, while turning to his enigmatic but supportive partner, Diane Estevez, for counsel, and to his tart-tongued female urologist neighbor for support. The sinister, surprising drama unfolds against Boulder's Rocky Mountain backdrop, in the arresting natural beauty of Aspen, and in the midst of a baroque Halloween costume party in downtown Boulder. Finally, in a lonely mountain lodge enshrouded in menace, the story comes to its breathtaking climax.
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Four and a half stars, actually....
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By: Stephen White
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Haunted Ground
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Overall
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When farmers cutting turf in an Irish peat bog make a grisly discovery, the perfectly intact body of a young woman with long red hair, archaeologist Cormac O'Callaghan and pathologist Nora Gavin are thrown together by their shared scientific interest in human remains. Because of the preservative effect of the bog, it is difficult to tell whether the body has lain there for two decades, two centuries, or two millennia.
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Mysteries old and mysteries new
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Dead Before Dying
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Three men who have nothing in common are found murdered in Cape Town, and the string of vicious killings pushes the city toward panic. Captain Mat Joubert is left scrambling for answers in a case that might be his last chance to prove that his life's slow spiral will not pull him under.
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South African mystery, very good.
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By: Deon Meyer
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The Stranger House
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For years, the Stranger House has stood in the village of Illthwaite, offering refuge to travellers. People like Sam, a brilliant young mathematician, who believes that anything that can't be explained by maths isn't worth explaining. And Miguel, a historian running from a priests' seminary, who sees ghosts. Sam is an experienced young woman, Miguel a 26-year-old virgin.
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an OK read
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Ellery Hathaway knows a thing or two about serial killers, but not through her police training. She's an officer in sleepy Woodbury, Massachusetts, where a bicycle theft still makes the newspapers. No one there knows she was once victim number 17 in the grisly story of serial killer Francis Michael Coben. The only victim who lived. When three people disappear from her town in three years, all around her birthday - the day she was kidnapped so long ago - Ellery fears someone knows her secret. Someone very dangerous.
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Engaging mystery debut!
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A Feast of Carrion
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St Benjamin's Medical School is the greatest of its kind, any death occurring within its walls would have created ripples within the academic world, but the death of Nikki Exner is far from being ordinary. Raped, and then grotesquely executed, her theatrical murder horrifies everyone. John Eisenmenger, a former forensic pathologist, finds himself dragged unwillingly into the case. Teaming up with solicitor Helena Flemming, Eisenmenger sets out to discover what really did happen to Nikki Exner.
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excellent book
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Last Rituals: A Novel of Suspense
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At a university in Reykjavík, the body of a young German student is discovered, his eyes cut out and strange symbols carved into his chest. Police waste no time in making an arrest, but the victim's family isn't convinced that the right man is in custody. They ask Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, an attorney and single mother of two, to investigate. It isn't long before Thóra and her associate, Matthew Reich, uncover the deceased student's obsession with Iceland's grisly history of torture, execution, and witch hunts.
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looking forward to Book 2
- By Dr. William J. Kass on 07-22-16
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Angel Killer
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FBI agent Jessica Blackwood believes she's left her complicated life as a gifted magician behind her - until a killer with seemingly supernatural powers puts her talents to the ultimate test. A hacker who identifies himself only as "Warlock" brings down the FBI's website and posts a code in its place that leads to a Michigan cemetery, where a dead girl is discovered rising from the ground - as if she tried to crawl out of her own grave.
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If you like Thrillers and/or you like Magic - READ
- By BigJim on 10-31-14
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All the Pretty Girls
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When a local girl falls prey to a sadistic serial killer, Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson and her lover, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, find themselves in a joint investigation pursuing a vicious murderer. The Southern Strangler is slaughtering his way through the Southeast, leaving a gruesome memento at each crime scene – the prior victim’s severed hand.
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Distracting subplot and uninteresting characters
- By Ed on 05-13-10
By: J. T. Ellison
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What listeners say about The Nature of the Beast
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Karen
- 08-28-15
Marvelous
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Any time and all of her books but best read in order for deeper appreciation of the characters
Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?
Complex
Have you listened to any of Robert Bathurst’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
no, don't think so but I was relieved he did as well as the previous narrator
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
yes when a woman was described as pulling herself out of the water dripping in grief but no longer drowning in it
And when another woman described her grief and loss to be as if her bones were dissolving
Any additional comments?
I adore Lousie Penny
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4 people found this helpful
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- Christine R Owens
- 09-07-15
Où est le Québécois? Where was the accent?
Would you listen to The Nature of the Beast again? Why?
Probably not. While I loved the story and Penney's writing is spot on for the series there was one thing which I was not happy with at all, the narrator. I can imagine how hard it was for all concerned to try and find a new narrator and how hard it was for the narrator to fill the shoes of one of the best.
Who was your favorite character and why?
As always, Gamache.
What aspect of Robert Bathurst’s performance would you have changed?
I thought the majority of Mr. Bathurst's performance was well done but....I thought the lack of a Québécois accent was exceptionally disappointing. I loved Ralph Cosham and while I know there is no way to supplant his wonderful narration, I would have thought it an imperative that the narrator be able to pronounce Reine Marie, Sûreté du Québec and other French words with the appropriate accent which gives the narration the wonderful flavor that the novels project and the importance the language holds in Québec. I absolutely loved every time Mr. Cosham used his beautiful accent for the names, especially Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loup in A Beautiful Mystery. I do hope that if this narrator is kept for the next book that he goes to a voice coach to learn the sounds of the dialect.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Polly
- 09-14-15
Stop Whining about the Narrator - Great Book
I just read about 20 reviews of this excellent book, and I am irritated at the number of people who couldn't look past the new narrator. For goodness' sake ... the original narrator died suddenly last year, and the author went so far as to record an explanation of why Inspector Gamache would sound different in this book. I appreciated that explanation, and shed my own tear for the death of beloved Ralph Cosham. BUT, I moved on and listened to the book without bias.
People - grow up!
The new narrator was absolutely fine. And the story was gripping. My most common complaint about ANY mystery is that I figured it out too easily or too fast. Not so in this book; I had no idea until very close to the end.
Additionally, the plot is serious. Very serious. At one point, my heart was pounding in my chest! (NO SPOILER ALERT.)
So, if you loved all of the previous Louise Penny/Gamache books, read this one too, but try to give Robert Bathurst a chance.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Dagmara Arents
- 10-16-15
New narrator hard to listen to
Would you listen to The Nature of the Beast again? Why?
I might READ it again, but I definitely would not listen to it again. The story is very much up to Louise Penney's Standards. She always includes some well researched facts, which inspire me to learn more about them. Her characters become more developed and even Ruth had some likable aspects this time. There are definitely more stories about that character to be learned. But I would NOT listen to another book read by Bathurst. Not even a Louise Penney. (see why below)
Who was your favorite character and why?
Besides Gamache? Hard to say. Ruth, because she is an enigma, putting on this hard facade, while clearly having a softer side. There must be a lot of story there, which LP hopefully will tell about one day. Basically, though, there are no characters to dislike, now that the Surreté is "cleaned up". Or is it?
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Bathurst has a staccato-like style of reading which I find very irritating. The narration fails to flow, pauses after every phrase and all the wrong places make it hard to listen to. I was surprised to find out that Bathurst has narrated other books. He sounded like this was new to him.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
I rarely like to watch films of books I've read. They invariably distort or diminish the story.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Mary Ann
- 08-28-15
Best Gamache to Date
I've read every book Louise Penny has written and I would have to say this is her best story to date. Awesome tale.
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2 people found this helpful
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- CG
- 09-04-15
Love the story but not the narration!
I have loved all of Louise Penny's Three Pines stories and this might be one of my favorites but Robert Bathurst's narration was painful! He just is not Armand Gamache. He doesn't even try to imitate the lovely accent of the Quebecois. His narration is so distracting and inconsistent I almost didn't finish. To be fair if he were narrating someone else's work he would probably be very good but Ralph Cosham left very big shoes to fill and Bathurst fell short. Maybe David Colacci would be a better choice?
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- Jane MacDonald
- 06-26-16
conflicted
Would you listen to The Nature of the Beast again? Why?
No. I would read it again, however.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Nature of the Beast?
My favorite moments in all of Ms. Penny's books are when the characters we have come to love are examining their hearts and minds in the context of the action. I wanted more of Jean Guy's introspection, I think. I missed that in this book. Probably more from M. Gamache as well. I don't think it's the action we crave from Three Pines, it's the characters' internal dialogues and their how their hearts respond to joy, to sorrow, to fear, to love, to loss. Okay. This didn't answer the question, but it is what's on my mind about this book, in general.
Any additional comments?
This is a terrific story - engaging, interesting. My problem is with the narration. Yes, we all miss Ralph Cosham immensely -- but I also believe that we love Armand Gamache and Three Pines enough to want to stay. For me, the problem then is Mr. Bathurst's narration which does not bring Three Pines to life. There is not enough distinction of character - every one of the major characters sounds basically the same. For those of us who hung on every word of Mr. Cosham's narration, this is difficult to listen to.
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- Donna Deal
- 03-10-20
Narrated by Sir Antony Strallan!
I knew there was a change of narrators for this exemplary series, I so prepared myself for change, but WOW!
As a huge fan of "Downton Abbey" I was over the moon hearing this careful, comforting voice. I loved Ralph Cosham
for the first books but Bathurst's narration is wonderful, and I appreciate his courage in taking over this responsibility after Cosham's death. Despite the comments of those upset by the change, I offer my kudos to him to taking this, and his gifts.
Now, back to the book itself: Louise Penny is a wonder- this series is it's own cosmos, the setting, the characters
incredible. As this novel wove its mystery, I kept thinking: this is not all fiction.. something, somewhere in my memory was a connection to this disturbing plot of weapons and international intrigue. The commentary at the end confirmed my suspicion: this was based on truth. I loved the was Penny introduced this chilling thread into her creation of Three PInes. This is a complex, heartbreaking addition to the Three Pines canon, and I highly recommend it.
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- Susan
- 09-13-15
Top drawer
Congrats to Ms Penny and to us, her fans! Us? We have excellent tastes. While the story, performance, and characters continue to dazzle, Ms Penny's writing grows more captivating with each book. I found myself replaying pieces just to hear the descriptions or the metaphors. Loved it.
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- Jessica
- 12-05-17
Good story, new narrator
I liked this book, but it wasn't the best. I miss Ralph Cosham! but it's an awesome first attempt to step into his narrator shoes.
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