Redheaded Reviews: The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

In 1833 Dom Prosper brought back to life the Abbey of St. Pierre in Solemes, France and made it his goal in life to change the Gregorian chants from the corrupt and barbaric thing they had become into the pure thing of beauty they had once been originally. Unfortunately, no one knew what they sounded like all those years ago. A search was begun to find the earliest sheet music of Gregorian chants. In the ninth century, a nameless monk got the idea to write down not just the words but also the music of the chants. Not knowing how to describe the music he used squiggly lines representing his hand directing the choir indicating how long to hold the note and whether to go up or down. These are referred to as neumes and became the first written musical notes ever. The only problem was that no one knew what note to start the chant out on. They had to guess. The Gregorian chants are called the beautiful mystery because they affect people on a deep level. The monks believe they are singing the words of God and take the singing very seriously.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir have been called out to a remote monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups because a monk has been murdered there. Brother Mathieu was found in the Abbot's private garden with his head bashed in. The monks are all walled in and the place is only reachable by boat. No one is let into the monastery. Not long ago the monks recorded themselves singing their Gregorian chants and sold them to family and friends and to the local store. Somehow they got out and they sold millions worldwide. Eventually, the press found out where they were and people began to flock to their island. The Abbot went on television and explained that their's was a quiet monastery. They took a vow of silence and that no one would be allowed inside and soon people gave up coming for the most part.

The monks were talking about doing a second album. That seems to have been the problem. The Abbot and Brother Mathieu were the best of friends until the album happened. The money from the album made it possible to fix the roof and install geothermal heating and solar panels on the roof. Some of the people believed it was God's will to break the vow of silence and make another album and go on tour. These people sided with Brother Mathieu. Those that sided with the Abbot believed that they should not turn away from their old ways and be tempted by money. That God would provide for anything they needed. The others said he had and that the second album was the how he was providing. It was a bitter divide.

Brother Mathieu died with a piece of vellum in his hand that contained sheet music written with neumes on it and Latin words on it. While Gamache is getting a monk to translate the music and Latin and make a copy of it for him, the Superintendent of the Surete arrives by plane with the coroner's report. But that's not why he's really there. He, as always, has an ulterior motive and it's not good for Gamache whom he hates with a passion and wants to destroy. This is a brilliantly written book that keeps you guessing right up to the end. And the use of the Superintendent was a masterstroke. I cannot wait to read the next book to see how the fallout from that carries on. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Quotes

Beauvoir had never liked dark chocolate. It seemed unfriendly.

-Louise Penny (The Beautiful Mystery p 65)

Beauvoir was Cancer, which always annoyed him. He wanted to be Scorpio, or Leo. Or even that ram thing. Anything other than the crab that, according to the descriptions, was nurturing, nesting, and sensitive.

-Louise Penny (The Beautiful Mystery p 134)

“We have recorders and violins. Or are they fiddles? I’m never sure what the difference is.”

“One sings, the other dances.”

-Louise Penny (The Beautiful Mystery p 146)

Beauvoir knew that the root of all evil wasn’t money. No, what created and drove evil was fear. Fear of not having enough money, enough food, enough land, enough power, enough security, enough love. Fear of not getting what you want, or losing what you have.

-Louise Penny (The Beautiful Mystery p 159)

Just our luck. Every other monastery makes alcohol. Brandy and Benedictine. Champagne. Cognac. Wine. Ours sings obscure songs and breeds near extinct chickens. No wonder they almost went the way of the dodo.

-Louise Penny (The Beautiful Mystery p 213)