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A World of Curiosities

Audiobook
6 of 10 copies available
6 of 10 copies available

"Robert Bathurst performs this 18th Inspector Gamache mystery with the assurance of one who knows the village of Three Pines and its (mostly) gentle residents well....fans are in for a treat." - AudioFile Magazine (Earphones Award Winner)
"Narrator Robert Bathurst skillfully evokes the mood and suspense of the story." - Library Journal
"Robert Bathurst's narration is calm, collected, and earnest, reflecting the blend of emotion and professionalism that Gamache embodies as an investigator. It's perfect for listeners seeking both captivating intrigue and insightful reflection." - BookPage
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns in the eighteenth book in #1 New York Times bestseller Louise Penny's beloved series.

It's spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge.
But something has.
As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators' lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they've arrived in the village of Three Pines.
But to what end?
Gamache and Beauvoir's memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back. Did their mother's murder hurt them beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered and are now about to erupt?
As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up.
As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there's more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge.
In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache's home.
A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 12, 2022
      Bestseller Penny’s virtuoso 18th novel featuring Chief Insp. Armand Gamache of the Québec Sûreté (after 2021’s The Madness of Crowds) blends nuanced characterization with nail-biting suspense. Siblings Fiona and Sam Arsenault return to Three Pines more than a decade after Gamache investigated the bludgeoning murder of their mother, Clotilde. His inquiry revealed that Clotilde had prostituted her children, then 13 and 10, at the time of the killing. During the case, he met his future number two and son-in-law, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, who came to a different conclusion than his own. Gamache stayed involved in Fiona’s life, even aiding her graduate studies in engineering. The Arsenaults’ arrival coincides with several murders, which seem connected to an unusual painting found concealed in a hidden room in Three Pines. It first appears to be a duplicate of The Paston Treasure, a cryptic 17th-century assemblage of items known as A World of Curiosities, but anachronistic elements, such as a digital watch, have been added. Penny adds crucial details about Gamache’s backstory and satisfactorily resolves a plotline tease from earlier in the series. This tale of forgiveness and redemption will resonate with many. Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Company.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Robert Bathurst performs this 18th Inspector Gamache mystery with the assurance of one who knows the village of Three Pines and its (mostly) gentle residents well. Years after Gamache and Beauvoir investigated the murder of a mother, her two adult children arrive in the village. Their surprise arrival triggers Gamache's and Beauvoir's remembrances of things past. Penny's clever plotting is enhanced by Bathurst's ability to make even the smallest details relevant. A hidden attic room containing a duplicate of a seventeenth-century painting with small anachronistic items hidden within the images provides clues to solving a series of brutal murders. Bathurst weaves several timelines together seamlessly to create an exciting tapestry revealing crimes against women, child abuse, revenge, and murder. Fans are in for a treat. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from March 1, 2023

      Penny is in top form with her 18th novel featuring Inspector Armand Gamache (following The Madness of Crowds) and the unique characters who inhabit the quaint village of Three Pines. Memory, revenge, and forgiveness are just some of the themes that permeate this rich and intricate outing. Two seemingly unrelated cases from Gamache's past set the events in motion. The first case, which prompted Gamache to become an investigator, involved the real-life 1989 mass murder of 14 women at Montreal's �cole Polytechnique. The second case, the murder of Clotilde Arsenault, occasioned Gamache's first meeting with future son-in-law and partner Jean-Guy Beauvoir. These cases are linked to the discovery of a bricked-up room in Three Pines that contains a copy of the famous "Paston Treasure" painting. New additions to the painting suggest a symbolic and dangerous warning pointing directly to Gamache. Narrator Robert Bathurst skillfully evokes the mood and suspense of the story. Although his voicing of women and children is sometimes awkward, his portrait of Gamache's interiority is masterful. VERDICT Devotees of the series will enjoy this gripping entry, and the new Amazon Prime series, Three Pines, should attract even more readers to Penny's already-large fan base.--Phillip Oliver

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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