The Beautiful Mystery

The Beautiful Mystery, published in 2012, is the eighth book in former Canadian journalist Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series. The Gamache series is known for its recurring cast of characters, psychological depth, and long-term story arcs. Gamache is a longtime member of Québec’s provincial police force, most often known by its French name, the Sûreté du Québec. Gamache’s struggles with police corruption form the main plot of several books, including A Fatal Grace and The Cruelest Month, which shape the action of The Beautiful Mystery and are finally resolved in the next installment, How the Light Gets In.

Penny’s work on the Gamache series has won her intentional recognition and several awards. These include several Agatha Awards—named for Dame Agatha Christie—for achievements in the mystery genre. Penny’s most recent Agatha was awarded for 2020’s Gamache novel, All the Devils Are Here.

Content warnings for this text include moderately graphic memories of violence and past and present depictions of opioid addiction, as well as brief mentions of pedophilia and sexual assault.

Plot Summary

Jean-Guy Beauvoir, Gamache’s second in command, is enjoying a new phase of personal contentment as he has fallen in love with Annie Gamache, his boss’s daughter, and is sober after struggling with a painkiller addiction.