The Brutal Telling Audiobook By Louise Penny cover art

The Brutal Telling

A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of titles.
Yours as long as you’re a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for $8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Brutal Telling

By: Louise Penny
Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.74

Buy for $21.74

"Ralph Cosham delivers a delightful accent for Gamache and invests all the characters with small-town likability." —AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner

The wise and beleaguered Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns to Three Pines The Brutal Telling, the fifth book in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Chaos is coming, old son.

With those words the peace of Three Pines is shattered. Everybody goes to Olivier's Bistro—including a stranger whose murdered body is found on the floor. When Chief Inspector Gamache is called to investigate, he is dismayed to discover that Olivier's story is full of holes. Why are his fingerprints all over the cabin that's uncovered deep in the wilderness, with priceless antiques and the dead man's blood? And what other secrets and layers of lies are buried in the seemingly idyllic village?

Gamache follows a trail of clues and treasures—from first editions of Charlotte's Web and Jane Eyre to a spiderweb with a word mysteriously woven in it—into the woods and across the continent, before returning to Three Pines to confront the truth and the final, brutal telling.

Accolades & Awards

Anthony Award
2010
Anthony Award International Mystery & Crime Traditional Detectives Suspenseful Mystery Detective Fiction

Featured Article: The top 100 series of all time


The feeling of discovering that your favorite new listen is actually the start of a series is euphoric. That you can immediately hit play and re-enter a beloved new world, or love story, or era from history is a gift to the devoted listener. But how to pick just 100 of these unique and immersive listening journeys? We defined a series as having a minimum of three books, and—after some debate—we decided the titles had to be anchored in fiction. From YA to horror to historical fiction, from fresh voices to seminal tales, hours of discovery await.

Featured Article The top 100 series of all time
Complex Mystery • Masterful Storytelling • Perfect Narration • Layered Plot • Unexpected Twists • Masterful Voice Acting

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
The series is wonderful, and I'm learning some French! Great story telling. I love the twists and turns. I love the character development. Excellent read.

Love Louise Penny!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
the book get better and better. enjoy the details, complexity so that its not easy to figure out.

outstanding

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This story is filled with lots of detail. Lots of intrigue, I really enjoyed the story.

twist and turns

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I wondered about a couple of plot turns, but the tapestry became richer as the story went on. Very engaging with believable and human characters.

a good listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This novel in the Gamache series was so beautifully written and complex; so thoughtful and detailed. It was one that caused me to be sorry that my daily commute was over and one that I’d continue once I was home. Never one for a predictable ending, Penny gets to the “whys” of the murders act. The characters are multi-dimensional as my feelings grew towards them. This is a book to be enjoyed surrounded by nature, a warm sweater, and a cup of your favorite hot beverage.

The Series keeps getting better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews