The Hangman

When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache was called out to the Canadian countryside to investigate a man hanging in the forest, he immediately believes that he is looking at a crime scene. While some of those around him see a man who ended his own life, Gamache looks at his pristine hands and thinks that the man did not climb up that tree himself.Gamache and his crew find out that the man had been staying at the Inn and Spa in Three Pines, so Gamache heads there to start his inquiries. He finds out that Arthur Ellis had indeed been staying at the Inn. He had been alone, and the staff thought that he had seemed lonely. When Gamache searches his room, he finds that the man had left behind a note. It sounds like it could be a suicide note. But there are clues at the scene in the forest that point to murder.When Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvier tracks down the man from his car, he finds that man lives in Ottowa and is not actually named Arthur Ellis. It’s Three Pines bookshop owner Myrna who discovers the meaning of the name. Arthur Ellis was Canada’s executioner. He worked under the name Ellis so that no one would no who he was outside of work. This stranger who was found dead in the forest had chosen that name for a reason. Gamache knows that if they can figure out why he had taken on the persona of an executioner, then they will find his killer.The Hangman is a short story set in the world of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Three Pines in Quebec. Because it is a shorter piece than author Louise Penny’s usual stories of Three Pines, it doesn’t have the depth or the complexities of the other novels set in this world. It was written to be a short escape to Three Pines, or as an introduction to these characters, and I think it works well for that.I am a big fan of Louise Penny, and this was a nice quick stop in Three Pines, but it did leave me craving more. I missed the connections she makes between the characters, and the way that Gamache seems to draw from literature and history and art and nature to form his conclusions. But The Hangman is a nice amuse-bouche for anyone wanting a taste of Three Pines, but it’s just a small bite of a far larger and richer banquet that is the experience of reading Penny’s full-length novels.

I had read all six of the first CI Gamache / Three Pines novels by Louise Penny, and I loved them. Before starting the seventh novel, as I fully intend to due, today, I bought and read in one sitting No. 6.5 in the series, which is a novella, as opposed to Ms. Penny's usual long and involved novels of Chief Inspector Gamache and his homicide crew from the Sûreté du Québec.So, what's different in this novella from the usual Three Pines stories? First of all, it is more focused on a single storyline. The body of a middle-aged man is found hanging in the woods. Was it suicide? It most certainly was intended to appear so. Was it murder? It doesn't take long for CI Gamache to determine that it was.Who is the victim? He was a guest at a local resort/spa, but registered under a fictitious name. Why? Why was he killed? Who might have done it? Who could have done it?As the story unfolds, and as Armand Gamache and his team unravel the mystery, the story stays focused on this one, central issue. There are no forks in the trail through the woods surrounding Three Pines, as there usually are. There are no complementary storylines intersecting at the solution to this one central problem: Who done it.As always, Louise Penny writes beautifully and keeps the reader enthralled. Her characters are real and believable. Their actions and motives are understandable. Her stories are always enjoyable, and The Hangman is no exception to this rule.

The Hangman was a quick read which held all the qualities of Louise Penny Gamache Mysteries. If you have a particular enjoyment of mystery, this novella will serve you more reason to find others of its kind. Read on mystery lovers!

Recently I finished All The Devils Are Here, the last of the current series of sixteen Inspector Gamache books by Louise Penny. The series is excellent, building in quality and depth book after book. So it was with some curiosity that I decided to read this novella, sometimes referred to as Book 6.5, to return to an earlier time in Three Pines.The Hangman was published between Bury Your Dead and A Trick Of The Light. As I read it, it felt like an outline for a book that didn’t fully develop in the way that most of the Gamache novels have. It certainly works as a story and some of the primary characters are there, but it feels abrupt and reads rushed. I thought that perhaps it was meant to keep readers interested between books, since each one takes, justifiably, time to write and publish. Or perhaps it was a story that just didn’t require development in the way other Penny books have.Since beginning this review, I have read that this story was written for a special literacy project to specifications for adult emerging readers. That makes sense to me from the standpoint of the subject, simplicity of language, and length. Based on this information, this is a fine work indeed. However, for a Louise Penny reader like me, I wish I had done more research on the story before I read it.I wish now that I had heard about and read this book in its position after Bury Your Dead. I found Bury Your Dead to be so heart-wrenching that a less involving follow-up might have eased me out of that story and into A Trick Of The Light. Since that did not happen, all I can say is that The Hangman felt like a far lesser work than what I’ve adjusted to in Penny’s other works. For those of you who are serious Louise Penny fans, please read the book anyway, knowing that it is not nearly as in-depth or all-encompassing as the other books, but there are very good reasons for that.

Little bit short compared to the first 6 books, but interesting never the less.

Leitura rápida, fácil e que entretêm. Para quem quer treinar o inglês, é uma boa pedida. Nada muito complicado e construções que usamos no dia a dia.

I had not expected a short story. Maybe others know Good Reads are like this but I felt disappointed at the abrupt ending. A good murder story though! The setting in a lovely Canadian village is beautiful so a murder is out of place. Luckily our hero Chief Inspector Gamache is on the scene. The plot is well designed with an ending that caught me out.

Again another interesting mystery. Didn’t see the ending. Kept you in suspense. Love the way Louise Penny explores people’s emotions, fears and reasons behind their actions.

I like Louise Penny's other Inspector Gamache books better - more detail and plot intrigue.