No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is known as "the beautiful mystery."

But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery's massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. One of the brothers, in this life of prayer and contemplation, has been contemplating murder. As the peace of the monastery crumbles, Gamache is forced to confront some of his own demons, as well as those roaming the remote corridors. Before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in between.

The Beautiful Mystery is the winner of the 2012 Agatha Award for best novel, the 2013 Anthony Award for best novel and the 2013 Macavity Award for best novel.

LOUISE PENNY, a former CBC radio journalist, is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of fourteen Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has been awarded the John Creasey Dagger, Nero, Macavity and Barry Awards, as well as two each of the Arthur Ellis and Dilys Awards. Additionally, Penny has won six Agatha Awards and five Anthony Awards, and has been a finalist for an Edgar Award. She lives in a small village south of Montréal.

Her first Armand Gamache novel, "Still Life" won the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony and Dilys Awards.

Awards:

* Agatha Award: Best Novel

o 2007 – A Fatal Grace – Winner

o 2008 – The Cruelest Month – Winner

o 2009 – The Brutal Telling – Winner

o 2010 – Bury Your Dead – Winner

o 2013 – The Beautiful Mystery – Winner

* Arthur Ellis Award

o 2006 – Still Life – Winner Best First Crime Novel

o 2011 – Bury Your Dead – Winner Best Crime Novel

* Barry Award

o 2007 – Still Life – Best First Novel Winner

* Anthony Award

o 2007 – Still Life – Best First Novel Winner

o 2009 – The Brutal Telling – Best Novel Winner

o 2010 – Bury Your Dead – Best Novel Winner

o 2013 – The Beautiful Mystery – Best Novel Winner

* Macavity Award

o 2011 – Bury Your Dead – Best Mystery Novel Winner

o 2013 – The Beautiful Mystery – Best Mystery Novel Winner