Online reviews for “Nature of the Beast” by Louise Penny are split. Many readers found the story too far-fetched. A “supergun,” found decades after the end of the Cold War, in a remote Canadian forest? Discovered only after the nearby murder of a troubled young boy?
Whatta stretch.
Even more of a stretch: The weapon is found near the tiny village of Three Pines, where Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, have retired. So the inspector is right there to investigate. How convenient is that?
Die-hard fans felt that the author had strayed too far from what they had come to love about her works.
But I’m not quite sure what that is. Not having read any of Penny’s other novels, I was enthralled with “Nature of the Beast.” Penny’s strong character development and ability to carry a reader along through plot twists and turns had me hooked, and the story swept me along to a satisfactory conclusion.
And then I found out that the giant gun and its creator were actually real, and the story Penny told in “Nature of the Beast” is based on truth. (What’s that saying about it being stranger than something?)
For me — again and always — it’s about the writing, folks. Can’t wait to read some of her earlier works.
