Certain writers remain utterly reliable, utterly enchanting * Herald Sun *
Excellent....a captivating whodunit plot, a clever fair-play clue concealed in plain view, and the deft use of humor to lighten the story's dark patches. On a deeper level, the crime provides a means for Penny's unusually empathic, all-too-fallible lead to unearth truths about human passions and weaknesses while avoiding simple answers * Publishers Weekly *
Penny - who melds prose at once expressive and restrained with a keen understanding of human emotions - creates a novel that earns its title, a book that shines with the grace and compassion that stamp her work * Richmond Times Dispatch *
Haunting, brilliant...Chief Inspector Gamache is one of my favourite characters in fiction * Linda Fairstein *
Penny writes with grace and intelligence about complex people struggling with complex emotions. But her great gift is her uncanny ability to describe what might seem indescribable - the play of light, the sound of celestial music, a quiet sense of peace * New York Times *
With enormous empathy for the troubled human soul - and an ending that makes your blood race and your heart break - Penny continues to raise the bar of her splendid series * People magazine *
For the reader, meanwhile, there's a final beautiful mystery to contemplate: How does Penny consistently write such luminous and compassionate books? * Seattle Times *
With The Beautiful Mystery, there's no longer any doubt: Penny is Canada's best contemporary crime writer, among the best in the world, and one of our best writers, period * Winnipeg Free Press *
Utterly reliable, utterly enchanting * Sunday Herald *
A compelling and compassionate whodunnit * Irish Times *
An ingenious, gripping novel... recommended without reservation * Irish Independent *
An ingenious, gripping and elegantly written mystery... an utterly magical read * Irish Independent *
