The Brutal Telling: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel  is a mystery and I do not usually read mysteries.  I am not overly fond of the genre, essentially becsause I read to escape from the brutal truths of reality, so murder mysteries not that fun.  Plus you either know who did it way ahead of time or it could easily be several people who had motive and opportunity and the seems like the author randomly chooses one of them in the end.  That being said I liked the 'Brutal Telling' and likely would like more of the same series as a result.  The author is an excellent writer, so the structure does not get in the way of the story.  The main detectives and their relation to each other is captivating.  I think what I enjoyed about the plot is that it is a mystery within a mystery.  Yes, there is a dead dude, but no one knows who he was or where he was killed.  And as things unravel more mysteries drew me in until I really, really wanted to know what went down.  Although, since it is a small town full of interesting people, I did not want any of them to be guilty of the crime.  Alas, a stranger being killed by a stranger simply would not make much of a story.  I would recomend this one to any of those mystery readers out there (and will in fact be passing this one on to my mom, who loves mysteries).