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Available
Call number
Description
On a cold November morning, a jogger runs through the woods in the peaceful Quebec village of Three Pines. On his run, he finds a dead man hanging from a tree. The dead man was a guest at the local Inn and Spa. He might have been looking for peace and quiet, but something else found him. Something horrible. Did the man take his own life? Or was he murdered? Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is called to the crime scene. As Gamache follows the trail of clues, he opens a door into the past. And he learns the true reason why the man came to Three Pines.
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Collection
Publication
Grass Roots Press (2020), Edition: First Edition, 98 pages
User reviews
LibraryThing member thornton37814
Penny has written a novella featuring Gamache and Beauvoir investigating a man who is found hanging in the forest near Three Pines. It's a short, quick read which was written for a project encouraging literacy in Canada. The plot lacks the layers that her longer novels have, but it's still an
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interesting puzzle, particularly for such a short work. I liked the manner in which the author wove in a few of the Three Pines characters, but I must confess to missing appearances by some of the others. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
The (Good Reads) label was the clue that this novella was written as part of the Canadian Government's Literacy Project.
Louise Penny says
It's written as part of a programme called GoodReads Canada, which was created by national literacy organizations to publish books aimed at emerging adult
Nevertheless, despite the lack of detail and the limited vocabulary level of the book, it was a quick and enjoyable read. There was nothing wrong with the plot construction. It is still a mystery with red herrings and a trail of clues.
It really only featured 3 of the usual residents of Three Pines, one of whom is a suspect for the murder.
It really didn't add to my knowledge of the village, and it did feel different to Penny's usual well thought out writing style.
But there's some humour for those of us who are regular crime fiction readers. Watch out for Arthur Ellis!
I like to see authors involved in literacy projects. It shows me that they are in touch with the real world.
Louise Penny says
It's written as part of a programme called GoodReads Canada, which was created by national literacy organizations to publish books aimed at emerging adult
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readers. THE HANGMAN is written at a grade 3 level, for adults. Very clear, very simple. Not really the most complex plot or style, for obvious reasons. Nevertheless, despite the lack of detail and the limited vocabulary level of the book, it was a quick and enjoyable read. There was nothing wrong with the plot construction. It is still a mystery with red herrings and a trail of clues.
It really only featured 3 of the usual residents of Three Pines, one of whom is a suspect for the murder.
It really didn't add to my knowledge of the village, and it did feel different to Penny's usual well thought out writing style.
But there's some humour for those of us who are regular crime fiction readers. Watch out for Arthur Ellis!
I like to see authors involved in literacy projects. It shows me that they are in touch with the real world.
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LibraryThing member alanteder
Louise Penny's "The Hangman" is a short story/novella that was published between the 6th & 7th Chief Inspector Armand Gamache full-length novels "Bury Your Dead" and "A Trick of the Light". It is part of a series called "Good Reads" where about a dozen Canadian authors have provided a short work
The plot of "The Hangman" involves an apparent suicide by a visitor to Three Pines Village who is there under the assumed name of Arthur Ellis. Some might recognize that name from the Arthur Ellis Awards presented by the Crime Writers of Canada. Louise Penny herself won it for Best First Novel in 2007 for "Still Life" and for Best Crime Novel in 2011 for "Bury Your Dead". The likely lesser known bit of Canadian trivia revealed in "The Hangman" is that the Arthur Ellis Awards aren't named after an early Canadian crime writer but are instead named for the pseudonym used by Canada's Chief Executioner from 1912-1935 and by some others afterwards. This forms a major clue in the solving of the mystery.
"The Hangman" is a stand-alone work that doesn't require any background knowledge about Chief Inspector Gamache and his assistant Inspector Beauvoir or the characters in Three Pines Village where the short murder mystery takes place. The story is kept very straightforward without the several plot-lines and flashbacks that have been otherwise used by author Penny. The language is also at an easy reading level and the font size is also close to Large Print Size. There are still enough red-herrings and investigative discoveries to be made for this to be an enjoyable read for Louise Penny and Chief Inspector Gamache fans.
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for adult literacy promotion.The plot of "The Hangman" involves an apparent suicide by a visitor to Three Pines Village who is there under the assumed name of Arthur Ellis. Some might recognize that name from the Arthur Ellis Awards presented by the Crime Writers of Canada. Louise Penny herself won it for Best First Novel in 2007 for "Still Life" and for Best Crime Novel in 2011 for "Bury Your Dead". The likely lesser known bit of Canadian trivia revealed in "The Hangman" is that the Arthur Ellis Awards aren't named after an early Canadian crime writer but are instead named for the pseudonym used by Canada's Chief Executioner from 1912-1935 and by some others afterwards. This forms a major clue in the solving of the mystery.
"The Hangman" is a stand-alone work that doesn't require any background knowledge about Chief Inspector Gamache and his assistant Inspector Beauvoir or the characters in Three Pines Village where the short murder mystery takes place. The story is kept very straightforward without the several plot-lines and flashbacks that have been otherwise used by author Penny. The language is also at an easy reading level and the font size is also close to Large Print Size. There are still enough red-herrings and investigative discoveries to be made for this to be an enjoyable read for Louise Penny and Chief Inspector Gamache fans.
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LibraryThing member BrianEWilliams
A good entertaining short story. There's not much character development for either the recurring characters or the story specific ones, but that's to be expected in a short story. The story is well-plotted.
LibraryThing member cyderry
In this short story Inspector Gamache is summon to the area of Three Pines because a body has been found hanging in the woods, an apparent suicide. But Gamache thinks otherwise. No identification on the body doesn't stop the police, his effects have been found in at the nearby B&B.
Investigation
A fascinating short story that held all the same ingredients of Penny's full-length novels but not all the complexities.
Investigation
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into the victim's history reveals motive as well as direction to the killer.A fascinating short story that held all the same ingredients of Penny's full-length novels but not all the complexities.
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
The discovery of a man's body hanging on a tree near Three Pines brings Inspector Armand Gamache and his right-hand-man Jean Guy Beauvoir back to this familiar village. The death has the appearance of suicide, but there are some small inconsistencies that lead Gamache to conclude that the man has
This novella is part of a series of novellas by Canadian authors designed to encourage literacy. The language and structure of the story are, by design, simpler than Penny's usual work. The subplots that characterize Penny's Gamache series – internal Sûreté politics, the psychological baggage of a police operation with tragic consequences, and interpersonal tensions affecting the inhabitants of Three Pines – are missing from this novella. Only a few of the regular characters appear in the story. Yet even within the constraints of this project, Penny still finds a way to surprise and delight series fans. This stand-alone story may appease readers waiting impatiently for the release of the latest book, and it may whet the appetite of readers new to the series.
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been murdered. The first thing the investigators need to do is determine the man's identity. There is nothing on his body or in his room at the local inn and spa to confirm the name he used to register. Might the motive for murder be linked to his true identity?This novella is part of a series of novellas by Canadian authors designed to encourage literacy. The language and structure of the story are, by design, simpler than Penny's usual work. The subplots that characterize Penny's Gamache series – internal Sûreté politics, the psychological baggage of a police operation with tragic consequences, and interpersonal tensions affecting the inhabitants of Three Pines – are missing from this novella. Only a few of the regular characters appear in the story. Yet even within the constraints of this project, Penny still finds a way to surprise and delight series fans. This stand-alone story may appease readers waiting impatiently for the release of the latest book, and it may whet the appetite of readers new to the series.
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LibraryThing member bell7
This short story featuring Chief Inspector Gamache and some characters from Three Pines was written for Good Reads, a group promoting adult literacy in Canada. The idea is to have easy to read short stories by popular authors for adults who may not have strong reading skills or want a shorter story
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to get them reading again. For that purpose, I do think this story is successful. However, since I'm used to the longer, more complex stories in this series, I was not as impressed with this one as I have been of the others. With simpler vocabulary than usual, I found Penny's tendencies to sentence fragments irritating. Gamache or Beauvoir rather suddenly find things out, and we don't get as much of their workings toward the solution. Even so, I was entirely surprised by the solution. Show Less
LibraryThing member mjspear
A jogger discovers a body hanging from a tree. Suicide? Or murder?
Evidence quickly points to the latter and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache must solve the crime from a group of colorful characters. This is a well-done who-done-it... simple language that is nonetheless humorous and, at times,
Evidence quickly points to the latter and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache must solve the crime from a group of colorful characters. This is a well-done who-done-it... simple language that is nonetheless humorous and, at times,
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thought-provoking... sort of Raymond Chandler light. This is great fodder for the reluctant reader... the only slightly off-putting things might be the Quebec location and the (French) Canadian influences. Show Less
LibraryThing member mjspear
A jogger discovers a body hanging from a tree. Suicide? Or murder?
Evidence quickly points to the latter and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache must solve the crime from a group of colorful characters. This is a well-done who-done-it... simple language that is nonetheless humorous and, at times,
Evidence quickly points to the latter and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache must solve the crime from a group of colorful characters. This is a well-done who-done-it... simple language that is nonetheless humorous and, at times,
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thought-provoking... sort of Raymond Chandler light. This is great fodder for the reluctant reader... the only slightly off-putting things might be the Quebec location and the (French) Canadian influences. Show Less
LibraryThing member TerriS
My first Louise Penny read. It was fine. Just a typical murder mystery. Really not very exciting or dramatic, IMO.
LibraryThing member TheBookJunky
Like a tiny Agatha Christie story.
LibraryThing member Doondeck
A nice little short story. Not one of Gamache's most interesting cases.
LibraryThing member ChelleBearss
I found this quick novella on Kobo by Louise Penny and since she is my current author obsession I snatched it up. At only 99 pages it was a quick easy read with some of the same characters as the other Three Pines books. While it is not the same quality as the others it was still enjoyable.
This is
"A brand new novella, with Chief Inspector Gamache and set in Three Pines, is now available through the publishers, Grass Roots Press. It's written as part of a programme called GoodReads Canada, which was created by national literacy organizations to publish books aimed at emerging adult readers. So, THE HANGMAN is written at a grade 3 level, for adults. Very clear, very simple. Not really the most complex plot or style, for obvious reasons."
This is
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the blurb from her website about the creation of this novella:"A brand new novella, with Chief Inspector Gamache and set in Three Pines, is now available through the publishers, Grass Roots Press. It's written as part of a programme called GoodReads Canada, which was created by national literacy organizations to publish books aimed at emerging adult readers. So, THE HANGMAN is written at a grade 3 level, for adults. Very clear, very simple. Not really the most complex plot or style, for obvious reasons."
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LibraryThing member hopeevey
This novella was written to be an easy reader, as part of a Canadian literacy program. Even with a limited vocabulary and simplified grammatical structure, Ms. Penny writes a beautiful story. It lacks some of the depth of the regular installments in the series, but there's only so deep you can go
Come to think, this might be a way to get new readers into the series :)
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in a novella. Come to think, this might be a way to get new readers into the series :)
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LibraryThing member DrLed
Synopsis: 'On a cold November morning, a jogger runs through the woods in the peaceful Quebec village of Three Pines. On his run, he finds a dead man hanging from a tree. The dead man had been a guest at the local Inn and Spa. He might have been looking for peace and quiet, but something else found
Review: Interesting story and a nice introduction to Louise Penny stories.
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him. Something horrible. Did the man take his own life? Or was he murdered? Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is called to the crime scene. As Gamache follows the trail of clues, he opens a door into the past. And he learns the true reason why the man came to Three Pines.'Review: Interesting story and a nice introduction to Louise Penny stories.
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LibraryThing member Bookish59
Good easy read; good for new readers. I would have loved something longer.
LibraryThing member jamespurcell
A brief but neat story which begins with retribution and ends appropriately with irony.
LibraryThing member delphimo
I cherish the books of Louise Penny except for The Hangman. This novel begins and ends quickly with little interaction with the lovely characters of Three Pines. The man centers on a hangman who seeks vengeance for the brutal death of his wife and daughter killed by a carload of four young adults.
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The usual strong characters and heart-rending setting disappear in this novella. The language reminds me of an amateur writer and not the eloquence of a seasoned author. The story is brief and over in one setting, which disappointed this reader. Show Less
LibraryThing member belgrade18
Really a short story, apparently written as an easy read for new readers (kudos to Louise Penny for participating in the project), but not an essential part of the series. More like a quick fix if you're a Gamache fan. Recommended, but it will only take an hour or two of your time.
LibraryThing member SamSattler
Louise Penny’s novella, The Hangman, was part of the Good Reads project sponsored by ABC Life Literacy Canada. That project, funded in part by the Canadian government, was meant to introduce Canadian authors to a wider reading public. By the time Penny wrote The Hangman, she had already written
Gamache is called back to Three Pines to investigate a suspicious death after a morning jogger stumbles upon a dead man hanging from a tree. By all appearances, the man seems to have taken his own life, but after Gamache reads his rather cryptic suicide note, the inspector decides it is more likely that he was murdered. Now, Gamache and Inspector Beauvoir are going to have to figure out who the man really is, what he came to Three Pines hoping to find, and who decided to kill him.
The Hangman is short even by novella standards, coming in at only 89 short pages of text, so there is not a lot of room in it for character development or setting description. Readers familiar with the Gamache series will recognize Three Pines, Gamache, Beauvoir, and a Three Pines character or two such as Myrna (the bookstore owner) and Gabri (the pub owner) from the village, but other than Gamache none of the characters are much fleshed out, and their previous relationships get only a quick nod from Penny.
But short as it is, Penny does offer a few insights into Gamache’s methods and a general observation or two about people and crime that, although not particularly deep, are striking. Little asides like:
“People rich in money might belong at the Inn and Spa, but those rich in other ways belonged in the tiny village of Three Pines. Here, kindness was the real currency.”
Or this observation from Gamache:
“Still Paul Goulet looked blank. Chief Inspector Gamache knew how difficult that was. A person’s face almost always had some expression on it.
A blank face was a wall. Put there on purpose, to hide something.”
And, finally, this Gamache thought after a comment by Gabri:
‘“Arthur Ellis,” said Gabri, almost to himself. “He sounds so normal. Seemed so normal.”
Gamache had to agree. But he also knew normal people were killed all the time. It was the murderer who wasn’t normal.”
Bottom Line: The Hangman is an entertaining mystery story, but it is a little too stark for readers who first met Gamache and Three Pines in the Inspector Gamache novels to really sink their teeth into. Gamache completists will definitely want to read it, but it is not likely to become one of their series favorites.
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six Inspector Gamache novels, so some booksellers list this 2010 novella as book number 6 ½ in that series. (With the planned September 2020 release of All the Devils Are Here, the series will have reached 16 novels.) The problem is that The Hangman is a shadow of any of the Gamache novels.Gamache is called back to Three Pines to investigate a suspicious death after a morning jogger stumbles upon a dead man hanging from a tree. By all appearances, the man seems to have taken his own life, but after Gamache reads his rather cryptic suicide note, the inspector decides it is more likely that he was murdered. Now, Gamache and Inspector Beauvoir are going to have to figure out who the man really is, what he came to Three Pines hoping to find, and who decided to kill him.
The Hangman is short even by novella standards, coming in at only 89 short pages of text, so there is not a lot of room in it for character development or setting description. Readers familiar with the Gamache series will recognize Three Pines, Gamache, Beauvoir, and a Three Pines character or two such as Myrna (the bookstore owner) and Gabri (the pub owner) from the village, but other than Gamache none of the characters are much fleshed out, and their previous relationships get only a quick nod from Penny.
But short as it is, Penny does offer a few insights into Gamache’s methods and a general observation or two about people and crime that, although not particularly deep, are striking. Little asides like:
“People rich in money might belong at the Inn and Spa, but those rich in other ways belonged in the tiny village of Three Pines. Here, kindness was the real currency.”
Or this observation from Gamache:
“Still Paul Goulet looked blank. Chief Inspector Gamache knew how difficult that was. A person’s face almost always had some expression on it.
A blank face was a wall. Put there on purpose, to hide something.”
And, finally, this Gamache thought after a comment by Gabri:
‘“Arthur Ellis,” said Gabri, almost to himself. “He sounds so normal. Seemed so normal.”
Gamache had to agree. But he also knew normal people were killed all the time. It was the murderer who wasn’t normal.”
Bottom Line: The Hangman is an entertaining mystery story, but it is a little too stark for readers who first met Gamache and Three Pines in the Inspector Gamache novels to really sink their teeth into. Gamache completists will definitely want to read it, but it is not likely to become one of their series favorites.
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LibraryThing member LDVoorberg
This book is written simply and therefore perfect for adult English-language Learners or teens/adults who are not strong readers. The mystery is on caliber with Penny's other Gamache books, but without the poetry of her writing or the intricacy of multiple subplots.
LibraryThing member avanders
Given the purpose of this book, well done. But for 3 Pines fans, it’s not, you know, an actual novel :).
LibraryThing member jennybeast
I was so confused about this novella -- reading it, I was having a hard time even believing it had been written by Louise Penny, because it was so different from the main series -- short, declarative sentences. No veering into the emotional lives of the main characters. No mention of the ruction
However! Some of the other reviewers mention that it was created specifically "as an "easy reader" for adults with reading difficulties." and the light came on -- that makes so much sense, and what a cool project. So I'm not going to star it, because all the stars for the project, but only a couple of stars for the series continuation, and when I have a conflict like that I just don't rate it at all. I am really glad this exists, and I think even more kindly on L.P. for giving back to the community in this way.
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between Gamache and Beauvoir. It's like alternative universe Louise Penny. However! Some of the other reviewers mention that it was created specifically "as an "easy reader" for adults with reading difficulties." and the light came on -- that makes so much sense, and what a cool project. So I'm not going to star it, because all the stars for the project, but only a couple of stars for the series continuation, and when I have a conflict like that I just don't rate it at all. I am really glad this exists, and I think even more kindly on L.P. for giving back to the community in this way.
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LibraryThing member alanna1122
Short and Sweet. I read this is part of an initiative in Canada to make reading more accessible so they have popular authors write things in their genres but in a shorter more simplified way - I think that is an amazing idea - honestly it was so fun to breeze through this. It had all the feeling
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and characters from her other books but was snack sized. Loved it. Great book for someone in a reading rut to pick up. Show Less
LibraryThing member tangledthread
This is a novella version of a Three Pines Mystery where a man is found hanging in the woods outside the village. The victim is using the alias Arthur Ellis which is the same alias used by the man who was the official hangman of Canada.
It is a rather dark story of revenge.
It is a rather dark story of revenge.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2010-09-01
Physical description
7.81 inches
ISBN
1926583248 / 9781926583242
Other editions
The Hangman by Louise Penny (Paperback)
The Hangman by Louise Penny (Paperback)