Bury Your DeadBury Your Dead
Score Modern
What it's about
It's Winter Carnival in Quebec City, bitterly cold and beautiful. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has come not to celebrate but to recover from an investigation gone hauntingly wrong. Then, in the Literary and Historical Society, a historian obsessed with finding the remains of Quebec's founder, Samuel de Champlain, is murdered.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Anthony Award. Many readers consider it one of the best Gamache novels.
You'll love it if you liked
The Brutal Telling
A Trick of the Light
How the Light Gets InGood to know
It's the sixth Gamache book and follows The Brutal Telling closely; read them in order.
By the numbers
- Readers90 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics43 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller25 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz1 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #46 of the 623 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #266 of the 1,648 modern books we rank
- #551 of the 3,057 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
More by Louise Penny
A Great ReckoningHow the Light Gets InA Trick of the Light
A World of CuriositiesIf you like this, read next
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Verity
Gone Girl
The Martian
2666
Gideon the NinthExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is Bury Your Dead worth reading?
Yes. It won the Anthony Award. It ranks #551 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Bury Your Dead about?
It's Winter Carnival in Quebec City, bitterly cold and beautiful. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache has come not to celebrate but to recover from an investigation gone hauntingly wrong. Then, in the Literary and Historical Society, a historian obsessed with finding the remains of Quebec's founder, Samuel de Champlain, is murdered.
How long does it take to read Bury Your Dead?
About 13 hours (517 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Bury Your Dead won?
Anthony Award winner (2011).
What should I read after Bury Your Dead?
If you liked it, try The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny, A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny or How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny.