Bookstore and blog for fans of international mysteries and thrillers
Time & Place: the fictional village of Three Pines in present-day Quebec, Canada (near the U.S. border)
Plot: Chief Inspector Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.
First Few Lines from Still Life
"Miss Jane Neal met her maker in the early morning mist of Thanksgiving Sunday. It was pretty much a surprise all round. Miss Neal's was not a natural death, unless you're of the belief that everything happens as it's supposed to."
Excerpts from Reviews
Publishers Weekly: *Starred Review* "Canadian Penny's terrific first novel, which was the runner-up for the CWA's Debut Dagger Award in 2004, introduces Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec. When the body of Jane Neal, a middle-aged artist, is found near a woodland trail used by deer hunters outside the village of Three Pines, it appears she's the victim of a hunting accident. Summoned to the scene, Gamache, an appealingly competent senior homicide investigator, soon determines that the woman was most likely murdered. Like a virtuoso, Penny plays a complex variation on the theme of the clue hidden in plain sight. She deftly uses the bilingual, bicultural aspect of Quebecois life as well as arcane aspects of archery and art to deepen her narrative. Memorable characters include Jane; Jane's shallow niece, Yolande; and a delightful gay couple, Olivier and Gabri. Filled with unexpected insights, this winning traditional mystery sets a solid foundation for future entries in the series. "
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Booklist: *Starred Review* "The residents of a tiny Canadian village called Three Pines are shocked when the body of Miss Jane Neal is found in the woods. Miss Neal, the village's retired schoolteacher and a talented amateur artist, has been a good friend to most of the townsfolk, so her loss is keenly felt. At first, her death appears to be a tragic accident--it's deer-hunting season, and it looks a stray hunter's arrow killed her. But some folks are suspicious, and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Montreal Surete is called in to investigate. Accompanying Gamache are his loyal assistant Beauvoir and Yvette Nichol, a new addition to Gamache's team. The trio soon finds that the seemingly peaceful, friendly village hides dark secrets. The truth is both bizarre and shocking, even to the jaded Gamache and his team. This is a real gem of a book that slowly draws the reader into a beautifully told, lyrically written story of love, life, friendship, and tragedy. And it's a pretty darn good mystery too. This belongs in the same league with such other outstanding Canadian mysteries as Eric Wright's Charlie Salter series." —Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
People magazine: “A rare treat.”
Chicago Tribune: “It’s hard to decide what provides the most pleasure in this enjoyable book: Gamache, a shrewd and kindly man constantly surprised by homicide; the village, which sounds at first like an ideal place to escape from civilization; or the clever and carefully constructed plot.”
Kirkus Reviews: *Starred Review* “Cerebral, wise and compassionate, Gamache is destined for stardom. Don’t miss this stellar debut.”
The New York Times Book Review: “[An] auspicious debut… [Penny’s] deceptively simple style masks the complex patterns of a well-devised plot.”—Marilyn Stasio
Denver Post: “A perfectly executed traditional mystery.”
Deadly Pleasures: “A stellar debut novel. The setting is entrancing… Well done!”
Author Review: “A gem of a debut novel—clever, charming, with perceptively realized characters… and the enormously appealing Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. I can’t wait for the next installment.”—Deborah Crombie, author of Water Like a Stone
Author Review: “An excellent, subtle plot full of understanding of the deeper places in human nature, and many wise observations that will enrich the reader long after the pages are closed.”—Anne Perry, author of Long Spoon Lane
Author Review: “Georges Simenon kept Maigret going for over a hundred books. It will be a delight for all of us who love detective fiction if Louise Penny can stay around long enough to do the same for Gamache.”—Reginald Hill, author of The Stranger House
Author Review: “Still Life is a masterpiece of a traditional drawing room mystery, repainted in the autumnal colors of the Canadian countryside. Louise Penny is a storytelling artist.”—Julia Spencer-Fleming, author of To Darkness and to Death
Author Review: “What a joy it is to discover a detective like Armand Gamache, strong, calm and charismatic and at work on a good mystery in a believable setting.”
—Peter Lovesey, author of The Circle
Author Review: “What a joy to read a crime novel written with such skill and integrity, strong on character and atmosphere...I couldn't put it down.” —Margaret Yorke, author of False Pretences
Author Review: “Still Life is a lovely, clever book and I hope I shall be reading a lot more by Louise Penny!”—Ann Granger, author of That Way Murder Lies
ABOUT THE BOOK
Books in this Series
The Murderer Next Door
Still Life (2008, Chief Inspector Gamache/ Three Pines #1)
by Louise Penny
Last Honourable Man in Surêté du Québec
Chief Inspector Gamache refused to turn a blind eye when his colleagues sucuumbed to corruption: now they will have their revenge. Can this cerebral and civilized cop prevail without losing his integrity —or his life?
Highly recommended to those who like a witty, thoughtful, psychologically acute, non-violent mystery. A cast of characters destined for immortality. Louise Penny breathes new life into a venerable form: the village mystery.
Gamache and his team head to the village of Three Pines when a beloved citizen dies in suspicious circumstances.
WHO IS CHIEF INSPECTOR ARMAND GAMACHE?
