Bookstore and blog for fans of international mysteries and thrillers
Excerpts from Reviews
“Gamache is a prodigiously complicated and engaging hero, destined to become one of the classic detectives.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Mystery readers who want more than puzzles and thrills look for serious purpose and literary value, and Canadian writer Louise Penny provides both in spades—and hearts.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“If you don’t give your heart to Gamache, you may have no heart to give.”—Kirkus Review (starred review)
“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.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Cerebral, wise and compassionate, Gamache is destined for stardom.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“ [Penny’s] deceptively simple style masks the complex patterns of a well-devised plot.”
—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
“The setting is entrancing… Well done!”
—Deadly Pleasures
*Starred Review* “Penny, elevating herself to the pantheon that houses P.D. James, Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters, demonstrates an exquisite touch with characterization, plotting and artistic sensitivity. And there could be no better explanation of A.A. than you will find here.” —Kirkus Reviews
*Starred Review* "Penny’s first five crime novels in her Armand Gamache series have all been outstanding, but her latest is the best yet, a true tour de force of storytelling." —Booklist
“Penny’s plotting has been compared to Agatha Christie’s...in these wonderful books full of poetry and weather and a brooding manor house, and people who read and think and laugh and eat a lot of really excellent food. Move over, Mitford.”—The Charlotte Observer
“Don’t look for the hamlet of Three Pines anywhere on a map . . . although Louise Penny has made the town and its residents so real . . . that you might just try to find it.”—The Chicago Tribune
“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
“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
Still Life (2008, Chief Inspector Gamache/ Three Pines #1)
WINNER! New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys Award
A chilling murder at Christmas brings Gamache and the team back to town for another satisfying exploration of the darkness within the human heart.
When the most unpopular woman in town is murdered at a curling match, Gamache and his team return to Three Pines .
Highly recommended. Full of suspense and humor.
When love turns to hate, all hell breaks lose in Three Pines and at Surêté headquarters in Montreal. 
The Brutal Telling (2009, Chief Inspector Gamache/ Three Pines #5)
If you can only read one Three Pines mystery, read this one. It is simultaneously hopeful and heartbreaking. A great book.
Violent death follows Gamache to Quebec City where he has gone to recover emotionally and physically from a tragic encounter with a group of terrorists.
Each book in this insightful series is wittier, wiser, and more wonderful than the last. Gamache may be the most compassionate investigator plying his trade in the pages of contemporary fiction.
When Clara finds a body in her back garden, the team heads to Three Pines for the seventh time. . .
The Brightest Light Casts the Darkest Shadow
The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series by Louise Penny
Highly recommended for a world-class detective, a new spin on the traditional village mystery, and more than a few great bistro meals.
Like most great detectives, Gamache has a philosophy of murder: he believes that murders happen when emotions curdle and turn into poison within the human spirit. So, as he interviews suspects, Gamache probes for emotional truth as well as for facts. What emerges is a rich world of complex characters: brave, funny, loving and, every so often, lethal. Louise Penny breathes new life into a venerable form: the village mystery with a cast of characters destined for immortality.
Gamache and his team head to the village of Three Pines when a beloved citizen dies in suspicious circumstances.A Fatal Grace (2008, Chief Inspector Gamache/ Three Pines #2)
WINNER! 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel
Cruelest Month (2007, Chief Inspector Gamache/
Three Pines #3)
WINNER! 2008 Agatha Award for Best Novel
Fabulous! Terrific mystery and a deep look into Gamache's past. Plus, Clara's in-laws are a hinky bunch! Fans of traditional "country house weekend" mysteries will appreciate the way Penny has updated the form.
All the suspects gathered at the luxurious inn in the wilderness are carrying heavy baggage from childhood. But only one of them is a murderer. . . A Rule Against Murder (2008, Chief Inspector Gamache/ Three Pines #4)
Is our Olivier a murderer? If you read this, you must also read the next in the series, Bury Your Dead.
Until they discovered his corpse in the bistro, the good citizens of Three Pines were unaware that a man lived in the woods just over the hill from their village green.Bury Your Dead (2010, Chief Inspector Gamache/ Three Pines #6) NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A Trick of the Light (2011, Chief Inspector Gamache/ Three Pines #7)
Titles in this Series
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?
WHO IS CHIEF INSPECTOR ARMAND GAMACHE?
