Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards.Chief Inspector Armand 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 … 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.
Still Life introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces—and this series—with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny.
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Still Life by Louise Penny won the Book Bucket List contest on my blog in August 2020, which meant any friends, followers, and fans wanted me to read this one next… so I grabbed a copy from the NYPL and read it last week. At first, I had a difficult time connecting with the characters, but by the third chapter I was invested and really enjoyed the book. Let’s dive a little deeper…
Armand Gamache is an inspector in a small country village set not too far from Montreal, Canada. He rarely has any homicides, but one of the elderly villagers is found dead in the wooded area. It appears to be a hunting accident, shot with an arrow. Poor Jane Neal! Everyone liked her… well at least one person didn’t, obviously! LOL Armand works with a few police members on his team and determines that a young teenager must’ve done it. The kid’s father confesses, and Gamache decides something is amiss. Toss in a few friends of Jane’s, a relative or two, and strange folks around town, you’ve got quite the mystery to solve. And don’t forget about all the artwork that must mean something, but it’s uneasily grasped by most, even arguably considered amazing and horrific all at the same time. Which is the truth?
Part of why I struggled in the beginning is the process of settling into a non-American cozy mystery. While I end up liking some British ones, depending on the style and setting, it’s often hit or miss, and I’ve only read a couple of books set in Canada. The relationships and language were a little different, plus it was as if the humor was off and some details were missing that I needed to adjust. But like I’ve come to adore Midsomer Murders (very reminiscent), I found myself adapting and enjoying this one a lot. I see lots of potential and I will definitely read more in the future.
As a mystery, it’s very good. I picked up on a line toward the beginning and made a guess early on. I was wrong, and oddly enough, the line turned out not to be significant. I will say it was a miss and left a hole. That said, not all red herrings need answers. Sometimes in reality, questions go unanswered about a murder, right? Armand is a good detective who admits his faults. I was a little concerned how he treated one of his team members, but she also acted very oddly, and it wasn’t quite explained. I’m sure it’ll be addressed in the future. I want to meet Armand’s wife too. We only heard about her in this book. I wonder if she’ll always by a mystery!
In terms of the characters, everyone was spot on. I did feel a slight unfair amount of language included toward gay people… and while it wasn’t homophobic or slurs… it did feel like the story didn’t come full circle enough. It’s important to include characters who represent reality, so this was a nice balance, but I think I would’ve liked a bit of acceptance or tolerance from someone at some point to show reality properly. The house was so beautifully described, as well as all the art work, it would’ve just taken a couple of extra lines to make this theme a bit more well-rounded too. I believe the gay character appears in many more books, so it’ll probably develop quite nicely… and this was 2007, so I understand time in relation to literature. Way too much focus on this area in my review!
Overall… thrilled with the chance to finally read a Louise Penny. Thanks to all the voters. There will be more from her canon in the coming months!
After starting to read Louise Penney with her fifth Book – Bury Your Dead – I’m back to the beginning of the Armand Gamache series at Book One. It’s interesting to meet the characters that I’ve known so well for so many years, and to see the development of a wonderful writer. It’s like reading a modern classic.
Louise Penny is my absolute, all-time favorite author and “Still Life” is the first in her Inspector Gamache series, which is why I chose to review this one first. From the very first page of this beautiful story, the reader learns that Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of the Surete de Quebec homicide, is no ordinary homicide detective. At every murder scene, Gamache is surprised, surprised that a person is dead and dead in such cruel ways, surprised at the inhumanity of the act of murder, surprised at the coldness of death. He approaches each murder with a sharp eye for detail and tenderness for the victim.
The murders take place in the fictional village of Three Pines, just outside Quebec, a place of intense beauty. Penny creates a cast of characters who have chosen to live in Three Pines and she weaves them throughout the thirteen, soon to be fourteen, novels in this series. The reader becomes intimately involved in the lives of Gabri and Olivier, owners of the Bistro and Inn, Myrna, owner of the book shop, Clara and Peter, local artists, and the inimitable Ruth, poet laureate and resident alcoholic, as well as the lives of Gamache and his team.
Penny’s prose is delicious and addictive, impossible to walk away from her novels without wanting more. I highly recommend the entire series.
This is book one of the Inspector Gamache series of mysteries. I read this book and became hooked on the whole series. Louise Penny has created a world you’ll want to move to, the tiny town of Three Pines in Quebec, and characters you’ll want to have dinner with. The mysteries are also complex and very human.
I am recommending this book but I’d like to recommend the whole series. This is book one. Louise Penny’s writing is magnificent. Multiple story lines will keep you engaged and wondering whodunit until the end. I listened to the first few books on audio and the narrator is wonderful.
If you haven’t read Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache crime novels, you should start now. Wonderful characters and setting. I’ve inhaled them all.
I really enjoy Louise Penny’s writing style, and fans of her work won’t be disappointed in this installment in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. The characters are likeable without being perfect; the setting is unique (I’ve never been to Quebec, so I enjoyed learning about it); and the method of murder was interesting. That being said, I did suspect who the killer was beforehand, and once or twice I got confused about whose point of view I was reading. Other than that, it was a great chance to slip into another world and spend some time with the eminently likeable Chief Inspector Gamache.
I actually guessed whodunit fairly early on (I do this in movies, too…drives my husband nuts!), but the characters…oh, the characters! Louise Penny is so observant of human quirks and frailties, and she imbues each and every character with so much life that I felt I knew them as my own neighbours. Penny was recommended to me by three separate and unrelated people in the space of a month…and with good reason. If you love village cozies, you’ll love this, too.
First in the Gamache series, and the best one.
I’m embarrassed it took me so long to read a Louise Penny mystery and now I can’t wait to devour my next… Perfect pacing, original well-developed characters, and plenty of quips and quirks to keep it light. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
This is the first of the series, and I’ve enjoyed every book she’s written. In this series, particularly, it’s more enjoyable to read them in order. Although the mystery in each is resolved within the book, the secondary and tertiary characters, as well as the setting all deepens and develops as the books move forward through the series.
This was an….interesting? book. I liked it very much. Even the parts that I didn’t really like [it is still difficult to read books set in Canada, even though this was in Quebec and not Toronto, where I lived, there were still many references to all things Canadian and sometimes, that is just a tough reminder]. Regardless, I liked it. I like Chief Inspector Gamache and his cohorts [except that hideous Nichole – SHE was a real piece of work ] and I love the small town and its people.
This was a good mystery and I enjoyed how it all played out – I DID guess who the murderer was about midway, but thought I was a complete moron. Turns out I was not. LOL
I will say this about the book – it plays out very slow. V E R Y slow. The chapters are long and it is V E R Y slow. As the book plays out and the layers of the story play out, you start to realize that it needs to be slow – you need this unpeeling and to go quickly would be a disservice to the people of the book and the story-line. I am used to a certain kind of mystery and have forgotten how a “regular” mystery unfolds so differently than the other kind I typically read. And I am being reminded that I like this kind so much – I will absolutely be reading more of Louise Penny.
I’m almost done. Great first in the series. I had the pleasure of hearing Penny speak just last year in my home town. Only place on the West coast where she visited. She is funny, appreciates her readers and cares deeply about her characters. I’m off to the next one.
I enjoyed this book immensely! Ms. Penny has a deal knack for fleshing out various and sundry characters. When chief inspector Armand Gamache is sent from Montreal to solve a homicide in a small hamlet, he is quite out of his element. He must learn the ways of these people, What motivates them, and how they operate. Quite a task, but one he must do in order to solve the case. This is his debut appearance and I believe he did quite well. Good read.
I’m currently re-reading the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny before reading her newest release. She’s an excellent storyteller. If you’re not familiar with her work, it reminds me a bit of “The Mitford Series” where author Jan Karon creates a town, and you get to know all of its inhabitants—and love (or hate, as the case may be) them. If you haven’t read Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, gift yourself with it. You’ll be glad you did.
Great characters, writer takes you to small village Quebec and you want more.
A death in a small Canadian village brings Chief Inspector Gamache to Tree Pines to determine if it’s a hunting accident or a murder.
Gamache, who is experienced and personable, soon suspects a homicide and quickly develops a list of suspects. But one by one the suspects are exonerated and Gamache is left clueless.
The complex plot of this brilliant murder mystery is clever, believable and utterly captivating. Excellent, deeply-drawn characterizations. Fabulous use of setting. Outstanding storytelling and exquisite prose.
I enjoyed “Still Life” immensely and highly recommend it for readers of detective mysteries.
I have read all of Louise Penny books and this is her first one…..prepare to meet the Inspector Gamache and his team. Settle in to meet the people in Three Pines….the place I move into in my mind whenever life becomes too hard.
Three Pines is a place of people with desires and needs like everywhere but overall, the community is bonded, strong in its faith in each other and a place people move to for that reason. A murder has brought Gamache to this place…of two gay men with a B and B and a bistro, a strong black woman with a degree in psychology but running the bookstore, artists live here, a drunk, bitter poet and poor Jane…..she’s dead.
The mystery is solid, clues are there, but it is the humanity of Gamache that brings this mystery to a level of great fiction. All the people have their foibles, even the police but all are treated with deep respect and kindness….not an easy feat.
People, how they live their lives, their desires and the people that don’t move on, leading “still lives” are examined.
And Gamache reflects that the expression ” he saw most on the faces of victim’s wasn’t fear, wasn’t anger. It was surprise.”
Gamache leads by example and after years of investigating homicdes is still moved by it.
There is joy and laughter in this book and some are down right laugh out loud funny at the moments you need it.
Trust me, this is not a cozy cottage of yesterday but it does pay homage in that a killer will be found, a wrong will be righted, and life will go on……and you will desire a drink and an aperitif by the fire in the bistro with good friends and books.
Louise Penny is one of my favorite authors. Her characters are charming and she really can spin a tale.
Inspector Gamache is an elegant bright magnificent character. It is a pleasure to read these novels and watch his mind evolve. The people of Three Pines are wonderful characters.