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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This was my introduction to the Inspector Gamache series. I found the people in the village charming and interesting. I look forward to reading more of the series and learning more about the Inspector and others.
I love every one of the books in the Gamache series. I envy those who are just starting this magnificent series. Louise Penny is a treasure. I want to be her friend!
CI Gamache a sympathetic and inspiring character to his colleagues. He try’s to mentor his new Agent Nichol but she comes with baggage. He has a unique way of investigating murder just listen and watch and it will come to you. He with his second in command Jean Guy Beauvoir will come to Three Pines where all neighbours know each other and cannot understand when one of them is found dead. Agent Nichol helps lead them to the obvious suspect but Gamache will not arrest them and is suspended. It will take Gamache’s approach with help from locals to see the light. These local characters are really fleshed out you feel you know them. This is a set of characters that are going to draw you back time and again.
Some of the most enjoyable prose wrapped up in a good mystery.
I’m now in love with Inspector Gamache.
All Louise Penny books are very very good
Fantastic author!! Very believable characters in very plausible situations.
Every thing written by Louise Penny is worth reading. I love the depth of her characters. It is great to see the characters growing from book to book
Though listed as a cozy mystery, I believe Still Life belongs in the literary section–beautiful prose and engaging characters. I read this some time ago, but must say it is even better on audio. I love small town mysteries and enjoy reading the series set in Canada. Though the main story line concludes in this novel, others are left for the next one. Truly enjoyable read.
I know I’m super late to the party, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I found it while looking for a series to keep me going until Ann Cleeves’s next work comes out.
There is such great humanity to this book, and to the follow-up that I’ve already devoured. And now I’m about to start the third. Thank goodness there are 15 in the series.
More than just entertaining, I found myself moved by the characters, their foibles, and their predicaments. I’m completely caught up in the world of Three Pines. ILouise Penny
5 stars!
The first installment in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is not without flaws. In fact, I felt like there were several. Primarily, I felt confused at times throughout reading. I had to reread some passages to figure out who was speaking or because the wording seemed a bit fuzzy or muddled. Beyond that, at times I questioned if this was indeed the first installment in the series due to references to other cases and things happening that were not detailed in this book.
With that said, this book was really well done. Gamache is an incredibly interesting character. He has this unique style that is not found in other series. The way he processes information and interacts with other characters is quite fascinating and often unexpected. I really enjoyed the fact that Penny starts the series with Gamache training a new officer. She is stand-offish and presents as self-absorbed. The dynamic between the two really held my attention. I’m not sure I liked the new girl; she seems childish and like a know-it-all. At some level, the reader knows she really is trying though and being successful is important. It just seems like Gamache and Nichol don’t speak the same language.
I can’t wait to see how their relationship changes and develops over time!
The other characters in this book are also so well developed. They are quirky. Sometimes they seem relatable. At other times, their actions are so off the wall they seem almost unbelievable. Yet, there seemed to be the magic of the book. People are unpredictable and do the strangest things at times.
The plot in this book held my attention. An older woman is killed by a hunter’s arrow. Was it an accident or murder? Everyone loved this woman, so finding a motive proves quite difficult. There were a lot of red herrings and some of them played out well (others not so much). Regardless, the mystery kept me turning pages!
Rarely do I quote from a book but I loved this passage so much that I wanted to include it here:
“Most of us are great with change, as long as it was our idea. But change imposed from the outside can send some people into a tailspin. I think Brother Albert hit it on the head. Life is loss. But out of that, as the book stresses, comes freedom. If we can accept that nothing is permanent, and change is inevitable, if we can adapt, then we’re going to be happier people.”
Highly recommended. Looking forward to reading more from this series!
This is the first of Louise Penny’s books that I have ever read, and I am very glad that I did. I immediately warmed to Inspector Armand Gamache and I liked the Canadian setting. A great read, brilliant plot that kept me guessing until the end. I think I will be reading more of the Inspector Gamache stories.
The author is very descriptive but I find the events shallow and the plot not very exciting.
I love this series: much of it is set in the wonderful Three Pines and I could clearly see the village and felt I knew the people with all their flaws and virtues. I enjoyed too the bilingual setting of an anglophone village in Quebec. These give the impression at least at first of being cosies, but they are really more traditional – the backstory is much darker than the setting would lead you to think. Yet it still felt like a warm hug, and I’m delighted I have more to read.
First Louise Penny book that I’ve read and I now want to read others. Interesting characters and plot twists and great setting.
The first of the Armand Gamache mysteries. Penny makes the characters so real, Three Pines so inviting, that you don’t want to leave, even after the mystery is solved. The mystery will keep you guessing as well.
Another great Louise Penny book.
well developed, made you think.
I love every book Louise Penny has written. If you are looking for a series that you won’t want to put down, but you are sad when it’s over, this is your book! The characters feel like real people who you know and become connected to. The plots are both believable and at the same time mysterious. I’ve read all of her books and so has my father-in-law. They span the gap.
Slow and convoluted