Still Life by Louise Penny
Review by Mirah Welday (mwelday)
Prior to a recent trip to Canada, I wanted to find a book set in Canada or written by a Canadian author to read during my journey. My local bookseller had a column in a recent newsletter about an upcoming author event featuring Louise Penny…and I found a new-to-me Canadian author!
Penny has created a mystery series with her character Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. I found Still Life, the first in the series, to be a refreshing mystery read. ‘Refreshing’ hardly seems a typical word to describe a mystery but it’s how I felt. Gamache is a morally upstanding member of the police force who sees things in a different way than other inspectors. A man not given to loud or violent outbursts and dedicated to his wife of many years, Gamache is respected by his peers and many wish to imitate him. Young officers want to work with him to learn and hone their detective skills. His fresh take on crime scene and witness observation is unlike other mysteries I’ve read.
In Still Life, Gamache and his team are sent to a sleepy rural village south of Montreal, where they are based. Jane Neal was killed with an arrow but was her death a tragic hunting accident or something more? Penny lets us get to know the quirky, stubborn, heartbroken residents of Three Pines and, while I thought I had the culprit in my sights, she changes things at the last minute and I was caught a bit unawares.
I am so glad I saw that newsletter from my local bookseller. After reading Still Life I decided to purchase tickets to Ms. Penny’s book event coming up in September where she will discuss her newest Gamache novel! If you’re looking for a new type of mystery hero, I encourage you to give Gamache a try.
Tags: Book Recommendations, Book Reviews, Book Suggestions, Mystery, Mystery Series
added this to my wish list because of this review. thanks
Thanks, Marlene! I just went to the Louise Penny book event a couple of weeks ago and she was charming, funny, and so very humble. It made me love her books even more…I’m currently on book 3 of the Gamache series. I hope you enjoy it, too!