Still Life Deluxe Edition: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

by Louise Penny

336 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

LOUISE PENNY is the author of the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (seven times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise lives in a small village south of Montréal.

Reviews

[Alice]

It was wonderful to revisit book 1 in my all time favorite mystery series!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Inspector Gamache series and had to get this beautiful new edition of the first book. I always love to go back to the beginning and see how different the story looks from the other side. the first book isn't the strongest in the series but it sets the scene well.

One of my only quibbles with the series is how the main circle of friends talks to each other. It doesn't ring true to me. Something in how she writes this dialogue feels artificial, and it's jarring to hear these supposedly close friends repeatedly insult each other. It's clear she's trying to illustrate a particular type of friendship and closeness, but it still feels out of place to me.

I also think that this book, and the series altogether, is almost a study of leadership. I've been wanting to write about leadership in this series for a while now. Maybe it's time to actually do that.