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Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1
Still Life
The discovery of a dead body in the woods on Thanksgiving Weekend brings Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his colleagues from the Surete du Quebec to a small village in the Eastern Townships. Gamache cannot understand why anyone would want to deliberately kill well-loved artist Jane Neal, especially any of the residents of Three Pines - a place so free from crime it doesn't even have its own police force.
But Gamache knows that evil is lurking somewhere behind the white picket fences and that, if he watches closely enough, Three Pines will start to give up its dark secrets...
But Gamache knows that evil is lurking somewhere behind the white picket fences and that, if he watches closely enough, Three Pines will start to give up its dark secrets...
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2005
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201250 people want to read
About the author
Louise Penny
83 books26.4k followersLOUISE 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 22,708 reviews
September 26, 2021
It's been so long since I've read a mystery of the "cozy" variety I'm not sure the sub-genre is even called that anymore? At any rate, I usually think of cozies as gentler in spirit than the rock 'em, sock 'em hardboiled noir mysteries, often set a small town or rural setting, with little to no violence on stage, and most of the plot centering on the puzzle of whodunnit. Think Miss Marple or Murder She Wrote. Still Life certainty falls within that framework, but what makes it stand out is its strong sense of place (Quebec), third person omniscient narration (we know what most of the characters are thinking most of the time) and its lovingly crafted portraits of life in a small town.
All of Penny's characters are sympathetic, or at least understandable, even the most unlikable. Most of them *are* likable, however. As Chief Inspector Gamache puts it at one point in the book (paraphrasing): "It was a town full of lovely people. Too bad one of them was a murderer."
The setting is Three Pines, a small Quebecois village near the U.S. border. When a local artist is found dead on a deer trail, pierced through the chest by a hunting arrow, Gamache and his homicide team are dispatched from Montreal to solve the case. You get the usual good twists, turns and red herrings of a proper mystery, and along the way you get to know the inhabitants of the town so well you will be tempted to find the place, check into the B&B, and spend a few days enjoying the apple cider, licorice pipes, and fall colors. Despite being about murder, the book is infused with a sense of kindness and a faith in humanity that is quite refreshing and even healing. Just the sort of book I needed during these turbulent times! I will definitely be checking out other volumes in this series.
All of Penny's characters are sympathetic, or at least understandable, even the most unlikable. Most of them *are* likable, however. As Chief Inspector Gamache puts it at one point in the book (paraphrasing): "It was a town full of lovely people. Too bad one of them was a murderer."
The setting is Three Pines, a small Quebecois village near the U.S. border. When a local artist is found dead on a deer trail, pierced through the chest by a hunting arrow, Gamache and his homicide team are dispatched from Montreal to solve the case. You get the usual good twists, turns and red herrings of a proper mystery, and along the way you get to know the inhabitants of the town so well you will be tempted to find the place, check into the B&B, and spend a few days enjoying the apple cider, licorice pipes, and fall colors. Despite being about murder, the book is infused with a sense of kindness and a faith in humanity that is quite refreshing and even healing. Just the sort of book I needed during these turbulent times! I will definitely be checking out other volumes in this series.
November 6, 2015
Middling books are the hardest to review, dontchathink?
Maybe it's the recent time change (is there any point to Daylight Savings Time anymore?), maybe it's the fact that I feel like I'm swimming uphill in my nursing clinical trying to get hours in, but Still Life kept putting me to sleep. A blurb (or a review, I forget which) compares her to Agatha Christie, which I suppose could be true, only it's a version of Christie that was being paid by the word and operates only inside people's heads, which really isn't Christie at all.
Consider Christie's brief character description from Crooked House about Uncle Roger, an emotional gentle giant: “He collided with a screen, said ‘I beg your pardon’ to it in a flustered manner, and went out of the room. It was rather like the exit of a bumble bee and left a noticeable silence behind it.”
In Still Life, we get characters musing: "The studio was growing cold and Clara wondered whether Peter, sitting across the hall in his own studio was also cold. He would almost certainly, she thought with a twang of envy, be working too hard to notice. He never seemed to suffer from the uncertainty that could freeze her, leave her stuck and frozen in place. He just kept putting one foot in front of the other, producing his excruciatingly detailed works that sold for thousands in Montreal. It took him months to do each piece, he was so painfully precise and methodical. She'd given him a roller for his birthday one year and told him to paint faster. He didn't seem to appreciate the joke. Perhaps because it wasn't entirely a joke."
Goodness, no wonder I kept falling asleep. There is a great deal of telling and hardly any showing. Dialogue is employed when it comes time to discover items of significance or sum up progress. Inspector Gamache, who I liked strictly because his name bears a resemblance to 'ganache,' holds an informal inquest and meets with all the villagers togther, reviewing the circumstances of the death. Later, he convenes with his team, reviewing clues brainstorming solutions. For those who fell asleep earlier, it's a nice chance to catch up.
The plot is fine; nothing unusual. It is possibly even a bit predictable--as I've mentioned before, if I can figure out what the mystery is, it must be relatively simple. I did like a development near the end that further fleshed out a character. However, many of the characters were one note: the urbane gay couple that ran a bistro and whose main conversation seemed to be joking about being gay; the petulant, money-grabbing niece; the caustic village witch--I mean 'poet.' There was also a junior detective whose characterization was particularly strange. I thought perhaps she was involved to block a crucial plot point, but I think I was wrong. Overall, I'd have to say the Christie comparison wears thin. It's not that Christie wouldn't have had weak characters, just that in her best works they would have felt a little less farcical.
Overall though, it's a nice little study of the small village of Three Pines in Quebec, and of the talented Inspector and his team. A bit too pastoral for my own tastes, it's a bit more like a painting of a haystack at sunset instead of a group of women dancing. To combat the sleepies I started reading from the end, hoping to find a strong finish that would invigorate me (it's kind of like hopscotch, a chapter or two, then flip back further). And while it did, I have no real interest in re-reading.
I'll give the next couple a try, because my mom wants to give them a go and because my friends seem to enjoy the series. Of course, your own mileage may vary. Note that it won a first book award or two.
Two, two-and-a-half stars.
December 31, 2016
4.5 stars
With the encouragement of several of my Goodreads friends, I finally decided to pick up Still Life, a novel I bought 3 years ago. I don’t know why I waited so long to dust it off, especially since it has won multiple awards, but I can tell you it won’t take 3 years for me to read book 2 of what I believe will be a highly enjoyable series.
Some readers called this a cozy. I respectfully disagree; I think this story is more in the category of literary mystery. There is so much depth. The setting is a small village nestled somewhere in Quebec, not terribly far from Montreal. Three Pines is inhabited by a somewhat quirky group of people who have layers upon layers of interpersonal relationships. Having no local detective, the town calls in Chief Inspector Armand Gamache from Montreal when a woman is killed—was it an accident or murder? I have fallen in love with this guy. He is not your usual law enforcement protagonist with demons seeping out of his pores. In fact, he seems very well adjusted and even has a wonderful relationship with his wife (we just get a peek at the latter and I am hoping to see more of Armand’s and his spouse’s marital relationship in future books). Armand is highly intelligent, extremely perceptive, kind and gentle, yet firm and no nonsense when called for. His integrity is impeccable. I also became quite fond of his right hand man, Jean Guy Beauvoir. Overall, characterization is excellent, but not quite strong enough to pull me hook line and sinker into the lives of the villagers, perhaps only because of the sheer number of players. I do feel that Ms. Penny’s writing is such that this will come with later installments as we get to know the townfolk better.
The plot is engaging and had me changing my mind right and left regarding whom the baddie was. I never did get it right. I did have to suspend belief just a bit regarding the intricacies of the crime, but this didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the journey.
I enjoyed this novel more than my usual 4-star reads, but I have a feeling Ms. Perry is going to get better and better. Thus, the round down from 4.5 to 4 stars.
Will I continue with the series? Absolutely. Do I recommend Still Life? I sure do—to all readers of crime fiction interested in something a little different and with emphasis on characterization.
With the encouragement of several of my Goodreads friends, I finally decided to pick up Still Life, a novel I bought 3 years ago. I don’t know why I waited so long to dust it off, especially since it has won multiple awards, but I can tell you it won’t take 3 years for me to read book 2 of what I believe will be a highly enjoyable series.
Some readers called this a cozy. I respectfully disagree; I think this story is more in the category of literary mystery. There is so much depth. The setting is a small village nestled somewhere in Quebec, not terribly far from Montreal. Three Pines is inhabited by a somewhat quirky group of people who have layers upon layers of interpersonal relationships. Having no local detective, the town calls in Chief Inspector Armand Gamache from Montreal when a woman is killed—was it an accident or murder? I have fallen in love with this guy. He is not your usual law enforcement protagonist with demons seeping out of his pores. In fact, he seems very well adjusted and even has a wonderful relationship with his wife (we just get a peek at the latter and I am hoping to see more of Armand’s and his spouse’s marital relationship in future books). Armand is highly intelligent, extremely perceptive, kind and gentle, yet firm and no nonsense when called for. His integrity is impeccable. I also became quite fond of his right hand man, Jean Guy Beauvoir. Overall, characterization is excellent, but not quite strong enough to pull me hook line and sinker into the lives of the villagers, perhaps only because of the sheer number of players. I do feel that Ms. Penny’s writing is such that this will come with later installments as we get to know the townfolk better.
The plot is engaging and had me changing my mind right and left regarding whom the baddie was. I never did get it right. I did have to suspend belief just a bit regarding the intricacies of the crime, but this didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the journey.
I enjoyed this novel more than my usual 4-star reads, but I have a feeling Ms. Perry is going to get better and better. Thus, the round down from 4.5 to 4 stars.
Will I continue with the series? Absolutely. Do I recommend Still Life? I sure do—to all readers of crime fiction interested in something a little different and with emphasis on characterization.
May 14, 2010
I am a little sad that I can't give Still Life more than 2 stars. It was recommended to me and it's not a pleasant task to trash someone's suggestion, but what can I do, this book was just a barely OK read for me.
Still Life is a traditional ("cozy") mystery set in a Canadian village Three Pines. One Sunday morning a body of 76-year old Jane Neal - a long-time resident of the village - is found. At first, it appears that Jane was killed in a hunting accident, but later we find out that quite a few seemingly ordinary and upstanding villagers have some secrets to hide and maybe reasons to murder the old lady.
On a positive side, I enjoyed learning a little about Quebec. I personally never knew that there was a tension between Quebec and the rest of Canada and also a lot of friction between francophones and anglophones. Archery/hunting details were interesting as well. And, the most exciting thing, I could practice my newly acquired basic French skills - I even knew what boulangerie was!
As for the rest, the book didn't live up to my expectations. Poor characterization simply killed the story for me. The characters were drawn in a strange way and their back stories were introduced awkwardly. I couldn't understand their motivations and actions. Too often they acted immaturely (Yvette Nichol) or weirdly hysterical (Clara Morrow, Yolande). Dialog was very stilted at times too, often I had no idea what people were talking about and why they found certain things funny.
I suppose I should have cut Louise Penny some slack, it was her first novel after all. But the book was rather poorly written even for the first effort. I am surprised Still Life managed to receive so much critical recognition and mainly positive Goodreads ratings. Did the mystery standards go down since Agatha Christie's death? I guess the success of this book is the biggest mystery to me...
Still Life is a traditional ("cozy") mystery set in a Canadian village Three Pines. One Sunday morning a body of 76-year old Jane Neal - a long-time resident of the village - is found. At first, it appears that Jane was killed in a hunting accident, but later we find out that quite a few seemingly ordinary and upstanding villagers have some secrets to hide and maybe reasons to murder the old lady.
On a positive side, I enjoyed learning a little about Quebec. I personally never knew that there was a tension between Quebec and the rest of Canada and also a lot of friction between francophones and anglophones. Archery/hunting details were interesting as well. And, the most exciting thing, I could practice my newly acquired basic French skills - I even knew what boulangerie was!
As for the rest, the book didn't live up to my expectations. Poor characterization simply killed the story for me. The characters were drawn in a strange way and their back stories were introduced awkwardly. I couldn't understand their motivations and actions. Too often they acted immaturely (Yvette Nichol) or weirdly hysterical (Clara Morrow, Yolande). Dialog was very stilted at times too, often I had no idea what people were talking about and why they found certain things funny.
I suppose I should have cut Louise Penny some slack, it was her first novel after all. But the book was rather poorly written even for the first effort. I am surprised Still Life managed to receive so much critical recognition and mainly positive Goodreads ratings. Did the mystery standards go down since Agatha Christie's death? I guess the success of this book is the biggest mystery to me...
October 26, 2016
Sometimes a memorable read needs to be revisited for a multitude of reasons.
Louise Penny lost her husband Michael this year. Her loss was so apparent in her latest offering, The Great Reckoning. As I turned the initial pages of this first book in the series, Still Life, I came upon the Acknowledgements that almost made me weep:
"This is for my husband Michael, who has created a life for us full of love and kindness. He allowed me to quit my job, pretend to write, then gave me unstinting praise even when what I produced was drivel. I've realised that anyone can be a critic but it takes a remarkable person to offer praise. Michael is that person." So you see, more than just words have gone on every page by Louise Penny. Far, far more.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec is introduced to us in Still Life as well as the tiny village of Three Pines. When an elderly former teacher has been found dead along a woodsy path, shock reverberates throughout the village. Was this a careless hunting accident or was there something more sinister going on? If so, who could ever have wanted the kindly Jane Neal dead?
As you enter into an Armand Gamache book, you will pull back on the reins and slow the pace. Your eyes adjust to finite observations and attention to detail. Gamache's eyes sweep over every gesture, every careless article, and every door ajar. He tunes into every bit of dialogue with the words: "Tell me about it." And each storyline of every book in the series will sharpen your own sensitivities and your own sharpened skills.
The truth is hard-hitting in Three Pines. One of their own is responsible in some way for Jane's death. Houses left unlocked at night soon become fortresses. Fear permeates like heavy smoke. Gamache brings along his trusted inspectors. They will soon discover that Three Pines will give up, unwillingly, multi-layered secrets. You will also meet the main characters who weave their way throughout the series.......the heart and the core of Louise Penny's offerings.
Still Life begins the journey and is a must read to set the stage. The following books will grow in intensity, subject matter, character development, and heavy-duty crime. The Inspector Gamache Series is certainly not fluff as you will discover. It will expose you to the dastardly deeds at the hands of the respected and the not-so-respected of humanity.
Ask any die-hard fan of Louise Penny and they will broadly smile at the mere mention of her name.
Louise Penny lost her husband Michael this year. Her loss was so apparent in her latest offering, The Great Reckoning. As I turned the initial pages of this first book in the series, Still Life, I came upon the Acknowledgements that almost made me weep:
"This is for my husband Michael, who has created a life for us full of love and kindness. He allowed me to quit my job, pretend to write, then gave me unstinting praise even when what I produced was drivel. I've realised that anyone can be a critic but it takes a remarkable person to offer praise. Michael is that person." So you see, more than just words have gone on every page by Louise Penny. Far, far more.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec is introduced to us in Still Life as well as the tiny village of Three Pines. When an elderly former teacher has been found dead along a woodsy path, shock reverberates throughout the village. Was this a careless hunting accident or was there something more sinister going on? If so, who could ever have wanted the kindly Jane Neal dead?
As you enter into an Armand Gamache book, you will pull back on the reins and slow the pace. Your eyes adjust to finite observations and attention to detail. Gamache's eyes sweep over every gesture, every careless article, and every door ajar. He tunes into every bit of dialogue with the words: "Tell me about it." And each storyline of every book in the series will sharpen your own sensitivities and your own sharpened skills.
The truth is hard-hitting in Three Pines. One of their own is responsible in some way for Jane's death. Houses left unlocked at night soon become fortresses. Fear permeates like heavy smoke. Gamache brings along his trusted inspectors. They will soon discover that Three Pines will give up, unwillingly, multi-layered secrets. You will also meet the main characters who weave their way throughout the series.......the heart and the core of Louise Penny's offerings.
Still Life begins the journey and is a must read to set the stage. The following books will grow in intensity, subject matter, character development, and heavy-duty crime. The Inspector Gamache Series is certainly not fluff as you will discover. It will expose you to the dastardly deeds at the hands of the respected and the not-so-respected of humanity.
Ask any die-hard fan of Louise Penny and they will broadly smile at the mere mention of her name.
February 27, 2022
Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1)
by Louise Penny (Goodreads Author), Ralph Cosham (Narrator)
Seventy six year old Jane is found in the woods, dead from an arrow that went through her body. It was probably an accident but the death needs to be investigated and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, and his team, are on the job. We meet the people of the tiny hamlet of Three Pines and things may not be nearly as peaceful as they had seemed on the surface. To add to the difficulty of digging out the truth, Gamache is mentoring a new agent, Yvette Nichol, who is having trouble being a team player, keeping her mouth shut, and following orders.
Poor Jane, dead right before her art is going to be shown for the first time, at the local art show. Despite the serious aspects of this story, mostly I was struck by the humor. I enjoyed the snide, snippy, clever, and/or funny thoughts of the characters as the team tried to figure out just what was going on in this little hamlet. And I loved the description of Jane's painting, that it looked like a cave man's wall drawings, but in vivid colors, childlike, with people having red circles for their rosy cheeks, and that Jane had been so wildly creative that a person's first reaction when seeing her painting is stunned silence.
Because this is the first in series of seventeen books, I know we are going to learn more about how Gamache and the other characters tick. It's obvious Agent Nichol has problems that go much deeper than just a bad attitude and there are references to things happening in Gamache's past that have affected his career. I look forward to learning more, as I go through this series.
As I listened to the audiobook, I knew I'd heard the narrator, Ralph Cosham, in the past. And not just heard him, had spent time with him, I knew that voice from somewhere and I was right! He voiced Jauffre and other characters for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a game I spent too much time playing but enjoyed very much. I don't know how many book in this series that Cosham narrates but I know it isn't all of them because he died in 2014. Still, he's Gamache for me now and I will miss his voice, later in the series.
Published May 6, 2014 by Macmillan Audio (first published 2005)
by Louise Penny (Goodreads Author), Ralph Cosham (Narrator)
Seventy six year old Jane is found in the woods, dead from an arrow that went through her body. It was probably an accident but the death needs to be investigated and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, and his team, are on the job. We meet the people of the tiny hamlet of Three Pines and things may not be nearly as peaceful as they had seemed on the surface. To add to the difficulty of digging out the truth, Gamache is mentoring a new agent, Yvette Nichol, who is having trouble being a team player, keeping her mouth shut, and following orders.
Poor Jane, dead right before her art is going to be shown for the first time, at the local art show. Despite the serious aspects of this story, mostly I was struck by the humor. I enjoyed the snide, snippy, clever, and/or funny thoughts of the characters as the team tried to figure out just what was going on in this little hamlet. And I loved the description of Jane's painting, that it looked like a cave man's wall drawings, but in vivid colors, childlike, with people having red circles for their rosy cheeks, and that Jane had been so wildly creative that a person's first reaction when seeing her painting is stunned silence.
Because this is the first in series of seventeen books, I know we are going to learn more about how Gamache and the other characters tick. It's obvious Agent Nichol has problems that go much deeper than just a bad attitude and there are references to things happening in Gamache's past that have affected his career. I look forward to learning more, as I go through this series.
As I listened to the audiobook, I knew I'd heard the narrator, Ralph Cosham, in the past. And not just heard him, had spent time with him, I knew that voice from somewhere and I was right! He voiced Jauffre and other characters for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a game I spent too much time playing but enjoyed very much. I don't know how many book in this series that Cosham narrates but I know it isn't all of them because he died in 2014. Still, he's Gamache for me now and I will miss his voice, later in the series.
Published May 6, 2014 by Macmillan Audio (first published 2005)
October 6, 2021
This was a pleasure to read. Imagine a detective who is happily married and is not an alcoholic! Discovering Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is a pleasure in itself!
I really enjoyed the setting, a small town in Quebec, and I became quite attached to several of the characters. They were quirky and a couple verged on going over the top but overall the author held it together.
An easy, comfortable read with just a bit of bite to it to keep it interesting. Consider me hooked on the series:)
I really enjoyed the setting, a small town in Quebec, and I became quite attached to several of the characters. They were quirky and a couple verged on going over the top but overall the author held it together.
An easy, comfortable read with just a bit of bite to it to keep it interesting. Consider me hooked on the series:)
June 20, 2021
Enjoyed this more than I expected... fun cozy mystery
July 14, 2015
Clara "laughed until she thought she would piddle," and I want to piddle on this book. No to the word "piddle"; no to twee gay couples who sing along to "It's Raining Men"; no to "violent death demanded Earl Grey"; no to murderers who are both telegraphed and chosen out of a hat; no to this smug, precious, suffocatingly cozy mystery.
November 18, 2022
Why I chose to read this book:
1. Thanks to Goodreads, I learned about Louise Penny's "Chief Inspector Armand Gamache" mystery series set in the quaint, fictional Quebec village of Three Pines, so I put Book #1 onto my WTR list;
2. this book received high ratings and several flattering reviews; and,
3. July 2022 is my self-appointed "Canadian Authors Month"!
Praises:
1. I love the descriptive setting of early October revolving around Canada's Thanksgiving holiday in this homey village;
2. I had to laugh at the touches of humor interspersed throughout this story (however, sometimes this "humor" felt childish and even inappropriate); and,
3. this "whodunnit" had me guessing right up to the end!
Niggles:
1. I was really confused by this author's writing style. So often, I had to reread sections because it just felt awkward, wordy, and disjointed;
2. I was stymied by some of the "police procedures". Gamache wanted to halt the murder investigation on Thanksgiving because his colleagues were planning to spend time with their families? Also, why would he allow potential suspects to uncover crucial evidence without supervision (by removing wallpaper) to reveal valuable clues instead of enlisting crime scene investigators to do this job? Like... what?
3. I could not connect with any of the characters, even with the so-called "likeable" Gamache! Why did he and his sidekick, Beauvoir, show so much animosity towards Agent Yvette Nichol when Beauvoir himself is such an ass, with his anti-Anglophone thoughts and remarks and his overall rude behavior (e.g. at an art show, he wouldn't give up his seat to an elderly gentleman!) And speaking of Nichol, what was the point of her redundant character? Anytime she was helpful in moving the case along, everyone else was pissed at her!?! In fact, of all the characters, I had a little bit of empathy for her. Also, other characters were too cringingly cliched;
4. Gamache has a broken leg in a cast and he "limps" to his car? Nope! I don't think so! He should be using a walker, or at the very least, crutches (which are never mentioned); and,
5. the numerous references to religion/God and the English/French debate seemed so out-of-place in this story.
Overall Thoughts:
2 stars = okay read.
Apologies to my fellow Canadians and other GR friends who loved this book! I had such high expectations about this so-called "cozy mystery", but I was quite annoyed with the characterization and had an overall dread every time I picked up this book. I only finished it in order to find out the murderer's identity.
Recommendation?
A lot of readers enjoyed this book, so you may wish to give it a try. Myself, I will not be reading anymore books in this series (no matter how good they are!) Life's too short to hope for better!
1. Thanks to Goodreads, I learned about Louise Penny's "Chief Inspector Armand Gamache" mystery series set in the quaint, fictional Quebec village of Three Pines, so I put Book #1 onto my WTR list;
2. this book received high ratings and several flattering reviews; and,
3. July 2022 is my self-appointed "Canadian Authors Month"!
Praises:
1. I love the descriptive setting of early October revolving around Canada's Thanksgiving holiday in this homey village;
2. I had to laugh at the touches of humor interspersed throughout this story (however, sometimes this "humor" felt childish and even inappropriate); and,
3. this "whodunnit" had me guessing right up to the end!
Niggles:
1. I was really confused by this author's writing style. So often, I had to reread sections because it just felt awkward, wordy, and disjointed;
2. I was stymied by some of the "police procedures". Gamache wanted to halt the murder investigation on Thanksgiving because his colleagues were planning to spend time with their families? Also, why would he allow potential suspects to uncover crucial evidence without supervision (by removing wallpaper) to reveal valuable clues instead of enlisting crime scene investigators to do this job? Like... what?
3. I could not connect with any of the characters, even with the so-called "likeable" Gamache! Why did he and his sidekick, Beauvoir, show so much animosity towards Agent Yvette Nichol when Beauvoir himself is such an ass, with his anti-Anglophone thoughts and remarks and his overall rude behavior (e.g. at an art show, he wouldn't give up his seat to an elderly gentleman!) And speaking of Nichol, what was the point of her redundant character? Anytime she was helpful in moving the case along, everyone else was pissed at her!?! In fact, of all the characters, I had a little bit of empathy for her. Also, other characters were too cringingly cliched;
4. Gamache has a broken leg in a cast and he "limps" to his car? Nope! I don't think so! He should be using a walker, or at the very least, crutches (which are never mentioned); and,
5. the numerous references to religion/God and the English/French debate seemed so out-of-place in this story.
Overall Thoughts:
2 stars = okay read.
Apologies to my fellow Canadians and other GR friends who loved this book! I had such high expectations about this so-called "cozy mystery", but I was quite annoyed with the characterization and had an overall dread every time I picked up this book. I only finished it in order to find out the murderer's identity.
Recommendation?
A lot of readers enjoyed this book, so you may wish to give it a try. Myself, I will not be reading anymore books in this series (no matter how good they are!) Life's too short to hope for better!
November 1, 2013
Martha Stewart meets Agatha Christie on a very bad hair day.
I was recommended this author by a friend who is a great admirer of Ian Rankin and Stieg Larsson, so I was quite excited as I set out. Excitement soon turned to disappointment, followed by a sense of disbelief that writing so bad could be so well received by the reading public. And indeed win a prize, albeit one for novice crime writers.
The setting is an idyllic village near Montreal, populated with a cast of caricatures - aging bohemian artists, a famous but misanthropic poet, a retired black psychologist, a gay couple who run, guess what, the bistro and bed and breakfast. I could continue.
The hero inspector is an intelligent, intuitive and caring man who spends what little free time he has helping his wife stuff partridges with wild rice in the kitchen of his trendy Montreal apartment. His second-in-command is almost indistinguishable from him.
By way of contrast we have some rough poor people, and a handful of one dimensional, over the top, emotionally challenged characters.
All the nice people run around eating fragrant, freshly baked rolls stuffed with warm brie and black forest ham, while dabbling in solving the murder which has only ever so slightly ruffled the peace and tranquility of their lives. There is an abundance of golden leaves and drifting woodsmoke.
The plot is disjointed, the pace is tediously slow, the characters are drawn with strokes so thick you can't make them out, the writing is seldom good and sometimes painfully bad. According to the cover, there was actually an editor. This is a book with very few redeeming features, other than the occasional telling description and flash of humour.
Whodunnit? I really didn't care enough to find out.
October 16, 2018
Easily a 4.5 star read!
A strong recommendation from a friend helped me decide to embark on a binge of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, penned by Canadian author Louise Penny. Her writing style and setting this novel in the bucolic community of Three Pines, Quebec, pulled me in early and kept me enthralled until the very end. Local artist and retired teacher, Jane Neal, was loved by many, which made the discovery of her body all the more troubling. With no known enemies, Jane’s death could only have been an accident, though the small pool of blood and no visible weapon open many questions and require some police presence. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, is called to Three Pines to investigate. Alongside his regular team is Agent Yvette Nichol, so new that she has never worked a scene. Gamache is sure to have his hands full trying to teach her while wrapping things up swiftly. With Thanksgiving turkeys cooking in ovens across town, no one wants to spend much time on what looks to be an accidental shooting with an arrow. While this might be the case, Gamache is worried that no arrow was found at the scene—it having been removed from Jane’s body—and no one has come forward to admit to the accident. As Gamache and the rest of the Homicide Squad begin piecing things together, they are confronted with a number of local citizens, all with their own flavourful take on events and tidbits about others in town. Gamache must parse through what he is being told and, at times, sift through the lies that some present to protect the more vulnerable in this community. Still, with Agent Nichol bumbling along and ostracizing herself from her superiors and others pushing for an open and shut case, Chief Inspector Gamache must be thorough and patient, for that is how one catches a killer! Penny pulls the reader in with this stunning debut story, which has me eager to see what else she has in this lengthy series. I will definitely be grabbing Book 2 in short order. Fans of police procedurals and Canadian mysteries will also find something worthwhile.
I am so pleased to have found yet another Canadian author whose work falls within one of the genres I enjoy so much. Set in rural Quebec, the series opens with a lovely Canadian flavour, something that will enrich the reading experience and have it stand out in the genre. With this strong debut novel in the series, Penny provides the reader with some interesting backstory and some character development of Armand Gamache that will likely develop more thoroughly as I delve deeper into the series. Gamache is highly intelligent and down to earth as he investigates the crime before him, but seems to expect much from his team, no matter their time under his tutelage. He does not appear to suffer fools, but can extract information out of an unknowing suspect while enjoying his Tim Horton’s coffee. Penny’s descriptive nature has me highly interested in learning much more about the entire homicide team, all of whom will surely play important roles as the full series develops, but have laid the groundwork for being full of their own nuances. The story moves slowly, but there is no lack of momentum as Three Pines comes alive with each passing segment of the story. Penny keeps the reader in the middle of the investigation, dropping hints throughout as she pushes towards the reveal, which ties the entire experience together. With a new novel set to come out soon, I am happy to commence binge-reading to catch up in time to enjoy the latest release alongside series fans. I cannot wait!
Kudos, Madam Penny, for intriguing me greatly. I am ready to take the challenge and see what Gamache does for me.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
A strong recommendation from a friend helped me decide to embark on a binge of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, penned by Canadian author Louise Penny. Her writing style and setting this novel in the bucolic community of Three Pines, Quebec, pulled me in early and kept me enthralled until the very end. Local artist and retired teacher, Jane Neal, was loved by many, which made the discovery of her body all the more troubling. With no known enemies, Jane’s death could only have been an accident, though the small pool of blood and no visible weapon open many questions and require some police presence. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, is called to Three Pines to investigate. Alongside his regular team is Agent Yvette Nichol, so new that she has never worked a scene. Gamache is sure to have his hands full trying to teach her while wrapping things up swiftly. With Thanksgiving turkeys cooking in ovens across town, no one wants to spend much time on what looks to be an accidental shooting with an arrow. While this might be the case, Gamache is worried that no arrow was found at the scene—it having been removed from Jane’s body—and no one has come forward to admit to the accident. As Gamache and the rest of the Homicide Squad begin piecing things together, they are confronted with a number of local citizens, all with their own flavourful take on events and tidbits about others in town. Gamache must parse through what he is being told and, at times, sift through the lies that some present to protect the more vulnerable in this community. Still, with Agent Nichol bumbling along and ostracizing herself from her superiors and others pushing for an open and shut case, Chief Inspector Gamache must be thorough and patient, for that is how one catches a killer! Penny pulls the reader in with this stunning debut story, which has me eager to see what else she has in this lengthy series. I will definitely be grabbing Book 2 in short order. Fans of police procedurals and Canadian mysteries will also find something worthwhile.
I am so pleased to have found yet another Canadian author whose work falls within one of the genres I enjoy so much. Set in rural Quebec, the series opens with a lovely Canadian flavour, something that will enrich the reading experience and have it stand out in the genre. With this strong debut novel in the series, Penny provides the reader with some interesting backstory and some character development of Armand Gamache that will likely develop more thoroughly as I delve deeper into the series. Gamache is highly intelligent and down to earth as he investigates the crime before him, but seems to expect much from his team, no matter their time under his tutelage. He does not appear to suffer fools, but can extract information out of an unknowing suspect while enjoying his Tim Horton’s coffee. Penny’s descriptive nature has me highly interested in learning much more about the entire homicide team, all of whom will surely play important roles as the full series develops, but have laid the groundwork for being full of their own nuances. The story moves slowly, but there is no lack of momentum as Three Pines comes alive with each passing segment of the story. Penny keeps the reader in the middle of the investigation, dropping hints throughout as she pushes towards the reveal, which ties the entire experience together. With a new novel set to come out soon, I am happy to commence binge-reading to catch up in time to enjoy the latest release alongside series fans. I cannot wait!
Kudos, Madam Penny, for intriguing me greatly. I am ready to take the challenge and see what Gamache does for me.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
June 5, 2019
A well-loved member of the Still Pines community (76-year-old Jane Neal) is found dead in the woods. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is brought in to investigate the case. Is Jane's death an accident, or could it be murder?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I liked the setting, the small village of Three Pines, located near Montreal. I enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters and I had fun guessing who the culprit could be. I liked Inspector Gamache and his team, except Agent Nichol who was very off-putting and rude at times.
A captivating and engrossing read!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I liked the setting, the small village of Three Pines, located near Montreal. I enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters and I had fun guessing who the culprit could be. I liked Inspector Gamache and his team, except Agent Nichol who was very off-putting and rude at times.
A captivating and engrossing read!
July 8, 2019
4.5 stars rounded down to 4 for a very well written cozy mystery. There is only 1 murder, and little violence.
This is book 1 in the Armand Gamache mystery series. It takes place in Three Pines, Quebec, a mythical village close to the US border with Vermont. Gamache is the Chief of Homicide with the Surete du Quebec. He lives and is based in Montreal, but investigates murders province wide.
He is called to Three Pines because of the suspicious death of Jane Neal, whose body was found in the woods near Three Pines.
The author introduces a wonderful group of well drawn characters in this village. Gamache patiently investigates with the help of his team and does find who the killer is with the help of various villagers.
The investigation is shown to be a team effort, which is how most murders are solved in real life.
I was not sure who the killer was until the end.
This part of Quebec has a fair number of anglophones, descendants of Loyalists who fled the US at the end of the US revolutionary war. Some of the tensions between anglophone vs. francophone are described with kindness. A family member gave me this book.
Two quotes:
A villager describing Gamache: "Ben had been expecting a francophone, perhaps even a unilingual French detective, so he'd spent a few minutes practicing his French, and how to describe his movements. Now this immaculate man with the trimmed mustache, the deep brown eyes looking at him over the rim of his half moon glasses, the three-piece suit(could that possibly be a Burberry coat?), the tweed cap with graying, groomed hair underneath, was extending his large hand-as though this was a slightly formal business occasion- and speaking English with a British accent. Yet he'd heard snippets of his conversation with his colleagues and that was definitely in fast and fluid French."
Three Pines: "It's a code. For the United Empire Loyalists. They settled all the land around here, except for the Abenaki of course.' In a sentence, Gamache noticed, Ben had dismissed a thousand years of native habitation. "But we're only a couple of kilometers from the border with the US states. When the people loyal to the crown during and after the War of Independence were fleeing, they had no way of knowing when they were safe. So a code was designed. Three pines in a cluster meant the loyalists would be welcome.'
Update July 7, 2019: My wife and I have just returned from visiting this part of Quebec. I did see 3 pine trees in a row, but no 3 pines in a cluster. We were looking for covered bridges though, not clusters of pine trees. We found 17 covered bridges.
This is book 1 in the Armand Gamache mystery series. It takes place in Three Pines, Quebec, a mythical village close to the US border with Vermont. Gamache is the Chief of Homicide with the Surete du Quebec. He lives and is based in Montreal, but investigates murders province wide.
He is called to Three Pines because of the suspicious death of Jane Neal, whose body was found in the woods near Three Pines.
The author introduces a wonderful group of well drawn characters in this village. Gamache patiently investigates with the help of his team and does find who the killer is with the help of various villagers.
The investigation is shown to be a team effort, which is how most murders are solved in real life.
I was not sure who the killer was until the end.
This part of Quebec has a fair number of anglophones, descendants of Loyalists who fled the US at the end of the US revolutionary war. Some of the tensions between anglophone vs. francophone are described with kindness. A family member gave me this book.
Two quotes:
A villager describing Gamache: "Ben had been expecting a francophone, perhaps even a unilingual French detective, so he'd spent a few minutes practicing his French, and how to describe his movements. Now this immaculate man with the trimmed mustache, the deep brown eyes looking at him over the rim of his half moon glasses, the three-piece suit(could that possibly be a Burberry coat?), the tweed cap with graying, groomed hair underneath, was extending his large hand-as though this was a slightly formal business occasion- and speaking English with a British accent. Yet he'd heard snippets of his conversation with his colleagues and that was definitely in fast and fluid French."
Three Pines: "It's a code. For the United Empire Loyalists. They settled all the land around here, except for the Abenaki of course.' In a sentence, Gamache noticed, Ben had dismissed a thousand years of native habitation. "But we're only a couple of kilometers from the border with the US states. When the people loyal to the crown during and after the War of Independence were fleeing, they had no way of knowing when they were safe. So a code was designed. Three pines in a cluster meant the loyalists would be welcome.'
Update July 7, 2019: My wife and I have just returned from visiting this part of Quebec. I did see 3 pine trees in a row, but no 3 pines in a cluster. We were looking for covered bridges though, not clusters of pine trees. We found 17 covered bridges.
March 6, 2021
Film Review
Book Rating: 4.5* of five
The Publisher Says: Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montréal and yet a world away. Jane Neal, a long-time resident of Three Pines, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more but Gamache smells something foul this holiday season…and is soon certain that Jane died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.
With this award-winning first novel, Louise Penny introduces an engaging hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces—and this series—with power, ingenuity, and charm.
My Review: Oh, the raptures of a first novel that also inaugurates a mystery series! It's like your first piece of birthday cake as a kid...OMIGOD this is good wait whaddaya mean I gotta wait another whole year to get another one you stink and you're mean *waaahIwantmymommy*
But crafty old fifty-plussers like moi wait. We lurk behind the bakery, sniffing the ineffable esters of birthday cakes destined for the inexperienced and the impatient and the indiscriminate, mentally filing away those scents most closely followed by moans and slurps of ecstasy, biding our time and hoarding our book-calories (aka money) to see which annual yumyums consistently produce those sounds and smells.
Here it is, ladies and what-all-else, the first birthday cake from Canadian cake-baker Louise Penny, and my GOD was it worth the wait!
A friend sent this to me as a Christmas gift. It came after self-same friend raved and jumped up and down and yodeled the praises of the series, featuring Inspector Gamache of the Quebec Surete (I can't help myself, I hear Gestapo jackboots and Euro-sirens every time I see that word) and the odd, off-kilter inhabitants of Three Pines, Quebec. I was practically panting with eagerness to get this package, which when it arrived proved to contain *several* of the Gamache series.
Being a good Virgo, I snatched up the first in the series, and applied eyes to page. Steadily. For four hours. I was 2/3 through with the book then, and *forced* myself to put it down because a) I had to walk the dog, b) I had to feed my 91-yr-old aunt, and c) I had to pee.
Let's talk about mystery series for a minute. I like them, as readers of past reviews will yawningly recall, because they satisfy my need for order, for the world to work *right* for a change. I think a lot of people feel similarly to me. But a series, iteration upon iteration of similar plots/characters/motivations/dialogue...what makes a well-read consumer of Lit'rachure such as I, and so many fellow Goodreadsers, am/are seek these books out? Comfort? Yes, but... Ease? Yes, but... Quality.
Some of the best storytelling going on in literature today happens in mysteries and thrillers.
Yeup, you can love or loathe Grisham's writing, but you CANNOT fault, in any way, his eye for a story. You can fairly say it's not to your personal taste, but don't even TRY to say it's "not good." Likewise James Patterson, Stephen King, Iris Johansen, et alii. There is a reason these folks are bestsellers, and it is NOT that the People got no taste. It's that these are storytellers, entertainers, creators of worlds we-the-people want to inhabit if only for a moment.
As was Homer, may I remind the snobs. No one thought much about Homer's stuff, except that it was rollicking good fun. Nobody even bothered to write it down for a few centuries *after* writing was invented. Somewhere on the Times bestseller list is the work of the Homer our culture will be remembered for, and it's not likely to be Faulkner. (Horrible thought: What if it's HEMINGWAY?!?)
Louise Penny's Three Pines is a place I want to go and stay, eating Gabri's bounteous cooking and flirting with Olivier and lusting from afar at unattainable Peter and gossiping unkindly with Ruth...then settling in for a long, quiet snifter with Gamache and Beauvoir and Clara, to think it all through and come to a reasoned conclusion about life. I am there with these people, these words-on-page creations that have the life only a deep well of talent can water into existence. I believe them. I think you will, too.
I offer this moment from very near the end of the book, when Clara realizes who murdered her very best friend:
If that doesn't make you sprint out to get this book, nothing else I can say will.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rating: 2.5* of five
The Filmmaker Says: When a beloved schoolteacher is found dead, the possibility of murder leaves the quaint town of Three Pines aghast in this crime drama based on the award-winning novel by Louise Penny. The Film at Acorn.tv
The Film Review: Well now. I don't know what cause Louise Penny to distance herself from the film made of her first novel, and so far as I am aware, she hasn't been public about the cause of her breach with the filmmakers.
The only actor I recognized in the cast was Gamache, played by Nathaniel Parker. I had a dizzy moment or two when I first saw Peter Morrow, playd by one Gabriel Hogan. I was sure as sure could be that it was Henry Rollins with a bad dye-job and after a facelift. Then I wondered if permaybehaps Mr. Hogan was, errrmmm, a product of Rollins' rock-star years...no, born in 1973...so no go....
And do you now see the problem? I was able to trace these arabesques and follow these fancies because I was so very not wrapped up in the film. Parker does a rather blah job as Gamache, the lady who plays Clara is nothing special, we don't so much as hear BOO from Myrna, Gabri and Olivier appear to be acquaintances with a formal past. And then there are the police: Lacoste looks just right and isn't terribly busy onscreen, Jean-Guy is edgeless, but then there's Agent Nicol. She's perfectly cast for attitude, is Susanna Fournier. Manages to be just like Nicol in the book.
Whatever the alchemy is that makes a film adaptation great is missing from this one. It's pretty to look at. The actors aren't bloody awful in the roles. The screenplay has the events in order. And at the end of the 88 minutes, I was utterly uninterested in seeing more.
Bad, bad sign.
Book Rating: 4.5* of five
The Publisher Says: Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montréal and yet a world away. Jane Neal, a long-time resident of Three Pines, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more but Gamache smells something foul this holiday season…and is soon certain that Jane died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.
With this award-winning first novel, Louise Penny introduces an engaging hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces—and this series—with power, ingenuity, and charm.
My Review: Oh, the raptures of a first novel that also inaugurates a mystery series! It's like your first piece of birthday cake as a kid...OMIGOD this is good wait whaddaya mean I gotta wait another whole year to get another one you stink and you're mean *waaahIwantmymommy*
But crafty old fifty-plussers like moi wait. We lurk behind the bakery, sniffing the ineffable esters of birthday cakes destined for the inexperienced and the impatient and the indiscriminate, mentally filing away those scents most closely followed by moans and slurps of ecstasy, biding our time and hoarding our book-calories (aka money) to see which annual yumyums consistently produce those sounds and smells.
Here it is, ladies and what-all-else, the first birthday cake from Canadian cake-baker Louise Penny, and my GOD was it worth the wait!
A friend sent this to me as a Christmas gift. It came after self-same friend raved and jumped up and down and yodeled the praises of the series, featuring Inspector Gamache of the Quebec Surete (I can't help myself, I hear Gestapo jackboots and Euro-sirens every time I see that word) and the odd, off-kilter inhabitants of Three Pines, Quebec. I was practically panting with eagerness to get this package, which when it arrived proved to contain *several* of the Gamache series.
Being a good Virgo, I snatched up the first in the series, and applied eyes to page. Steadily. For four hours. I was 2/3 through with the book then, and *forced* myself to put it down because a) I had to walk the dog, b) I had to feed my 91-yr-old aunt, and c) I had to pee.
Let's talk about mystery series for a minute. I like them, as readers of past reviews will yawningly recall, because they satisfy my need for order, for the world to work *right* for a change. I think a lot of people feel similarly to me. But a series, iteration upon iteration of similar plots/characters/motivations/dialogue...what makes a well-read consumer of Lit'rachure such as I, and so many fellow Goodreadsers, am/are seek these books out? Comfort? Yes, but... Ease? Yes, but... Quality.
Some of the best storytelling going on in literature today happens in mysteries and thrillers.
Yeup, you can love or loathe Grisham's writing, but you CANNOT fault, in any way, his eye for a story. You can fairly say it's not to your personal taste, but don't even TRY to say it's "not good." Likewise James Patterson, Stephen King, Iris Johansen, et alii. There is a reason these folks are bestsellers, and it is NOT that the People got no taste. It's that these are storytellers, entertainers, creators of worlds we-the-people want to inhabit if only for a moment.
As was Homer, may I remind the snobs. No one thought much about Homer's stuff, except that it was rollicking good fun. Nobody even bothered to write it down for a few centuries *after* writing was invented. Somewhere on the Times bestseller list is the work of the Homer our culture will be remembered for, and it's not likely to be Faulkner. (Horrible thought: What if it's HEMINGWAY?!?)
Louise Penny's Three Pines is a place I want to go and stay, eating Gabri's bounteous cooking and flirting with Olivier and lusting from afar at unattainable Peter and gossiping unkindly with Ruth...then settling in for a long, quiet snifter with Gamache and Beauvoir and Clara, to think it all through and come to a reasoned conclusion about life. I am there with these people, these words-on-page creations that have the life only a deep well of talent can water into existence. I believe them. I think you will, too.
I offer this moment from very near the end of the book, when Clara realizes who murdered her very best friend:
Clara stared at her reflection in the window of {the victim}'s kitchen. A ghostly,frightened woman looked back. Her theory made sense.
Ignore it, the voice inside said. It's not your business. Let the police do their work. For God's sake, don't say anything. It was a seductive voice, one that promised peace and calm and the continuation of her beautiful life in Three Pines. To act on what she knew would destroy that life.
What if you're wrong? cooed the voice. You'll hurt a lot of people...But Clara knew the voice lied. Had always lied to her. Clara would know and that knowing would eventually destroy her life anyway.
If that doesn't make you sprint out to get this book, nothing else I can say will.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rating: 2.5* of five
The Filmmaker Says: When a beloved schoolteacher is found dead, the possibility of murder leaves the quaint town of Three Pines aghast in this crime drama based on the award-winning novel by Louise Penny. The Film at Acorn.tv
The Film Review: Well now. I don't know what cause Louise Penny to distance herself from the film made of her first novel, and so far as I am aware, she hasn't been public about the cause of her breach with the filmmakers.
The only actor I recognized in the cast was Gamache, played by Nathaniel Parker. I had a dizzy moment or two when I first saw Peter Morrow, playd by one Gabriel Hogan. I was sure as sure could be that it was Henry Rollins with a bad dye-job and after a facelift. Then I wondered if permaybehaps Mr. Hogan was, errrmmm, a product of Rollins' rock-star years...no, born in 1973...so no go....
And do you now see the problem? I was able to trace these arabesques and follow these fancies because I was so very not wrapped up in the film. Parker does a rather blah job as Gamache, the lady who plays Clara is nothing special, we don't so much as hear BOO from Myrna, Gabri and Olivier appear to be acquaintances with a formal past. And then there are the police: Lacoste looks just right and isn't terribly busy onscreen, Jean-Guy is edgeless, but then there's Agent Nicol. She's perfectly cast for attitude, is Susanna Fournier. Manages to be just like Nicol in the book.
Whatever the alchemy is that makes a film adaptation great is missing from this one. It's pretty to look at. The actors aren't bloody awful in the roles. The screenplay has the events in order. And at the end of the 88 minutes, I was utterly uninterested in seeing more.
Bad, bad sign.
January 14, 2020
What a wonderful, beautifully written, cozy mystery set in the Canadian countryside.
“Life is choice. All day, everyday. Who we talk to, where we sit, what we say, how we say it. And our lives become defined by our choices. It's as simple and as complex as that. And as powerful. so when I'm observing that's what I'm watching for. The choices people make”
Talking about choices, I am really glad I gave this series a try. I was not expecting much as I am not an avid reader of detective stories and I usually go to this genre when I am in a reading slump needing a quick , entertaining book. This was all that and more. I was not expecting to be warmed inside by a book about murder.
“Life is choice. All day, everyday. Who we talk to, where we sit, what we say, how we say it. And our lives become defined by our choices. It's as simple and as complex as that. And as powerful. so when I'm observing that's what I'm watching for. The choices people make”
Talking about choices, I am really glad I gave this series a try. I was not expecting much as I am not an avid reader of detective stories and I usually go to this genre when I am in a reading slump needing a quick , entertaining book. This was all that and more. I was not expecting to be warmed inside by a book about murder.
August 1, 2017
"Three Pines wasn’t on any tourist map, being too far off any main or even secondary road. Like Narnia, it was generally found unexpectedly and with a degree of surprise that such an elderly village should have been hiding in this valley all along. Anyone fortunate enough to find it once usually found their way back."
I’ve seen this book and others in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series pop up so many times in my friends’ reviews and lists. And yet, I hesitated to read it for some time since I didn’t really consider myself a ‘series reader’ any longer. I felt that if I got hooked on a series, I would get ‘tied down’ and feel like I would have to set aside too many other wonderful books in order to continue with a series. Well, I’ve since become older and wiser, and series are no longer a thing of the past but another delightful option in a world where I can read whatever I want, whenever I choose! I’ve started several series over the past year or two, and have had my eye on this one for some time now thanks to the favorable feedback of many Goodreads’ friends. Having read this first in the series, I have to say I’m in for the long haul! I won’t rush through them, since as I mentioned, there are so many books yet to be read – but I plan to commit fully!
The village of Three Pines is so charming – as in the quote above, I believe I am one of those folks who have found it and am hoping to be fortunate enough to find my way back. I’m not sure that Louise Penny intended that for me, but I’m reading into it that way regardless ;) I loved the descriptions of the little town, the surroundings, and the somewhat quirky characters. Sent to investigate the death of a gentle old soul named Jane Neal, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache from the Sûreté du Quebec is respectable, intelligent and a true gentleman. Such an appealing leading man all around. I am eager to learn more about him in the next several books. It seems no one would ever want to deliberately harm Jane – or would they? Inspector Gamache will do what he does best – listen and watch by inserting himself smack dab in the middle of the goings-on – in order to determine if her death was an accident or *gasp* a murder! "Before his eyes the village of Three Pines seemed to slow right down. The insistence of life, the bustle and energy became muffled. The voices dropped, gaits slowed. Gamache sat back and did what he did best. He watched."
The cast of characters is quite entertaining, and I enjoyed getting to know each of them – even the not so pleasant ones I would likely sidestep in real life! Jean Guy Beauvoir, Gamache’s second in command, is another I am keen to watch develop further in later installments, and the pair make for a satisfying duo. I loved popping in at the bistro to see what everyone was eating and drinking, visiting the quaint little bookshop – who wouldn’t love that!, getting a glimpse inside some of the resident homes, and traipsing around in the local woods. Louise Penny also touches on some Quebecois culture which I hope she expands upon in later books, as this is an aspect that really appeals to me as well. Despite the idyllic aura of Three Pines, there are some complex relationships and dark secrets that draw the reader further into the intrigue.
A well-written and delightful debut, Still Life is one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone that loves a good little mystery set in captivating surroundings with very pleasing characterizations. 4 stars.
I’ve seen this book and others in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series pop up so many times in my friends’ reviews and lists. And yet, I hesitated to read it for some time since I didn’t really consider myself a ‘series reader’ any longer. I felt that if I got hooked on a series, I would get ‘tied down’ and feel like I would have to set aside too many other wonderful books in order to continue with a series. Well, I’ve since become older and wiser, and series are no longer a thing of the past but another delightful option in a world where I can read whatever I want, whenever I choose! I’ve started several series over the past year or two, and have had my eye on this one for some time now thanks to the favorable feedback of many Goodreads’ friends. Having read this first in the series, I have to say I’m in for the long haul! I won’t rush through them, since as I mentioned, there are so many books yet to be read – but I plan to commit fully!
The village of Three Pines is so charming – as in the quote above, I believe I am one of those folks who have found it and am hoping to be fortunate enough to find my way back. I’m not sure that Louise Penny intended that for me, but I’m reading into it that way regardless ;) I loved the descriptions of the little town, the surroundings, and the somewhat quirky characters. Sent to investigate the death of a gentle old soul named Jane Neal, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache from the Sûreté du Quebec is respectable, intelligent and a true gentleman. Such an appealing leading man all around. I am eager to learn more about him in the next several books. It seems no one would ever want to deliberately harm Jane – or would they? Inspector Gamache will do what he does best – listen and watch by inserting himself smack dab in the middle of the goings-on – in order to determine if her death was an accident or *gasp* a murder! "Before his eyes the village of Three Pines seemed to slow right down. The insistence of life, the bustle and energy became muffled. The voices dropped, gaits slowed. Gamache sat back and did what he did best. He watched."
The cast of characters is quite entertaining, and I enjoyed getting to know each of them – even the not so pleasant ones I would likely sidestep in real life! Jean Guy Beauvoir, Gamache’s second in command, is another I am keen to watch develop further in later installments, and the pair make for a satisfying duo. I loved popping in at the bistro to see what everyone was eating and drinking, visiting the quaint little bookshop – who wouldn’t love that!, getting a glimpse inside some of the resident homes, and traipsing around in the local woods. Louise Penny also touches on some Quebecois culture which I hope she expands upon in later books, as this is an aspect that really appeals to me as well. Despite the idyllic aura of Three Pines, there are some complex relationships and dark secrets that draw the reader further into the intrigue.
A well-written and delightful debut, Still Life is one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone that loves a good little mystery set in captivating surroundings with very pleasing characterizations. 4 stars.
August 14, 2019
An intriguing and intricately woven mystery, I was sucked in by this book from the start. Chief Inspector Gamache has been sent to a small town outside Montreal to investigate the murder of an elderly lady, to find she has been shot on a hunting trail during hunting season. Accident? Probably not, as she was shot by an arrow through the heart, something only a skilled archer could do. And with a thriving archery club in the town, there is no shortage of suspects.
As we get to know the quirky folk from the township, we find many people are hiding things. But who would want to kill a harmless old lady? Does it have something to do with the painting she's entered in the local art competition? Gamache and his team have their work cut out for them as they sift through the information they gather to try to get to the truth.
Louise Penny has written a little gem here. The characters are all so realistic, we could be sitting down to a cup of tea with them. The quaint setting of Three Pines comes to life and jumps off the page, and the story itself has me wanting to read more of this series. Recommended to all mystery lovers.
As we get to know the quirky folk from the township, we find many people are hiding things. But who would want to kill a harmless old lady? Does it have something to do with the painting she's entered in the local art competition? Gamache and his team have their work cut out for them as they sift through the information they gather to try to get to the truth.
Louise Penny has written a little gem here. The characters are all so realistic, we could be sitting down to a cup of tea with them. The quaint setting of Three Pines comes to life and jumps off the page, and the story itself has me wanting to read more of this series. Recommended to all mystery lovers.
December 2, 2018
Several years ago I borrowed The Cruellest Month and did not finish it ..... Now, I guess I know why. This series should be read in the order it was created ... The story of a murder in Three Pines is told at a pace which I like and it has the inspector who is so very much likeable. And the place itself ... And the smell of resin ... Louise Penny is slowly but steadily becoming the author I'm going to follow. And all thanks to several of my GR Friends whose reviews encouraged me to give Louise and Armand one more chance.
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February 8, 2025
Nothing will stain an idyllic village quite like a blood soaked murder. Louise Penny’s Still Life is a police procedural mystery book you can recommend to pretty much anyone. Cozy enough for the cozy mystery fans, grittier than expected but not too gritty, fun, fast-paced and all all-around delight of death in small town Canada with a charming detective to boot. I read this awhile back in a library loaned large print edition, which, let’s be real, is probably how this book wants to be read, and it was in English despite the 10 minutes I once spent trying to convince a bookstore customer that just because Louise Penny lives in Canada and the book is set in Quebec doesn’t mean she wrote it in French. She had apparently read a French translation once (I swear it was not the original but to this day that customer will probably swear I’m wrong) and wouldn’t buy the current latest hardcover because reading it in English “butchered the integrity of Penny’s prose.” Sure.
Anyways, this book is charming in all the right ways and the wise and equally charming Chief Inspector Armand Gamache makes for an excellent hero to the novel. Three Pines is also a lovely little cozy corner of the world to hang out in for awhile full of a quirky cast and only a smattering of murder but hey, perfection is overrated anyways. Sure, the sidekick is a bit annoying and obtuse but so am I, I won’t judge.
A great start to what has become a series as huge as it’s fanbase and I can certainly see why. So dive into Still Life and let’s solve some murders!
Anyways, this book is charming in all the right ways and the wise and equally charming Chief Inspector Armand Gamache makes for an excellent hero to the novel. Three Pines is also a lovely little cozy corner of the world to hang out in for awhile full of a quirky cast and only a smattering of murder but hey, perfection is overrated anyways. Sure, the sidekick is a bit annoying and obtuse but so am I, I won’t judge.
A great start to what has become a series as huge as it’s fanbase and I can certainly see why. So dive into Still Life and let’s solve some murders!
December 23, 2018
Dissolution
Still Life is the first book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, of the Sûreté du Quebec, series. It is a great murder mystery that has a depth of possible suspects and expands to encapsulate human psychology and community dynamics. The number of characters and plot twists were really well balanced so the reader isn't overwhelmed with complexity yet it's extensive enough to keep our imagination wondering who the murderer is and what the motive might be.
The opening lines of the novel states. “Miss Jane Neal met her maker in the early morning mist of Thanksgiving Sunday. It was pretty much a surprise all around.” The surprise is, who could unexpectedly murder a well-loved elderly artist and ex-teacher, and why? Jane was killed with an arrow and we are treated to an informative overview of bows and arrows – which I found very interesting.
Throughout the story, I was drawn towards different suspects for quite legitimate reasons and I would say that if you guess the murderer early on, it will be as much luck as investigative deductions. To give equal credence to several possible murderers is a real craft in writing a whodunit and Louise Penny achieves that really well. It’s all about creating motive, opportunity and the capability to carry out the horrific act of murder. In the story, Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying that “Conscience and cowardice are the same things. What stops us from doing horrible things isn’t our conscience but the fear of getting caught.”
Gamache has an engaging style that is really appealing, he listens, he observes, he has an analytical mind. He helps develop his team and has a fundamental desire to support new recruits and imparts wisdom in assessing a person’s character and principles, such as our ability to make choices.
He is also pragmatic and firm and will make tough choices when necessary. As a consequence, his team are extremely loyal and cohesive. Well, the established team members are!
This book is a highly crafted murder mystery that I highly recommend and managed to read it as part of my GR monthly group read. Thanks for nominating this book.
Still Life is the first book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, of the Sûreté du Quebec, series. It is a great murder mystery that has a depth of possible suspects and expands to encapsulate human psychology and community dynamics. The number of characters and plot twists were really well balanced so the reader isn't overwhelmed with complexity yet it's extensive enough to keep our imagination wondering who the murderer is and what the motive might be.
The opening lines of the novel states. “Miss Jane Neal met her maker in the early morning mist of Thanksgiving Sunday. It was pretty much a surprise all around.” The surprise is, who could unexpectedly murder a well-loved elderly artist and ex-teacher, and why? Jane was killed with an arrow and we are treated to an informative overview of bows and arrows – which I found very interesting.
Throughout the story, I was drawn towards different suspects for quite legitimate reasons and I would say that if you guess the murderer early on, it will be as much luck as investigative deductions. To give equal credence to several possible murderers is a real craft in writing a whodunit and Louise Penny achieves that really well. It’s all about creating motive, opportunity and the capability to carry out the horrific act of murder. In the story, Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying that “Conscience and cowardice are the same things. What stops us from doing horrible things isn’t our conscience but the fear of getting caught.”
Gamache has an engaging style that is really appealing, he listens, he observes, he has an analytical mind. He helps develop his team and has a fundamental desire to support new recruits and imparts wisdom in assessing a person’s character and principles, such as our ability to make choices.
“I watch. I’m very good at observing. Noticing things. And listening. Actively listening to what people are saying, their choice of words, their tone. What they aren’t saying. … It’s as simple and as complex as that. And as powerful. So when I’m observing, that’s what I’m watching for. The choices people make.”
He is also pragmatic and firm and will make tough choices when necessary. As a consequence, his team are extremely loyal and cohesive. Well, the established team members are!
This book is a highly crafted murder mystery that I highly recommend and managed to read it as part of my GR monthly group read. Thanks for nominating this book.
May 31, 2024
RATING: 5 Gold stars for a Gold Standard in the murder mystery genre.
My first book by Louise Penny and my first with the character Gamache. What a superb combination!
My first book by Louise Penny and my first with the character Gamache. What a superb combination!
December 4, 2013
NO SPOILERS. Her debut, entertaining, well written and deserving of its literary awards. A traditional detective novel, the murder unraveled by careful observation - felt like a breath of fresh air after my normal diet of forensics mysteries. A murder disrupts the peace in Quebec’s heartland where "The only reason doors were locked was to prevent neighbors from dropping off baskets of zucchini at harvest time". A rural setting, quiet pace and lack of gore has some pegging this as a cozy mystery, disagree. On the surface seems just a pleasant story placed in a picturesque artsy community but there's depth. Undercurrents of homophobia, the tension between Anglo & Francophone’s.
Atmospheric without being gloomy, nice change from the Canadian novels I’ve read lately. Fascinating characters, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache a standout. What? A detective who’s respectful and loves his wife, brilliant without a drop of arrogance – appealingly flawed, if anything overly compassionate? Refreshing...
"He always felt a pang when looking at the hands of the newly dead, imagining all the objects and people those hands had held. The food, the faces, the doorknobs. "
Tension provided courtesy of a smug young rookie agent, Yvette Nichol. As her mentor Gamache tries to stem her arrogance by teaching her humility, the power of "I’m sorry, I don’t know, I need help, I was wrong." Plan on reading the next in the series just to see if she smartens up.
Loved the role the painting ‘Fair Day’ plays in the mystery. Didn’t figure out the murderer but that’s no surprise, I rarely do. For it’s genre a solid 4.5 stars. And in case you’re wondering if places like this actually exist - the answer is yes:)
Cons: Way too many characters and while the majority are well fleshed out a few are ridiculously exaggerated. No one is as superficial as Yolande Fontaine, as smug as Agent Yvette Nichol – couldn’t take either of them seriously.
“A fire had been laid and lit, outside the storm moaned and called the leaves from the trees.”
Atmospheric without being gloomy, nice change from the Canadian novels I’ve read lately. Fascinating characters, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache a standout. What? A detective who’s respectful and loves his wife, brilliant without a drop of arrogance – appealingly flawed, if anything overly compassionate? Refreshing...
"He always felt a pang when looking at the hands of the newly dead, imagining all the objects and people those hands had held. The food, the faces, the doorknobs. "
Tension provided courtesy of a smug young rookie agent, Yvette Nichol. As her mentor Gamache tries to stem her arrogance by teaching her humility, the power of "I’m sorry, I don’t know, I need help, I was wrong." Plan on reading the next in the series just to see if she smartens up.
Loved the role the painting ‘Fair Day’ plays in the mystery. Didn’t figure out the murderer but that’s no surprise, I rarely do. For it’s genre a solid 4.5 stars. And in case you’re wondering if places like this actually exist - the answer is yes:)
Cons: Way too many characters and while the majority are well fleshed out a few are ridiculously exaggerated. No one is as superficial as Yolande Fontaine, as smug as Agent Yvette Nichol – couldn’t take either of them seriously.
“A fire had been laid and lit, outside the storm moaned and called the leaves from the trees.”
February 17, 2019
4+★
“He always felt a pang when looking at the hands of the newly dead, imagining all the objects and people those hands had held. The food, the faces, the doorknobs. All the gestures they’d made to signal delight or sorrow. And the final gesture, surely, to ward off the blow that would kill. The most poignant were the hands of young people who would never absently brush a lock of gray hair from their own eyes.”
Chief Inspector Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec has been called to the woods near the small village of Three Pines, where the body of a popular retired schoolteacher has been found. Even at this stage of his career, he’s still surprised by violent death.
“Gamache always hoped maybe someone had gotten it wrong, and there was no dead body. But there was no mistaking the increasingly rigid Miss Neal.”
Nope. No mistake. I am late to Louise Penny and her inspector’s fan club, but I intend to stay the distance. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the residents of the village – not ignorant hillbillies and not hippie dropouts, but an interesting mix of old-timers and artists.
Gamache is bilingual, and the English-speaking residents are surprised to hear him speak English with a House of Lords accent. He’s adaptable, gentlemanly and ingratiating, although he comes down pretty hard on a young agent assigned to assist with the case but who can’t help blurting out her own opinions when asked to keep them to herself. He’s also devoted to his wife with whom he shares everything to get her opinion.
I grew very fond of him, as well as the many other characters. I thought I’d lose track, but Penny does such a good job of describing them and their personalities and quirks, that they became distinct individuals.
Clara is an artist who often seems to have crumbs stuck to her clothes and is generally a bit eccentric and untidy. In this instance, she was “coming toward them, a duck barrette clinging to a few strands of hair, getting ready for the final flight.
This takes place during the winter, cold, sometimes wet and miserable, but the food is wonderful in the local bistro and B&B. The gay couple who run it welcome everyone to the fireside as they come in from their investigations, the perfect cosy mystery setting.
Myrna is an enormous black woman who runs the local bookshop and enjoys her food as much as she enjoys her books. She seems generally accepted, but “being black, she knew that singular expression when people saw her as furniture.”
I’m not black, but I’m female, and I’ve been in plenty of situations where that’s exactly what it feels like as the men direct their conversations only to each other. ARGH#*!
There are also a few teenaged boys who may be implicated, and a father worries “because he knew every parent of a teenage boy fears they’re housing a stranger.”
As it turns out, everybody is pretty much under suspicion at one time or another, and I changed my mind more than once about where I thought the clues were leading.
At least the fact I’ve waited so long to be introduced to the Chief Inspector means I have another dozen books to read. Plus, this debut has the lowest rating, so they must keep getting better!!
An interview with the author about her troubled past is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W_tU...
“He always felt a pang when looking at the hands of the newly dead, imagining all the objects and people those hands had held. The food, the faces, the doorknobs. All the gestures they’d made to signal delight or sorrow. And the final gesture, surely, to ward off the blow that would kill. The most poignant were the hands of young people who would never absently brush a lock of gray hair from their own eyes.”
Chief Inspector Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec has been called to the woods near the small village of Three Pines, where the body of a popular retired schoolteacher has been found. Even at this stage of his career, he’s still surprised by violent death.
“Gamache always hoped maybe someone had gotten it wrong, and there was no dead body. But there was no mistaking the increasingly rigid Miss Neal.”
Nope. No mistake. I am late to Louise Penny and her inspector’s fan club, but I intend to stay the distance. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the residents of the village – not ignorant hillbillies and not hippie dropouts, but an interesting mix of old-timers and artists.
Gamache is bilingual, and the English-speaking residents are surprised to hear him speak English with a House of Lords accent. He’s adaptable, gentlemanly and ingratiating, although he comes down pretty hard on a young agent assigned to assist with the case but who can’t help blurting out her own opinions when asked to keep them to herself. He’s also devoted to his wife with whom he shares everything to get her opinion.
I grew very fond of him, as well as the many other characters. I thought I’d lose track, but Penny does such a good job of describing them and their personalities and quirks, that they became distinct individuals.
Clara is an artist who often seems to have crumbs stuck to her clothes and is generally a bit eccentric and untidy. In this instance, she was “coming toward them, a duck barrette clinging to a few strands of hair, getting ready for the final flight.
This takes place during the winter, cold, sometimes wet and miserable, but the food is wonderful in the local bistro and B&B. The gay couple who run it welcome everyone to the fireside as they come in from their investigations, the perfect cosy mystery setting.
Myrna is an enormous black woman who runs the local bookshop and enjoys her food as much as she enjoys her books. She seems generally accepted, but “being black, she knew that singular expression when people saw her as furniture.”
I’m not black, but I’m female, and I’ve been in plenty of situations where that’s exactly what it feels like as the men direct their conversations only to each other. ARGH#*!
There are also a few teenaged boys who may be implicated, and a father worries “because he knew every parent of a teenage boy fears they’re housing a stranger.”
As it turns out, everybody is pretty much under suspicion at one time or another, and I changed my mind more than once about where I thought the clues were leading.
At least the fact I’ve waited so long to be introduced to the Chief Inspector means I have another dozen books to read. Plus, this debut has the lowest rating, so they must keep getting better!!
An interview with the author about her troubled past is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W_tU...
March 20, 2025
It is my vacation week. I have been devouring paperbacks and enjoying this contemplative time of relaxation. One of the highlights of vacation for me is trading paperbacks with my mom. I could not fully participate this year because all the books I brought are from the library but I could take advantage of the pile that she brought. A reason that I have read as many Agatha Christie mysteries as I have over the last year is because I have been seeking a new contemporary mystery series, being caught up in my two favorites. Admittedly I am picky. I enjoy a detective or storyline that I can relate to on some level in real life, or at least one that isn’t too bloody. This week we have even been enjoying Law and Order reruns, the originals which are not full of gore. That being said, one of the books in my mom’s stack was the first book in the Armand Gamanche series by Louise Penny. Many of my goodreads friends enjoy this series, so, when I read how many accolades that the author has won for this series, I decided to join in on the fun.
Jane Neal is found dead in the forest near her home outside of Three Pines, Quebec, a quaint village near Montreal. Those who follow me know that I enjoy reading about the quirky characters who comprise small towns, so I knew that I would be in for a treat. Jane had never married. She was the Three Pines school teacher for over fifty years and beloved by all that knew her. She also was an aspiring artist and after many years of coaxing had her first painting accepted to be viewed by Arts Williamsburg. In a village like Three Pines where everyone knows everyone else, no one could think of who would want to murder Jane Neal. During this Thanksgiving week, the townspeople surmise that it had to have been a hunting accident, until it wasn’t.
Enter Chief Inspector Armand Gamanche of the Surete and his right hand man Jean Guy Beauvoir. Although this case is the first in a series, Gamanche and Beauvoir are in their fifties and have enjoyed illustrious careers as detectives. They know each other’s idiosyncrasies and make the perfect pairing. After being married to Reine Maria for over thirty years, Gamanche fills her in on everything that goes on in his cases, picking her brain for perhaps a clue that evaded him. Although she has but a small role in this book, I have an inkling that she will play a larger one as the series continues. That is just my surmising but one facet of me finding a series I can relate to is the inclusion of their private life away from the police force, getting to know the whole person not just the detective. Readers here find out that Gamanche appreciates good poetry and croissants and coffee from Tim Hortons. Beauvoir enjoys a quality meal while he discusses cases, and in this book, the detecting team spends a lot of time in both the Three Pines bistro and bed and breakfast. Being a self proclaimed foodie, I knew I minimally share the detectives’ love of a good meal.
Gamanche and his team deduct that Neal was murdered by a bow and arrow rather than killed by an accident. Penny being a local to southern Quebec describes the history of the area including that three pine trees signified that a town was a safe haven for supporters of the British crown. The town became a shared history of both Anglo and Francophones, enriching its culture. Readers are introduced to the quirky cast of characters including the artist couple Peter and Clara Morrow, the poet laureate Ruth Zardo who is old and obnoxious, and after discussing with my goodreads friends, people either love or despise her presence in town. Ruth had a long relationship with Jane Neal from the time that they were kids, a friendship thicker than kin and one that went a long way to who they became as adults. My friends have told me that Ruth is the character who makes the series, so I guess I will see over time. I also enjoy the bistro owners Olivier and Gabri, who remind me of the quirky characters from Cecily, Alaska in Northern Exposure, a television show I watched during my teenaged years. After being introduced to this cast of characters, however, I am partial to Gamanche, a stately Québécois. He reminds me of a modern day Hercule Poirot, who many of you know I prefer to all other detectives. It is little wonder to me that I fell for both Gamanche and Three Pines almost immediately.
Gamanche and his team along with the people of Three Pines find out whodunit. There is a twist at the end that adds yet another layer of quirkiness to the people of Three Pines. Gamanche bids adieu to the town and heads back to the Surete. Watching from a hill outside of town and craving croissants from the bistro, Penny deduces that he will be back. And back he will be as she has written sixteen books and counting in this now long running series. I have just an inkling that I will be in for the long haul.
🇨🇦 🍁 4+ stars 🕵️♂️
Jane Neal is found dead in the forest near her home outside of Three Pines, Quebec, a quaint village near Montreal. Those who follow me know that I enjoy reading about the quirky characters who comprise small towns, so I knew that I would be in for a treat. Jane had never married. She was the Three Pines school teacher for over fifty years and beloved by all that knew her. She also was an aspiring artist and after many years of coaxing had her first painting accepted to be viewed by Arts Williamsburg. In a village like Three Pines where everyone knows everyone else, no one could think of who would want to murder Jane Neal. During this Thanksgiving week, the townspeople surmise that it had to have been a hunting accident, until it wasn’t.
Enter Chief Inspector Armand Gamanche of the Surete and his right hand man Jean Guy Beauvoir. Although this case is the first in a series, Gamanche and Beauvoir are in their fifties and have enjoyed illustrious careers as detectives. They know each other’s idiosyncrasies and make the perfect pairing. After being married to Reine Maria for over thirty years, Gamanche fills her in on everything that goes on in his cases, picking her brain for perhaps a clue that evaded him. Although she has but a small role in this book, I have an inkling that she will play a larger one as the series continues. That is just my surmising but one facet of me finding a series I can relate to is the inclusion of their private life away from the police force, getting to know the whole person not just the detective. Readers here find out that Gamanche appreciates good poetry and croissants and coffee from Tim Hortons. Beauvoir enjoys a quality meal while he discusses cases, and in this book, the detecting team spends a lot of time in both the Three Pines bistro and bed and breakfast. Being a self proclaimed foodie, I knew I minimally share the detectives’ love of a good meal.
Gamanche and his team deduct that Neal was murdered by a bow and arrow rather than killed by an accident. Penny being a local to southern Quebec describes the history of the area including that three pine trees signified that a town was a safe haven for supporters of the British crown. The town became a shared history of both Anglo and Francophones, enriching its culture. Readers are introduced to the quirky cast of characters including the artist couple Peter and Clara Morrow, the poet laureate Ruth Zardo who is old and obnoxious, and after discussing with my goodreads friends, people either love or despise her presence in town. Ruth had a long relationship with Jane Neal from the time that they were kids, a friendship thicker than kin and one that went a long way to who they became as adults. My friends have told me that Ruth is the character who makes the series, so I guess I will see over time. I also enjoy the bistro owners Olivier and Gabri, who remind me of the quirky characters from Cecily, Alaska in Northern Exposure, a television show I watched during my teenaged years. After being introduced to this cast of characters, however, I am partial to Gamanche, a stately Québécois. He reminds me of a modern day Hercule Poirot, who many of you know I prefer to all other detectives. It is little wonder to me that I fell for both Gamanche and Three Pines almost immediately.
Gamanche and his team along with the people of Three Pines find out whodunit. There is a twist at the end that adds yet another layer of quirkiness to the people of Three Pines. Gamanche bids adieu to the town and heads back to the Surete. Watching from a hill outside of town and craving croissants from the bistro, Penny deduces that he will be back. And back he will be as she has written sixteen books and counting in this now long running series. I have just an inkling that I will be in for the long haul.
🇨🇦 🍁 4+ stars 🕵️♂️
August 5, 2014
I finally get the chance to read this series, I've heard nothing but good things about this series. I should have read this a lot sooner than I did. This 1St book in the series was just fabulous. This mystery takes place in Quebec, Canada in a small village called Three Pines. The author describes this place so well that I actually felt that I was there visiting with these odd characters. Three Pines is the place to be! This book is very well written and has won many awards.
The mystery starts out with Jane, who was 76 years old and was a school teacher and she was found dead in the woods of Three Pines. She had lived there for 25 years. She was very will liked. Detective. Gamache and his team come to investigate, and find out that she died of a bow and arrow wound. Was this a tragic accident or was she murdered? If she was so loved why was she murdered and who would of done it? I could go on and on about the characters, but there are so many it could take awhile. Gamache and his team are left with so many clues and so many secrets and lies! Jane would have so many visitors but they were not allowed in her living room. Why? Also when she decides to show her painting called Fair Days, and has a party to celebrate she dies the next day. Does the painting have anything to do with why Jane died.
Follow Gamache and his team and get to know these odd characters to find out how Jane died.
This book was sooo good....I loved every minute of it There's no way to described this book to give it the justice that it deserves. There is so much beauty. in it you really need to read it and I think it will be one of your favorite series. It sure was mine. This book is definitely a must read. It is a page Turner and I have so much passion for this book.
The mystery starts out with Jane, who was 76 years old and was a school teacher and she was found dead in the woods of Three Pines. She had lived there for 25 years. She was very will liked. Detective. Gamache and his team come to investigate, and find out that she died of a bow and arrow wound. Was this a tragic accident or was she murdered? If she was so loved why was she murdered and who would of done it? I could go on and on about the characters, but there are so many it could take awhile. Gamache and his team are left with so many clues and so many secrets and lies! Jane would have so many visitors but they were not allowed in her living room. Why? Also when she decides to show her painting called Fair Days, and has a party to celebrate she dies the next day. Does the painting have anything to do with why Jane died.
Follow Gamache and his team and get to know these odd characters to find out how Jane died.
This book was sooo good....I loved every minute of it There's no way to described this book to give it the justice that it deserves. There is so much beauty. in it you really need to read it and I think it will be one of your favorite series. It sure was mine. This book is definitely a must read. It is a page Turner and I have so much passion for this book.
August 28, 2020
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!
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!
August 30, 2015
Sign me up.....I'm in, and it looks like the ratings only get better for this popular series going forward!
Jane Neal is found dead in the woods, and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache leads his troops to the picturesque village of Three Pines to uncover secrets and find a killer. This fun to read crime-mystery has many great characters that I can't wait to get to know better.....Oliver and his partner Gabri are a hoot and newbie smart-mouth Agent Nichol, well, she is something else, and then there's Inspector Gamache's final comment (I'm not telling) that draws you to book two!
One down :-) and Ten to Go :-(
"Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men"
April 20, 2013
This is a murder mystery in the category of police procedural. I like to throw in a few of these every once in a while for variety. After all, one does not wish to consider oneself effete for having dined on too rich a diet of purely literary fare, does one?
Now that we're in the star bestowal business I thought for a minute about what makes for a good book of this sort. Here’s the list I came up with along with how Still Life did with respect to it.
So with the exception of the last criterion, this one does well. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache qualifies as interesting in that wise and avuncular way that inspires confidence. It’s set in Quebec in a French and English speaking town south of Montreal. The local flavor was delicieux. As far as the forensics are concerned, there were some bits involving bowhunting that were out of the ordinary. This was Penny’s first book, but she seemed very polished in the way she set the stage and kept us guessing.
As you’ve no doubt already gathered from my list, I did have a problem with one of the characters on the investigative team. She seemed almost willfully obtuse. If the goal was to create conflict to foil the naturally unflappable Inspector Gamache, there had to have been more satisfying ways to do it than through her. Even so, the book has enough charm, intrigue and local color to recommend. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Now that we're in the star bestowal business I thought for a minute about what makes for a good book of this sort. Here’s the list I came up with along with how Still Life did with respect to it.
✓ Interesting characters
✓ Plausible forensics
✓ Sensible structure to the story
✓ Skill in the uncovering of clues
✓ Details of the setting for added flavor
x Success in avoiding an annoying, witless junior officer who thinks she knows way more than she really does and is terrible at reading people
So with the exception of the last criterion, this one does well. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache qualifies as interesting in that wise and avuncular way that inspires confidence. It’s set in Quebec in a French and English speaking town south of Montreal. The local flavor was delicieux. As far as the forensics are concerned, there were some bits involving bowhunting that were out of the ordinary. This was Penny’s first book, but she seemed very polished in the way she set the stage and kept us guessing.
As you’ve no doubt already gathered from my list, I did have a problem with one of the characters on the investigative team. She seemed almost willfully obtuse. If the goal was to create conflict to foil the naturally unflappable Inspector Gamache, there had to have been more satisfying ways to do it than through her. Even so, the book has enough charm, intrigue and local color to recommend. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
October 12, 2017
In all the years Jean Guy Beauvior had worked with Gamache, through all the murders and mayhem, it never ceased to thrill him, hearing that simple sentence. "Tell me what you know." It signaled the beginning of the hunt. He was the alpha dog. And Chief Inspector Gamache was Master of the Hunt.
October -Canadian Thanksgiving weekend- Three Pines, Quebec
Victim : Jane Neal, 76 years old, retired school teacher, never married- found dead in the woods not far from her home- cause of death -shot with an arrow...possible hunting accident.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team are called to the normally peaceful village of Three Pines- to investigate the death of Jane Neal. The locals are positive it was an accident- everyone loved Jane, and no one in Three Pines is capable of murder...or are they?
Louise Penny's debut, STILL LIFE is the first novel in the Inspector Gamache series- and what a wonderful start it is! It was an ideal book for me to have read coming into holiday season- since it begins during the Thanksgiving weekend and the next in the series "A Fatal Grace" starts during the Christmas holidays.
Not as light as a cozy...but not too dark either. Beautiful setting, great characters, and an enjoyable mystery. So put down the snow shovel, get on those flannel P.J.s, grab a warm beverage, cuddle up by the fire...and let STILL LIFE entertain you for an evening or two.
October -Canadian Thanksgiving weekend- Three Pines, Quebec
Victim : Jane Neal, 76 years old, retired school teacher, never married- found dead in the woods not far from her home- cause of death -shot with an arrow...possible hunting accident.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team are called to the normally peaceful village of Three Pines- to investigate the death of Jane Neal. The locals are positive it was an accident- everyone loved Jane, and no one in Three Pines is capable of murder...or are they?
Louise Penny's debut, STILL LIFE is the first novel in the Inspector Gamache series- and what a wonderful start it is! It was an ideal book for me to have read coming into holiday season- since it begins during the Thanksgiving weekend and the next in the series "A Fatal Grace" starts during the Christmas holidays.
Not as light as a cozy...but not too dark either. Beautiful setting, great characters, and an enjoyable mystery. So put down the snow shovel, get on those flannel P.J.s, grab a warm beverage, cuddle up by the fire...and let STILL LIFE entertain you for an evening or two.
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