Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.
Still Life introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces---and this series---with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny.

"A rare treat." -People magazine

"It's hard to decide what provides the most pleasure in this enjoyable book: Gamache, a shrewd and kindly man constantly surprised by homicide; the village, which sounds at first like an ideal place to escape from civilization; or the clever and carefully constructed plot." -Chicago Tribune

"Cerebral, wise and compassionate, Gamache is destined for stardom. Don't miss this stellar debut." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Terrific. Like a virtuoso, Penny plays a complex variation on the theme of the clue hidden in plain sight." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A gem of a book." -Booklist (starred review)

"[An] auspicious debut… [Penny's] deceptively simple style masks the complex patterns of a well-devised plot." -Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

"A perfectly executed traditional mystery." -Denver Post

"A stellar debut novel. The setting is entrancing… Well done!" -Deadly Pleasures

"A gem of a debut novel--clever, charming, with perceptively realized characters… and the enormously appealing Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. I can't wait for the next installment." -Deborah Crombie, author of Water Like a Stone

"An excellent, subtle plot full of understanding of the deeper places in human nature, and many wise observations that will enrich the reader long after the pages are closed." -Anne Perry, author of Long Spoon Lane

"Georges Simenon kept Maigret going for over a hundred books. It will be a delight for all of us who love detective fiction if Louise Penny can stay around long enough to do the same for Gamache." -Reginald Hill, author of The Stranger House

"Still Life is a masterpiece of a traditional drawing room mystery, repainted in the autumnal colors of the Canadian countryside. Louise Penny is a storytelling artist." -Julia Spencer-Fleming, author of To Darkness and to Death

"What a joy it is to discover a detective like Armand Gamache, strong, calm and charismatic and at work on a good mystery in a believable setting." -Peter Lovesey, author of The Circle

"What a joy to read a crime novel written with such skill and integrity, strong on character and atmosphere...I couldn't put it down." -Margaret Yorke, author of False Pretences

"Still Life is a lovely, clever book and I hope I shall be reading a lot more by Louise Penny!" -Ann Granger, author of That Way Murder Lies