book review still life louise penny

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with These Great Reads

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1

Louise penny.

293 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 3, 2005

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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.

“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.”

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"

✓ 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

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Roger's Reads

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Review of Still Life by Louise Penny

September 8, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

The story opens when Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called to the scene of a suspicious death in the rural village of Three Pines, south of Montreal. Jane Neal, an elderly woman and beloved longtime resident of Three Pines has been found dead in the woods. The locals are positive it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache doesn’t necessarily agree and is soon convinced that Jane Neal death was not an accident. She was murdered.

This book has a fantastic cast of eccentric, complex and likable characters, each with more than their share of faults. There were numerous red herrings peppered throughout the story, and as Gamache deepens his investigation, possible suspects began to emerge. By the end of the book, we’ve pretty much gotten to know everyone, along with their faults and their foibles, in the small town of Three Pines — including the murderer. And everyone has layers upon layers of secrets.

Now even though many people refer to this as a cozy mystery, I’m not entirely sure that I agree. While it did take place in a quaint little artsy town, there was a darker feel to it then you see with a lot of cozies. There was long-standing hatred, fear, homophobia, revenge and, as it turns out, multiple murders. Though it certainly wasn’t gloomy, it doesn’t have that light, almost playful atmosphere you see in the cozy mystery genre.

As is the case with mysteries, one cannot say too much without spilling the beans as it were. Let me just say that this was an enjoyable mystery that kept me guessing until the end. This one I did not figure out.

The only niggle that I had with the book was the depiction of the gay couple. The author relied on stereotypical representations in which they ran a B & B and collected antiques. And then there’s the scene where they were singing “It’s Raining Men” in the kitchen, which caused me to roll my eyes so hard that I saw my brain.

If it hadn’t been for this insulting stereotyping, I probably would have given this book five stars. That being said, this is a solid 4-star read for me, and I hope to continue with the series and see what other kinds of trouble our Chief Inspector gets himself into.

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From the Chief Inspector Gamache series , Vol. 1

by Louise Penny ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 17, 2006

Cerebral, wise and compassionate, Gamache is destined for stardom. Don’t miss this stellar debut.

Three Pines, an appealing Quebecois community, is shaken by the death of a beloved longtime village schoolteacher and unsung artist.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team find that Miss Jane Neal has been shot through the heart with an arrow. Is it a hunting accident or murder? Gamache sets up shop in the charming village B&B owned by a gay couple but is suspended when he refuses to arrest a local bowman who confesses after his sullen son is fingered for the crime. His longtime associate Beauvoir takes over while Gamache ponders the case. Jane, who never exhibited her work, had just had an astonishing folk art painting accepted for a show. Her obnoxious niece Yolande, who can’t wait to get into Jane’s house, gets a court order to keep the police out. Meanwhile, an equally arrogant trainee has not done her job checking wills, and a new one turns up leaving almost everything to Jane’s neighbor Clara Morrow, a married artist who’d been like a daughter to Jane, whose youthful romance had been quashed by her parents. Because no one had ever been allowed past Jane’s kitchen, everyone’s dumbfounded to find walls, recently covered by Yolande in appalling wallpaper, full of murals. The slight difference Clara notices between the murals and Jane’s painting holds the clue to her murder.

Pub Date: July 17, 2006

ISBN: 0-312-35255-7

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Dunne/Minotaur

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2006

MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | POLICE PROCEDURALS | GENERAL MYSTERY & DETECTIVE

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A CONSPIRACY OF BONES

by Kathy Reichs ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2020

Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival.

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.

A week after the night she chases but fails to catch a mysterious trespasser outside her town house, some unknown party texts Tempe four images of a corpse that looks as if it’s been chewed by wild hogs, because it has been. Showboat Medical Examiner Margot Heavner makes it clear that, breaking with her department’s earlier practice ( The Bone Collection , 2016, etc.), she has no intention of calling in Tempe as a consultant and promptly identifies the faceless body herself as that of a young Asian man. Nettled by several errors in Heavner’s analysis, and even more by her willingness to share the gory details at a press conference, Tempe launches her own investigation, which is not so much off the books as against the books. Heavner isn’t exactly mollified when Tempe, aided by retired police detective Skinny Slidell and a host of experts, puts a name to the dead man. But the hints of other crimes Tempe’s identification uncovers, particularly crimes against children, spur her on to redouble her efforts despite the new M.E.’s splenetic outbursts. Before he died, it seems, Felix Vodyanov was linked to a passenger ferry that sank in 1994, an even earlier U.S. government project to research biological agents that could control human behavior, the hinky spiritual retreat Sparkling Waters, the dark web site DeepUnder, and the disappearances of at least four schoolchildren, two of whom have also turned up dead. And why on earth was Vodyanov carrying Tempe’s own contact information? The mounting evidence of ever more and ever worse skulduggery will pull Tempe deeper and deeper down what even she sees as a rabbit hole before she confronts a ringleader implicated in “Drugs. Fraud. Breaking and entering. Arson. Kidnapping. How does attempted murder sound?”

Pub Date: March 17, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9821-3888-2

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020

More by Kathy Reichs

by Kathy Reichs

THE LIFE WE BURY

by Allen Eskens ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2014

Eskens’ debut is a solid and thoughtful tale of a young man used to taking on burdens beyond his years—none more dangerous...

A struggling student’s English assignment turns into a mission to solve a 30-year-old murder.

Joe Talbert has had very few breaks in his 21 years. The son of a single and very alcoholic mother, he’s worked hard to save enough money to leave his home in Austin, Minnesota, for the University of Minnesota. Although he has to leave his autistic younger brother, Jeremy Naylor, to the dubious care of their mother, Joe is determined to beat the odds and get his degree. For an assignment in his English class, he decides to interview Carl Iverson, a man convicted of raping and killing a 14-year-old girl. Carl, who maintains his innocence, is dying of cancer and has been released to a nursing home to end his life in lonely but unrepentant pain. The more Joe learns about Carl—a Vietnam vet with two Purple Hearts and a Silver Cross—the more the young man questions the conviction. Joe’s plan to write a short biography and earn an easy A turns into something more. Even after his mother is arrested for drunk driving and guilt-trips Joe into ransacking his college fund to bail her out, he soldiers on with the project, though her irresponsibility forces him to take Jeremy into his care. But it’s his younger brother who cracks the code of the long-dead murder victim’s secret diary and an attractive neighbor, Lila Nash, who has her own agenda for helping Joe solve the mystery, whatever the risk.

Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-61614-998-7

Page Count: 300

Publisher: Seventh Street Books

Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014

GENERAL MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | MYSTERY & DETECTIVE

More by Allen Eskens

by Allen Eskens

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Still Life by Louise Penny Summary & Review: The Perfect Murder Mystery for Holiday Season

By: Author Rosie Langello

Posted on Published: January 5, 2024

Mark my words! We can never catch Penny if she ever decides to be a serial killer. Oh boy! I do envy this lady! How could anyone plan such bullet-proof murders (Not an attack on Agatha Christie)?

After finishing Fatal Grace, I instantly got the kick of reading the other books of this Detective Gamache series. So, I walked straight into the library and bought Louise Penny first book, Still Life.

I read Louise Penny A Fatal Grace in a hurry (I was dying to find out who the killer of CC was and thank her personally). But with Still Life, I realized it was better not to rush with Penny’s book. It is more enjoyable that way. So, over the next few days, I lived in Three Pines, made friends with its people, and solved a murder (God! It felt good).

Does it look like I am fangirling Penny? Aggh! Just read this Still Life book summary and review, and let’s see where it takes you. Shall we begin?

Still Life Book Summary: Trying To Ignore Spoilers? This Is for You

Miss Jane Neal was found dead on Thanksgiving Sunday. She was shot by an arrow.

Chief Inspector Gamache gets to the crime scene and suspects it is nothing more than a hunting accident. But the investigation says otherwise. The secrets and complex relationships of Three Pines have taken Gamache by surprise.

This is not an accident. Someone planned to kill Miss Jane Neal, and the murderer is hiding in her friend circle.

Gamache blends in the lives of Three Pines just to reveal the mask of the killer, to reveal the motive. Who would benefit from killing a 76-year-old retired school teacher, after all?

When Gamache finally reaches the culprit, he gets another shock. It’s not just Jane Neal. There is more blood on the killer’s hands! Who is the murderer? Read the book to find out.

Still Life by Louise Penny Summary: Jane Was Killed for This? Spoiler Ahead!

Someone said it right. Still Life book revolves around art, luck, and love. Truly, these are the essence of this novel and the keys to the murder mystery. Sounds too poetic? Alert! Things are going to get a lot more artistic in the book. Let’s start from the beginning.

An Unexpected Murder at Three Pines

The plot of Still Life book circles around the people of Three Pines, a village hidden in the valley of Québec. Man! Shouldn’t we just declare Three Pines as the heaven on earth? Not just because of its beauty but for the people.

Here is a quote to help you understand the neighborhood in this village. “The only reason doors were locked was to prevent neighbors from dropping off baskets of zucchini at harvest time.”

Has anyone thought there could be a murder in this Utopia? The dead body of 76-year-old Jane Neal has really created chaos around the village. Ben Hadley, a friend and neighbor of Jane, has found her in the snow and called the police.

Gamache rushes to the scene with Nichol, a trainee. His second officer, Beauvoir, fills him in the case.

Jane was shot with an arrow. There is an opening and exit wound. But the arrow is nowhere to be seen.

Well, this could be one of those hunting accidents. Such incidents are common around the region in the hunting season. But the arrow can not evaporate on its own. The murderer must have taken the arrow with him/her to wipe out any trace of evidence.

Or is it a hunting accident, after all? The killer might have panicked and run with the arrow. That is the natural response for any normal person.

But wait a second! What was Jane doing out early in the morning? Was she walking her dog? Of course not! Lucy is nowhere around her.

Gamache is swamped with questions! He is a stranger in this village and does not know where to start. But it is Gamache we are talking about! He always finds a way in!

The Entire Three Pines Mourns Together

How could anyone kill Jane? She was a harmless, lovely lady. After retiring from teaching, Jane spent her days painting. Yes, our victim was an artist. Her death seems to devastate everyone in Three Pines, especially Clara.

Clara was younger than Jane, but these two hit it off instantly. Peter, Clara’s husband, is confused. Should he cry or be jealous? He wonders whether Clara will mourn for him as she is doing for Jane (our dude Peter is really insecure).

Myrna, the black therapist of Three Pines, and Ruth Zadro, the poet, struggle to find any word. Why are their friends leaving one by one? Timmer, Ben’s mom, died just a month ago. They were still recovering from that death, and now this incident with Jane. What’s going on?

Ben is in even more shock. He just lost his mother and now Jane. It seems like destiny does not want him to be happy.

Gabri and Olivier, the gay couple of Three Pines, also feel the blow. Jane was more than their customer. She was a friend. How could they not see Jane was in danger?

When the entire Three Pines is weeping, Gamache is watching them with an eagle eye. If Jane was killed, the murderer has to be one of these mourners!

The Mysteries of Jane Neal

Wasn’t Jane the kindest? She stood by her friends no matter what. She would take a bullet even for strangers. Why would anyone kill such an angel?

It is not Jane’s goodness that has disturbed Gamache but her weird habits. For starters, Jane was an artist, but not a single soul in Three Pines has ever seen her paintings. If someone tried to peek at the canvas, Jane would get angry, and there was no escape.

Surprisingly, it was only recently that Jane had submitted her painting, Fair Day, for an art exhibition. Oh! You can not ignore the fuss the painting created on the judging panel. They could barely decode the sticky figures scribbled on the canvas.

Awful! Disgusting! These were the expressions from the judges. But soon, everything made sense. It felt like Jane’s painting was an illusion. The more you stare at it, the clearer it gets. Clara and Peter were on the jury, and they could see where Jane got the inspiration.

Jane portrayed a scene of the Fair Day. It was supposed to be a celebration, but it ended up being a tragedy. That very day, Timmer died. So, they figured it was a tribute.

The paintings are the least of Gamache’s concerns. The second mystery was quirkier. Jane had never let anyone inside her house. I mean, no one can cross the kitchen. In fact, Clara, Jane’s best friend, was banned from inside, too. Why was that?

Gamache has to find out. But guess what? Yolande, Jane’s niece, has already taken over the house. She will not allow a soul to get into her aunt’s house. It’s her inheritance, and she doesn’t care about the murder.

Right! The inheritance! Could Yolande be our killer? Anyone would murder people for millions. No?

The Rebel Without Cause

Just to stretch the suspect’s list, Gamache starts digging into the past stories. An insignificant incident grabs Gamache’s attention. Three young boys threw manure at Gabri and Olivier’s B&B a few days back. Jane was present at that moment, and she recognized those three.

Would it be possible that one of them came for revenge? These young bloods with fragile egos get hurt by anything.

One of those manure boys was Phillipe, son of Matthew. Apparently, Matthew is a pro hunter, and he had beef with Jane years ago.

Could this son and father duo kill Jane? In most cases, there is no solid cause for a murder. People might kill each other for a lollipop. Why? I would answer if I could read criminal minds.

A search of Matthew’s house changed the direction of this murder case. Gamache and his team are now sure that Phillipe is the killer. They have the evidence.

But hey! You know teenagers, right? Phillipe accuses his dad of the murder. Call it a hunch or whatever! Gamache knew Phillipe was lying. But police work can not depend on gut feelings, no? So, Matthew gets arrested, and the Three Pines can now sleep in peace.

Of Course, The Case Is Not Closed Yet

Now, when the killer is locked, Jane’s friends arrange a ceremony to say goodbye to her. They gather at the place of Jane’s murder and put a ribbon as a symbol of freedom and happiness. It is at this moment when Clara notices an arrow hanging up in the tree. She knows this is the tip that has taken her friend’s life.

The arrow has clarified one thing. Matthew is not the killer. But if he is innocent, who is the murderer?

By now, Gamache reveals new pieces of information. Jane had left her house and inheritance to Clara, not Yolande. Does it mean Clara and Peter, the struggling artists, are behind the murder?

Aghh! Too much work! But the suspect list can wait.

First, Gamache rushes to Jane’s house just to see what secrets it holds. Oh, good Lord! Jane had used the entire house as her canvas.

The people of Three Pines are alive on every corner of Jane’s house. Looking at this life-size canvas, Gamache knew the murderer was hiding in these walls. He must act quickly!

Fair Day Reveals The Murderer

Jane’s work, Fair Day, goes on exhibition and is a huge hit. Apparently, people are still more interested in dead artists than living ones.

But wait a second! This wasn’t the painting Jane had submitted. Someone has tampered with those stick-figure faces. Clara instantly realizes who the killer is, BEN.

Oh, poor Ben! He found Jane’s body in the snow, and he knew about the Fair Day. He has access to the exhibition gallery, and re-painting the faces is a child’s play for him. But why would Ben go to this extent? What did Jane do to him?

Clara decides not to disclose this truth yet. First, she must confront Ben. He is Peter’s best friend, after all.

But our sweet little Ben is in no mood for discussion or explanation. He attacks Clara and stages an entirely new plot to put all the blame on Peter, yes, his best friend.

Thank God Gamache is still there in Three Pines. He gets to Clara just in time and arrests Ben for the murder of TIMMER and JANE. Don’t get so surprised. I told you the murderer had more blood on his hand. And yes, Ben had killed his own mother!

Why Were the Killings?

Damn! We live with people like Ben. All they want is sympathy from others. They will portray themselves as victims, but in reality, they are the villains.

Timmer could sense the evil in Ben. She wanted his son to see the real world and live on his own, not on the family money.

How dare that old woman say such a thing? Ben was furious.

So, he killed his mother on Fair Day before she could change the will.

Jane’s paintings on Fair Day made Ben very uncomfortable. He felt exposed to the world for his crime. To cover up his previous murder, he decided to take another life.

His attempts to escape the murders were almost successful until he tampered with Jane’s painting. Only if he hadn’t done that, the Jane Neal murder case would be closed by now!

My Honest Review of Still Life Book Louise Penny

Life was far from harried here. But neither was it still.

Doesn’t this last line of Still Life book describe the entire plot? I think Louise Penny deserves the compliment for coming up with the best titles ( Unlike Grisham , who comes up with the most random names for his books). How thoughtful!

Well, I am not one of those people who judges the book by the cover.

But… Shouldn’t we at least talk about it? Frankly speaking, the cover of Still Life book is the worst part of this book (in my view).

The designer could have done better (Come on! Show some creativity. This novel is all about artists). I doubt those readers with aesthetic taste will ever pick up this novel.

Okay! Let’s move to the plots.

Three Pines is somewhere I would definitely like to live. Come on! Who doesn’t want to be in heaven?

I am familiar with Penny’s murder style. No blood-shedding or gore stuff. A clean shot and the victim is dead. This time, she used an arrow to kill Jane. Impressive indeed!

Gamache was laid back in this novel. Or maybe Penny was still trying to give a voice to this star character. For whatever reason, I connected more with the Gamache of Fatal Grace (Yup, I am an idiot and have read the 2nd book of the series’ first).

Is it just me, or can you also see the reflection of Agatha Christie in Penny’s writing? The way Penny builds up the plot, she has definitely learned from the best. She can elegantly hold the pace and serenity of the story.

I wouldn’t say Still Life book will give you a dopamine kick on every page. Definitely not! There is suspense in the book. You want to know what’s waiting on the next page.

But still, you take time to turn the page. Every line, every character, every story, is important. It may not be for the murder case but for the people around Three Pines. The kindness, the banter among friends, the laughter, everything has reminded me of my friends.

Don’t worry! The book is not all about investigation! Ruth’s poems are all over the novel to keep you entertained. These verses will make you think about life and death.

I knew Ben was the killer and Clara would inherit Jane’s property. That is the perk (!) of reading the second novel first (Who knew I would get the spoiler?).

However, the spoilers could not spoil my mood. I enjoyed the book anyway. There are so many details and twists that you only get by reading the novel. I especially liked the ending of Still Life book. The arrest of Ben was sad and shocking. Yet, I had no sympathy for this psychopath.

What more can I say about this book? Penny hasn’t just written a murder mystery but showed us a mirror of life. Here are two of my favorite quotes from Still Life book.

“Life is a choice. All day, every day…. And our lives become defined by our choices. It’s as simple and as complex as that. And as powerful.”

“Evil is unspectacular and always human and shares our bed and eats at our own table.”

I Adore These Characters from Still Life Book

Louise Penny has always managed to entertain us with memorable characters in her books. She tells a story, shares little details between two people, and there you go. You suddenly know them.

Armand Gamache

Every policeman is brave and courageous. No doubt. But I wonder how many of them have their own principles? Well, not everyone is like Gamache. He is a man of dignity.

Gamache is patient, observant, and truly talented. This man owned my respect when he refused to arrest Matthew because of the hunch. It shows Gamache’s “Don’t Care” attitude. We all want such fearless officers on the team. No?

We have to give respect to Gamache for his patience with Nichol, too. That woman had almost ruined the case. But thanks to Gamache, he had solved the murder and saved Clara from danger anyway.

Clara & Peter

Peter has no huge role in Still Life. He is there as a side character for Clara and a best friend to Ben. That’s all.

But Clara! My God! She has stolen hearts with this novel.

For a moment, you will feel like Clara is the officer in charge. She is the one who has spotted the arrow, tipped Gamache about the updated will, and dude! Clara reaches the killer before the police (Gamache, fire your team and hire this artist).

I am angry with Penny for not giving Myrna enough attention. Trust me. This character has huge potential. In fact, her role in solving the murder went unnoticed. If Myrna hadn’t hinted to Gamache about the mental condition of Ben, he would have never gotten to the real killer.

Ruth, Olivier, and Gabri

I almost laughed when Gamache suspected Ruth. Sure, our poet has a hard shell. But isn’t she a softie inside? She can only be cruel in her poems, not in real life.

Aren’t Olivier and Gabri the sweetest? Their kindness touched me personally. What Gamache said to them really stayed with me. When you go through so much torture in your life, you can barely be cruel to others.

Even after the manure incident, Olivier and Gabri took no step against Phillipe. Once they realized Phillipe was gay, this couple did everything to make the little boy comfortable.

Do I Recommend Still Life?

Yes, I personally love Still Life book. As I said, I was in Three Pines the whole time. But it does not mean I will force you to read this novel.

Let me be very honest. Many of my friends didn’t like this light murder mystery. They were looking for more blood and brutality. According to some of them, Penny sounded confused on many pages.

Well, I am not here to defend anyone. But sure, the best Louise Penny books might not suit everyone’s taste. Her way of approaching murders and solving cases is very different. Penny’s stories are more about life and less about the killings. At least, that is what I have felt.

Go and give this book a read if you like the holiday murder mysteries. I have left out a ton of details. So, yes, you can still enjoy the novel. Also, a film adaptation of Still Life book is available.

I heard the movie is trash (Not lying. Check the IMDb ratings). However, when were the book adaptation on films good anyway?

Until I return with The Cruelest Month summary and study guide of Gamache series#3 , you can enjoy other book suggestions from our page.

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Still Life : Book summary and reviews of Still Life by Louise Penny

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

Inspector Gamache Novel, #1

by Louise Penny

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Published May 2007 320 pages Genre: Mysteries Publication Information

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About this book

Book summary.

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. First published in hardcover in 2005

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Reader reviews.

"Starred Review. Filled with unexpected insights, this winning traditional mystery sets a solid foundation for future entries in the series." - Publishers Weekly "Starred Review. This belongs in the same league with such other outstanding Canadian mysteries as Eric Wright's Charlie Salter series." - Booklist "Starred Review. Cerebral, wise and compassionate, Gamache is destined for stardom. Don’t miss this stellar debut." - Kirkus "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

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Author Information

Books by this Author

Louise Penny Author Biography

Photo: Jean-Francois Bérubé

Louise Penny's first novel, Still Life , won the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards. Her second book, A Fatal Grace , won the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel, as did her third, The Cruelest Month . Her next, A Rule Against Murder , was a New York Times bestseller, followed by The Brutal Telling , which was a New York Times, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, and National Indie bestseller. Louise lives in a small village south of Montreal. Pronunciation Guide : Louise Penny's website provides a wealth of interesting information about her and her books including a pronunciation guide to the characters and places referenced in her books. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series (to 2020)

Still Life (2005)
Dead Cold (2006) aka A Fatal Grace
The Cruellest ...

... Full Biography Link to Louise Penny's Website

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Book Review: Still Life by Louise Penny

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Still life – a book review, still life – the book.

It’s different than other mystery series I’ve read in that the supporting characters, in this case the villagers, are developed extremely well. For example, the story starts with the village. We’re given a sense of the inter-relationships and backgrounds before we meet the Inspector. Furtheremore, we’re introduced to one of his team, before him. Not only one of his team, but a new member who may or may not work out. As a matter of fact, as I sit here, I realize that some of the supporting characters are more defined than the main. I have clear visions of the many villagers. Yet, not so much of Inspector Gamache’s team. And I do not know if this supporting team member will even return in the next book.

Still Life – My Thoughts

Someone in a Facebook Group to which I belong recommended this book (well the series). As a fan of mysteries , it didn’t take much to convince me to read it. I have to say, it’s one of my favorites. As a matter of fact, rarely does the first book in a mystery series satisfy, yet this one did. As I’ve already said, characters were well developed. It also created a sense of place within that village. I enjoyed it so much, that though it started as a Library book, when I didn’t finish in time, I went out and bought it. Not only did I buy it, I bought the first three books in a multipack. I’m looking forward to reading the next!

If you’re a lover of mystery series, police procedurals, cozies, give this one a go. Over on GoodReads I’m giving it four starts and updating my Favorite Mystery list!

Buried Under Books

Review: ‘still life’ by louise penny.

Chief Inspector Gamache , murder mystery , philosophy , village life

This is one of those ‘it caught my eye, but’ books.

It clearly caught my eye enough for me to buy it, and, in fact, I recently added a second Louise Penny title to my collection, still without having ever read the first. There was obviously something about the plots I found appealing – or at least the blurbs! But. Something else always edged in front: a book with a read-by deadline, or one I couldn’t resist anymore.

Finally, a member of my book group suggested we should all try reading some Louise Penny, at which point I thought I might as well start with book one in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. I’m glad I did, as I have a suspicion that these books should really be read in order. But let’s start at the beginning.

What’s it about?

When Miss Jane Neal is found dead in the forest on Thanksgiving weekend – apparently shot by an arrow – the locals assume it is a hunting accident. After all:

‘Every year the hunters shot cows and horses and family pets and each other. And, unbelievably, they sometimes shot themselves, perhaps in a psychotic episode where they mistook themselves for dinner. It was a wise person who knew that some hunters–not all, but some–found it a challenging to distinguish a pine from a partridge from a person.’

However, when Chief Inspector Gamache is sent from Montreal to investigate, he soon discovers that it would have been almost impossible for the shooting to be an accident. Someone meant to murder quiet, retired Jane Neal, but why? Could it possibly have anything to do with her recently unveiled artwork? If so – what?

What’s it like?

Unusual. Philosophical in mood. This is cosy crime with art at the centre.

Given the focus on art throughout the story (it’s crucial to the whole plot), you might expect the ‘Still Life’ of the title to refer simply to still life paintings. However, the title also refers to the notion of a life not properly lived, seen when the Chief Inspector finds himself discussing with an ex-psychiatrist how lives can be wasted:

‘Life is change. If you aren’t growing and evolving, you’re standing still, and the rest of the world is surging ahead.’

‘I think many people love their problems. Gives them all sorts of excuses for not growing up and getting on with life.’

If these kinds of reflections make you impatient to get back to the crime at hand, this might not be the book for you. Penny’s characters daydream, they pontificate and they exchange theories about the nature of people.

They are also shockingly rude to each other, which I think is meant to show a cosy intimacy…but could also suggest the aggravations of living life side by side in a small village with people whose faults you know too well and who have probably witnessed the worst sides of your character, too.

Penny dips in and out of her characters thoughts, encouraging us to have some empathy even with unsympathetic characters like Agent Nichol, whose calculating, ignorant missteps are truly cringe-inducing.

Although I was initially mildly incredulous at the style of investigating (Gamache calls a town meeting and invites suggestions from the attendees about the nature of the killing), I gradually grew to enjoy the chatty, reflective tone of ‘Still Life’.

Final thoughts

I enjoyed this so much, although I’m still not sure I could pinpoint why, that I’m already half way through another book in the series. I think I am going to need to start hunting these down in order so that I can enjoy them properly. In book four, Clara Morrow (who in this book is, ‘as yet undiscovered and, most of her friends secretly felt, was likely to remain that way if she persisted in her unfathomable works’,) is suddenly an artistic genius, a startling development which presumably has some build-up in books two and three!

If you like the sound of a cosy crime story, marinated in the art world and served with a sprinkling of philosophy, then this book should suit you well.

‘Still Life’, Louise Penny, 2011, sphere, paperback

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Thoughts on books, reading, and life

Review: Still Life

Still Life (Chief Inspector Gamache #1), Louise Penny. New York: Minotaur Books, 2005.

Summary: The suspicious death of Jane Neal a day after her painting is accepted into an art show brings Gamache and his team to Three Pines, and to the grim conclusion that someone in this small community is a murderer.

Jane Neal was an elderly retired teacher, seemingly beloved by everyone in the secluded town of Three Pines, near the Quebec/US border. Everyone had heard she was an artist. Yet no one had been allowed beyond her kitchen or saw her work. That is, until she entered a piece into the local Arts Williamsburg show–a painting called Fair Day. At first the jurors thought it was a child’s drawing, but then felt there was a peculiar power to this piece. When Jane learns the painting was accepted, she invited all her friends to a party the night of the show opening, at her house–Olivier and Gabri, the gay couple who owned the Bistro, Myrna, the bookstore owner, Ruth Zardo, the brilliant and curmudgeonly poet, Clara and Peter, an artist couple, and Ben Hadley, a bachelor artist whose mother Timmer had recently died after a battle with cancer.

The next morning Jane was found dead in the forest by Ben Hadley. She died of an arrow through the heart, an arrow removed. And so Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team discover Three Pines. At first the investigation appears to indicate a hunting accident, perhaps from a hunter from away who thought he had spotted a deer. Then a troubled youth, or his father. The youth had been part of a group throwing manure from a flower bed at Olivier and Gabri, mocking them for being gay. Jane, on the morning before she died yelled at them to stop. Suspicion then turned to Yolande, Jane’s niece, who thought she would inherit Jane’s estate, or her uncouth husband or son. Eventually the focus turns to those in the cafe who had received Jane’s invitation. Among these people, all of whom seemed friends, and friends of Jane, there was a murderer.

While Gamache and his core team of Jean Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle LaCoste work together as a well-oiled machine, a new agent, Yvette Nichol, the daughter of immigrants, tries so hard to succeed on her first assignment that she fails to listen to Gamache, follow through on leads, and asserts herself where she is not welcome. Gamache, after much effort, must send her home. Yet her insights do move the investigation forward, leaving us wonder if this is the last we will see of her.

I picked up one of the books of this series (#10), loved it, and was told by others who like Penny’s work that I had to go back to the beginning. So I have, and I would say it was worth it, and I intend to go on. Penny has created a lovable mix of townsfolk and an investigative team. Gamache is the classic detective, seemingly slow at times, who watches, listens, and thinks, and tries to cultivate these virtues in others, including Nichol. There is a winsome integrity about him, typified in his willingness to accept a suspension rather than arrest a man he considered innocent.

I have encountered many who wish Three Pines was a real town, a place of rural beauty and rich local culture. In this book, we learn the reason for the name. We also discover for all its beauty and seemingly serene atmosphere, it is hardly a place of still life. Penny reminds us that deep within people we think we know, there are hidden depths, and hidden secrets, that sometimes blossom into exquisite beauty, or the most terrible acts. In words quoted by Jane from W.H. Auden the night before she died:

Evil is unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our own table.

Or in words on Jane Neal’s mirror, words Agent Nichol did not yet understand, “You’re looking at the problem.”

Books & Things

Review: still life by louise penny.

The classically British cozy mystery comes to Canada, with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache playing the role of our Poirot.

An artist in the small village of Three Pines is found murdered, and Gamache suspects it is more than the accident it has been made out to be…

Some say that Louise Penny’s famous series, which inspired the television series, Three Pines , starts off on the wrong foot. I would have to disagree. Perhaps it’s the fact that I’m a sucker for a cozy mystery. Perhaps it’s because I’m from Quebec, and seeing references references to Outremont, the 1995 Referendum, and Tim Hortons in a New York Times best-selling series is totally novel to me. Regardless, I had the best time reading Still Life and if the series only improves from here, which is what the consensus seems to be, I have a lovely road ahead of me.

The setting of Three Pines is established as a quirky small town. It very much has the energy of Agatha Christie’s St. Mary Mead – small, picturesque, everyone knows everyone, but, for whatever reason, crime runs rampant (or at least, I assume it will , considering there are 18 more books in this series). Some people may find that we are hit over the head with the setting of small-town Quebec, as constant references are made, but, as I said, I enjoyed them (but maybe I’m biased).

The characters, like the setting, are well-developed from the start. Gamache, our antagonist, is seasoned and serious, with a past that has thus-far been kept secret from us. His colleague, Agent Nichol, was flawed and unlikeable, but in a realistic way that was almost refreshing. As for the residents of Three Pines, well, they were as odd and colourful as you might expect (think Gilmore Girls but make it bilingual). You might find them annoying, you might find them endearing, you might find yourself somewhere in the middle. Personally, I’m excited to see how the cast is developed in the later books.

The mystery itself was not the most mind-blowing one I’ve every encountered, but it was well-constructed and managed to throw me off scent. The pacing was on the slower side, but near the end I found myself unable to stop reading. If you’re more into the adrenaline-inducing, heat-pounding, edge-of-your-seat thrillers, this probably won’t be your speed. It’s more of a character study, with the investigators’ thought processes laid out for you, allowing you to slowly unravel the case and deduce the truth of it all.

All in all, I’m really glad I decided to pick this up, and I’m looking forward to continuing on with the rest of the series! I’m very happy to see that I have several books to catch up on.

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Book Review: Louise Penny’s Still Life

Posted January 22, 2014 by Kathy Davie in Book Reviews

I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Louise Penny

First in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series and revolving around Gamache and his sense of what’s right.

In 2007, Still Life won the Barry Award for Best First Novel and the Dilys Award. In 2006, it won The Crime Writers’ Association New Blood Dagger and the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.

Oh, this was lovely! A cozy contemporary mystery in a village of people pursuing their second careers with many of them artists or lovers of art. Some are longtime friends who have grown up in the village while others have drifted in from elsewhere, seeking a respite from the cares of a colder, more self-absorbed world.

The beginning will catch your attention if only because it’s so confusing, for Penny has killed off her victim before she’s died. I have to wonder if that was its point, to intrigue.

I adore Elise’s reasoning for accepting Fair Day . Just the kind of attitude we need in so many aspects of life! My adoration was capped off by Olivier’s lust for Jane’s mudroom. Penny wrote this so well. She made me feel everyone! I could picture it all from the visible to the metaphysical, the characters of the people, the setting, the warmth. Penny described a place where one could feel at home. Preferably without those bows and arrows, though!

Oh, lord, going back over my notes, I found a nasty bit of foreshadowing. Subtle, Penny, very subtle.

That Yolande…what a piece of work! The scenes with Agent Nichol are amazing. Not at all what you would expect, and yet Penny works them to showcase Gamache’s character, his style of working, Nichol’s actions and character, and the murder investigation. Talk about multi-purposing! Wait’ll you read the mirror scene…oh, LOL. She’s so dim. Peter’s character had me confused. He’s both so patient and so not. And Clara. She’s such a nice woman, and with a brain she uses well, for the most part.

Interesting bit of colonial history to explain the village’s name and the importance of the pine trees. And Penny gets her bit in on the English–Française brangle. I’m with Ben on this one. Although Penny does point out underlying perspectives: the French believe in collective rights which explains the French attitude about keeping their language pure, while the English believe in individual rights. The explanation about the differences in bow-hunting and target shooting as well as the differences in the arrows was also educational.

Penny throws out all these possibilities, drags all these red herrings along expected paths, and then throws in the twists. There’s an intriguing reference — and well done — to “the fault in our stars” which leads directly to a comment Myrna makes that had an impact on me:

“It’s not fate, not genetics, not bad luck, and it’s definitely not Mom and Dad. Ultimately it’s us and our choices…the solution rests with us as well. We’re the only ones who can change our lives, turn them around. So all those years waiting for someone else to do it are wasted.”

Penny does so much so well, that it’s a bit flabbergasting when she flubs it as in Gamache’s getting his badge and gun back. There are a few other simplistic spots, but this one stood out the most. It’s not an obvious miss, it just catches at you, makes you pause momentarily, wondering why it feels wrong.

Oh, lord, finding what Jane’s been hiding in her house all these years will break your heart. I hate it when a good artist dies. You’ll hate even more when you read of Yolande’s idea of a good funeral…oh, brother.

It’s the annual art show, Arts Williamsburg, that sets it all in motion, for the jury has accepted Fair Day , the painting Jane submitted. The first time anyone ever will have seen her work.

The Characters

Miss Jane Neal is the village’s much-loved, former schoolteacher who has finally gotten brave enough to show her paintings. Lucy is her beloved dog. Andreas Selinsky is the lumberjack Jane almost married, who was employed by Kaye Thompson . The shallow, greedy Yolande Fontaine is Jane’s niece, who is married to André Malenfant , a miscreant with a record. Their son, Bernard , seems to be his apprentice.

Clara Morrow is one of those odd artists, creating art that most people aren’t quite sure about. I can relate. She’s married to a very successful artist, Peter , only it takes so long to create one of his paintings.

The jury for the art show includes Clara and Peter; Elise Jacob is the chairperson, and a former curator at the Musée des Beaux Arts in Ottawa; Henri Lariviere is a quarry worker-turned-sculptor; and, the self-absorbed, petty Irenée Calfat is a potter. Isaac Coy is the caretaker at the gallery.

More friends include Ruth Zardo , a curmudgeonly award-winning poet; Olivier Brulé and Gabri , a gay couple who run a bistro and B&B in Three Pines — Olivier adores his antiques while Gabri is an amazing chef for their B&B as well as the local choir director; Ben Hadley , a son-in-waiting, has been Peter’s best friend since childhood; and, the black Myrna Landers was a psychologist back in Montreal, now turned bookstore owner.

Phillipe Croft , Gus Hennessey , and Claude LaPierre are the little vandals. Matthew Croft , a bow hunter, is Phillipe’s father; Suzanne is the wrongly protective mother.

Timmer Hadley is Ben’s now-deceased mother; she had been one of Jane’s best friends. Hanna Parra is their local elected representative. Old Mundin is a young man concerned about Lucy. Nellie and Wayne Robertson . Jacques Belivea u owns the local general store. Maître Norman Stickley claims to be Jane’s lawyer. Solange Frenette is a notary who just had a baby.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is head of Homicide with the Sûreté du Quebec, hovering in place with a stalled career. He’s a great believer in mentoring the young officers, and he adores his very flexible wife of thirty-two years, Reine-Marie . Inspector Jean Guy Beauvoir is his second-in-command. Officer Robert Lemieux is the duty officer with the Cowansville Sûreté. Dr. Sharon Harris is the on-site coroner. Agent Isabelle Lacoste has hunches. Inspector Comeau was Gamache’s mentor. Maître Brigitte Cohen is the prosecutor.

Agent Yvette Nichol has been dying to get on to the Sûreté, and now she has her big chance. Her dad, Ari Nikulas , is feeling guilt over the stories he’s told; Angelina is her proud sister.

Superintendent Michel Brébeuf is a friend of Gamache’s, although neither of them will allow this to prevent their doing what they believe is right. Claude Guimette is with the Guardians Office.

The Cover and Title

The cover of the version I read was gorgeous (hardcover, copyright 2005). Buy it in hardcover with a paper jacket just so you can hang the cover! It’s so appropriate for this tale, both Still Life as metaphor for the life that has been stilled, ungrowing, as well as a homage to the primary characters and the reason for death. A lonely village road curving between old wooden buildings, leading to a white steepled church, and the whole surrounded by vertical slashes of bright, colorful, cheerful oil paints.

By Louise Penny
5 Star Books

Book Review: Louise Penny’s A Trick of the Light

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“They lead ‘still’ lives, waiting.”

Still Life by Louise Penny

April 11, 2023 by esme 1 Comment

My husband and I started watching the Three Pines series on Amazon Prime, which was enjoyable; Chief Inspector Gamache, played by Alfred Molina, is a delight of eyebrows. The television series reminded me that I likely hadn’t read Ms. Penny’s earlier works though I have picked up the occasional book in an airport bookstore but have moved haphazardly through the series; thus, I decided to start at the first book.

Sill Life draws Chief Inspector Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec to the delightfully bucolic Quebec town of Three Pines due to a suspicious death. As I knew coming into this book, and as you may well know, Three Pines may be bucolic with a charming variety of residents, but it is a deadly place! Jane Neal, the victim, lived a quiet, unassuming life in Three Pines, teaching for decades at the local school before retiring to care for her flowers and her lovely dog. She is beloved by many of the townsfolk for her kindness, although they note she would not allow anyone past her kitchen. Shortly before her death she enters a painting in the town art fair; her friends, the judges, are shocked by the work, some declaring it delightful, while others protesting in dismay. None had seen her work before, and the very personal, rustic style, described as caveman-like, childlike, vivid and colorful, and evocative of the village scene she depicts. Personally, I struggled to understand how everyone picked out so many friends and townsfolk from the piece, given this description, but I imagine that is my imaginative shortcoming. And then she is dead. (As a side note, she described the work of several other Three Pines’ artists, and I appreciated how it was clear Penny thought through different artistic approaches and techniques in describing the artists and their art.)

Overall, this cozy mystery was enjoyable – not a challenging read, but I think it does a nice job of setting up the environment of Three Pines and the main characters, who will struggle with many dark issues in subsequent books, like police corruption and brutality and indigenous disappearances. Chief Inspector Gamache is the platonic ideal of a police inspector in this book as he is warm and thoughtful, uses discretion with making decisions about how to handle petty crimes, and he nurtures his younger staff. He speaks highly of his subordinates, in general, but we don’t see too many sparks of insight from them; mostly they bring him whatever they find and he puts it all together. There is one new investigator, Agent Yvette Nicol, who is a mess – rude, rigid, self-absorbed, and maybe not too bright – and it is not clear to me why there is so much focus on her. The townsfolk really range from pretty interesting (the foul-mouthed poet) to caricatures (the decent, but poor, Matthew Croft who works in the road department and bow hunts; the gay couple who own the bistro and bed and breakfast in town). Penny can capture people briefly and beautifully; for example, she notes that Myrna, the bookstore owner and former counselor, “…felt if she could just get a good look at a person’s bookcase and their grocery cart, she’d pretty much know who they were.”

This book addressed themes that recur in subsequent books: how the past, and our failures to wrangle it (living ‘still’ lives, as Penny would put it, in Myrna’s words), influences our present; the search for belonging; and the power of light to banish darkness. Still Life sets the groundwork for the exploration of these themes.

I would say this is a 3.5 or so, for me.

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Book Thoughts from Bed

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Book Review: Still Life by Louise Penny

Still Life is the first book in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. She’s now up to Book 13, so this was published awhile ago. Since I typically like to start a series at the beginning, I checked out Still Life, and now I’m pleased to say that I have 12 more books in this wonderful series that I’m looking forward to reading.

This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, from qualifying purchases. (This in no way affects the honesty of my reviews!) All commissions will be donated to the ALS Association.

Still Life is set in the idyllic village of Three Pines, south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a retired school teacher, is found dead in the woods. Given the nature of her wounds, it appears that she is either a victim of murder or a hunting accident.

Jane is an unlikely murder victim. She has lived in Three Pines for her entire uncontroversial life. She’s well liked within the community and loved dearly by her circle of friends, which includes several artists, the owner of the local bookstore and the owners of the village’s only bistro (all really well designed characters whom I suspect I’ll be seeing again).

Buy now on Amazon!

Three Pines doesn’t have its own police force, so Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are called in from Quebec to work the case. Gamache is an appealing character. He’s wise, compassionate and humble. He is very insightful about human nature and that makes him an effective detective and mentor to his team members. In this story he was trying to mentor a young policewoman named Nichol who was a real mess and I’m looking forward to seeing if he can turn her around in future installments.

Gamache uses an unusually collaborative approach to crime solving, facilitating input from his team and the villagers in order to get answers. It’s a technique that allows the reader to get to know the characters and their relationships with each other, most of which are refreshingly healthy. It also allows Ms. Penny to showcase her talent for writing witty dialogue, which had me smiling frequently.

I wasn’t expecting to like Still Life so much but it was a warm, witty, intelligent breath of fresh air. I hope the other books in the series are as good.

Have you read Still Life anything else in the Gamache series? What did you think?

11 thoughts on “ Book Review: Still Life by Louise Penny ”

I have loved every one of Louise Penny’s books!! The elegant writing, psychological insights, wonderful character development continue through the series. It is good to start from the beginning and read them in sequence because relationships and personal development occur along the way.

Wonderful! I’m glad the series continues to be strong.

Louise Penny is my favorite author! The books get better as they go along and you become friends with these wonderful characters! She is a warm and interesting person. I’ve been to a reading at Unity. She’s someone I’d love to have as a friend. She also has an accessible Facebook presence. Enjoy!

Terrific! She was profiled on CBS’s Sunday Morning a few months ago and that really piqued my interest. I’m sure she was great in person.

I have enjoyed them all, just picked up book 13 from the library, if I could ever find 3 pines I would move there.

Agree! Three Pines sounds like my kind of place (except for the weather).

Ooh, another series to read. I haven’t read anything of hers–yet!

I agree, it is a great series. Some books I liked more than others, but Penny definitely continues to deliver good stories and interesting characters. I just finished Glass Houses, the most recent book, and I loved it.

I love a character-strong mystery series. My favorite is “Maisy Dobbs” in part because of the setting in England after World War I. Can’t wait to start this one. Thanks so much!!

Great review! I think I’ll be adding this one to my TBR.

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Louise Penny, . . St. Martin's Minotaur, $22.95 (312pp) ISBN 978-0-312-35255-4

Reviewed on: 05/01/2006

Genre: Fiction

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It Was the Biggest Job of His Life. Was He On Target, or Off by Half?

An antiques shop owner in Maine was hired by a friend to value the collection of the artist Robert Indiana. His verdict was $85 million. A second appraisal says that’s way too much.

A man in a sweater vest and tie sits in a chair in front of a bookcase.

By Graham Bowley

Graham Bowley has been covering the fallout from the death of Robert Indiana since 2018. This article took him to Rockland and Vinalhaven in Maine and through the court records associated with Indiana’s estate.

Whenever a worthy cause needs help in Rockland, Maine, this town of 7,000 overlooking Penobscot Bay, people reach out to Bruce Gamage Jr., an auctioneer who runs an antiques shop downtown.

Regularly, he drops what he’s doing to drum up bidding at charity auctions organized for, say, the historical society or an injured child, displaying the professional expertise he’s honed for years while selling off silver sets and scrimshaw from dusty attics and the estates of the recently deceased.

French Gothic cabinets? Amethyst rings? Walking sticks? An oil portrait or gouache?

Gamage is as established an expert on such items as you’ll find around Rockland, a working-class town once known for its quarries and fish canneries. Many in town say he is just as self-sacrificing a spirit.

“It’s almost all we need to do is send him the date, he is just so generous with his time,” said Amie Hutchison, executive director of Trekkers, a local nonprofit that mentors young people.

Gamage’s expertise was tested, though, in 2018 when he was given what he called “the most important job I’ve ever had.”

Robert Indiana, the master Pop artist , had just died, at 89, on the nearby island of Vinalhaven, and Gamage’s good friend, James Brannan, a lawyer, was the executor of the estate. Brannan hired Gamage to appraise the sizeable collection of artwork that Indiana had left behind.

“Jimmy had a mess on his hands,” Gamage said in an interview from his shop on Main Street. Brannan, he said, knew the job would be best handled by someone he could trust.

“If you have a friend, you ask them,” he said.

There were thousands of works to assess, most of which had been created by Indiana, whose sculpture of the word LOVE — its letters stacked, its O tilted like a jaunty cap — is a fixture in public plazas around the country.

For all his experience with antiques, Gamage, a former prison guard who spent a decade working inside the walls of Maine State Prison, had only limited exposure to the market for modern art. And he was not a credentialed appraiser. He said his valuation was complicated by the time it took to clean up Indiana’s mess of a house and to unpack and inventory the art before it was shipped to the mainland.

The work stretched out to nearly a year, and he charged $284,616 — a sum that, like the nearly $2 million in legal fees that Brannan charged, looked reasonable in the light of the bountiful value of Indiana’s art.

Gamage’s estimate: $85.5 million.

More recently, though, the charity that Indiana named in his will as the sole beneficiary of his estate hired its own expert to assess the collection it had inherited. Megan Fox Kelly, a prominent New York art adviser and a member of the Appraisers Association of America for the past 19 years, said she concluded that actually the art was worth less than half of what Gamage reported.

Her fee: $40,000. Her estimation: “It was perhaps surprising that the estate didn’t select an appraiser who was a member of the appraisers’ associations.”

The prospect of a diminished portfolio has now proved to be a problem for the charity , which is known as the Star of Hope Foundation. The foundation, established by Indiana, is named after the rickety old Victorian lodge on Vinalhaven that he used as both a house and a studio and ultimately bequeathed to Star of Hope.

His will directs that his assets be used to convert the lodge, which dates from the 1880s, into a museum that showcases his collection and his legacy. But the foundation has said in recent days that such a museum is not feasible. It cited the recalibration of the value of the art as one factor in its decision.

“What we do know, after careful analysis by art experts, is that the financial value of the collection is less than what those handling the settlement of the estate estimated,” the foundation said in a statement.

Gamage insists, though, that his calculations are not off and he is fully willing to explain how he came to them. “I don’t like tooting my horn,” he said, but he continued: “You don’t have to be that big to know what you are doing.”

Endless Estate Disputes

The yawning discrepancy in the appraisals is only the latest twist in the strange saga of Indiana’s last years on Vinalhaven, where he lived alone but was tended to by a retinue of helpers. Some of the aides were accused in a civil suit of taking advantage of him, including by creating artwork of their own design and selling it under Indiana’s name and reaping profits from those sales.

In one instance, a Wisconsin sausage maker commissioned a huge outdoor sculpture designed along the lines of Indiana’s “LOVE,” but this one said BRAT. Aides insisted the aging Indiana had created it, but acknowledged that a picture sent to the sausage company showing Indiana at a drafting table with the design in front of him might have been photoshopped.

Immediately after the artist’s death, legal fights erupted in New York between several parties over royalties and rights to produce versions of several of Indiana’s better-known images. As the representative of the estate, Brannan, whom Indiana had named executor after getting to know him on a real estate transaction, became involved in the disputes and hired outside counsel.

As the legal fees climbed toward $10 million, Brannan said he was forced to sell off important artworks to address those costs and to pay for the upkeep of the Star of Hope lodge.

Ultimately the Maine Attorney General’s office intervened, asserting that the money Brannan was paying himself and several other law firms was draining the estate’s resources and threatening Indiana’s plan for preserving his legacy. Brannan defended the fees, asserting that the legal firms were clawing back assets that might eventually double the size of the estate.

But in 2022, in a settlement with the attorney general, Brannan and the other firms paid back more than $2 million. That money, like the art, went to the foundation, which by Gamage’s reckoning was still holding a collection worth a pretty penny. He said an important part of its value was the fact that the artworks were those Indiana thought important enough to keep for himself.

“Collectors love to have a little extra,” he said. “If I say, ‘That was Indiana’s,’ I think it was worth a lot more.”

Gamage, 76, credits his interest in antiques to his superior officer at Maine State Prison, the gloomy brick-and-granite hulk that was the inspiration for the prison in Stephen King’s novella that became the movie “The Shawshank Redemption.” In their spare time years ago, he said, he and the boss toured towns, knocking on doors offering to buy antiques. Although he wasn’t forceful enough to be a good “door knocker,” Gamage said he was hooked. He sent himself to Reppert Auction School in Indiana, and in the early 1980s set himself up in business in Rockland, his hometown. Today, his shop, Gamage Antiques, sits on an artsy stretch of Main Street, just around the corner from his friend Brannan’s office on Limerock Street.

Brannan did not return requests for comment. But Gamage spoke of their relationship. The two men grew up together. Both are veterans, occasional golf partners, and Brannan spoke at the funeral of Gamage’s father. Over the years, their business interests have intersected, and Gamage said he had conducted many appraisals of estates administered by Brannan.

Gamage said that, although he had never joined the big appraisal societies or appraised the collection of a major artist, he was not without credentials. He is a member of the New England Appraisers Association, a licensed auctioneer and is qualified to carry out I.R.S. appraisals. His clients, he said, have included the estates of Sister Parish, the interior decorator who designed the Kennedy White House, and Ann Wyeth McCoy, an artist and daughter of N.C. Wyeth, the illustrator.

And he emphasized in the interview, surrounded by the framed prints and antique furniture that fill his shop, that he knew well the market for works made by Indiana, whom he said he had met several times. He had followed it for decades and needed to, he said, because Indiana sometimes paid his studio assistants in art and they came straight to him from the Vinalhaven ferry to sell their pictures.

Gamage said few appraisers would have been equipped to handle the sort of conditions encountered at the Star of Hope. He and his crew traveled to it each day by ferry. Cluttered and leaking, filled with the muck of cats, pigeons and Indiana’s pet Chihuahua, the house where Indiana had lived since the 1970s needed to be cleaned as part of the appraisal process.

“Those fancy New York appraisers,” he said, “they want it set out in a room.”

One Collection, Two Estimates

Gamage said he put his antiques business largely on hold while he, his wife Becky and two daughters inspected some 13,000 items of art by hand, including posters, prints, sculptures and paintings. He said he devised his values using the standard practice of researching comparable sales and that he sought the advice of other experts.

He said he thought one point of discrepancy may have been the value he put on some Indiana paintings.

“Those oils, I put them down at $750,000,” he said. They were located, Gamage added, “in his study. He looked at them.”

Gamage also saw value in the plethora of smaller items, among them hundreds of posters Indiana created for an exhibition at the Princeton University Art Museum in 1970. He imagined, sometime in the future, a Robert Indiana museum shop selling them off, a couple of hundred dollars each.

The foundation said its decision to hire a second appraiser was not a judgment on Gamage, just a solid business practice.

Larry Sterrs, a veteran nonprofit manager who chairs the board of the foundation, said: “For me it would not matter whether it was Mr. Gamage or Leonardo da Vinci, we were going to have it reappraised anyway.”

“It was never our intention to make anyone look bad, or look good,” he said. “We just wanted to know what it was.”

In hiring Kelly, the foundation selected someone who has appraised the estates of many major artists, such as that of Louise Bourgeois, the French-born American artist famed for her psychologically charged abstract sculptures. She died in 2010.

Kelly was serving as president of the Association of Professional Art Advisors when, in the fall of 2020, she drove with a colleague to assess the art at two Maine storage facilities. Unlike Gamage, she was allowed by the estate to examine only a representative sample, she said. So she inspected about 10 percent to 15 percent of the objects, focusing on the higher value paintings and sculptures and relying on Gamage’s inventory and photographs to estimate the rest.

She said since so much of Indiana’s work was produced in editions, it was enough to give her an accurate picture. “Relative to other artists’ estates, it was fairly straightforward because of the amount of editioned work,” she said.

It took her three months to turn in the final appraisal.

She applied the same rigorous procedures that she would in any appraisal, she said, basing her estimates on research of his market and, among other things, past auction results and prices at private sales.

Her calculation of the collection’s value: $39,786,980.

In its recent statement , the foundation said it recognizes it will need to sell off some of Indiana’s art to pay for the upkeep of the rest of the collection and to continue financing the maintenance of the Star of Hope, even if it is not to be an Indiana museum.

“It’s sort of like having a half-million-dollar lobster boat sitting in your backyard,” the foundation said of its collection. “Yes, it’s worth a lot of money, but if it’s not in the water and working, it’s not paying the bills.”

And, if truth be told, it’s not as if the foundation would still be considering a museum even if it had embraced Gamage’s rosier appraisal. The obstacles are not only money, but a continuing resistance to Indiana on the small island where he lived for 40 years after fleeing New York.

The artist, enigmatic and sometimes irascible, kept to himself on Vinalhaven, where he was viewed by some as an odd recluse who made time only for people from off the island, or those “from away,” as locals say.

After Indiana’s death, clashing attitudes about him were evident at public meetings and in a survey taken by the foundation in 2019 to gauge islanders’ views on what to do with the Star of Hope. Some were not happy with the idea of creating an attraction that would draw crowds to the island, and a third said they did not think it important that Indiana’s artwork remain there. The top reason among those who held that opinion about his work: “Dislike Robert Indiana.”

“The consensus at the meetings was for a community center,” said Lisa Lewis, who works in a wine shop a few stores down from Indiana’s former home.

So the foundation is moving in that direction now. On a recent visit, the Star of Hope stood tall in the sun, just yards from the ocean and the harbor with its masts and lobster traps, dressed up in a new coat of yellow paint and looking better than it has in decades.

The plan is to turn it into an arts-related community center, open to the public and supporting arts education and working artists in Maine. It won’t be a permanent Indiana museum, but some of his art will be displayed there periodically, according to the foundation, which said it was in talks with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., about taking his archives.

Gamage said it was not his place to say whether the Star of Hope should be a museum, as Indiana had wished. But, he said, though his appraisal is being second-guessed, he has no regrets about devoting nearly a year of his life to fully immerse himself in the career of a man he views as both a founding father of Pop Art and a former neighbor.

“I had a long history with Bob,” he said. “I have been following his art for 40 to 50 years. I did a job. I was paid for the job.”

Murray Carpenter contributed reporting from Maine.

Graham Bowley is an investigative reporter covering the world of culture for The Times. More about Graham Bowley

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Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, 1)

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Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, 1) Mass Market Paperback – June 30, 2015

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Read the series that inspired Three Pines on Prime Video. In Still Life , bestselling author Louise Penny introduces Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec. 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.

Book 1 of 19 Chief Inspector Gamache Mysteries
Print length 352 pages
Language English
Publisher St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication date June 30, 2015
Dimensions 6.34 x 0.93 x 7.84 inches
ISBN-10 1250068738
ISBN-13 978-1250068736
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Editorial Reviews

“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

From the Back Cover

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.

About the Author

Product details.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Paperbacks; Reprint edition (June 30, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250068738
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250068736
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.34 x 0.93 x 7.84 inches
#442 in International Mystery & Crime (Books)
#2,049 in Police Procedurals (Books)
#6,029 in Suspense Thrillers

About the author

Louise penny.

LOUISE PENNY is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (five times) and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. She lives in a small village south of Montréal.

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Review of Still Life by Louise Penny
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Book Review: Still Life by Louise Penny
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COMMENTS

Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #1) by Louise Penny
Film Review Book Rating: 4.5* of five The Publisher Says: Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards. ... 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 ...
Review of Still Life by Louise Penny
I've been wanting to read Louise Penny for a while now as the people in my book club rave about her books. So I picked up the first one in the Gamache series called Still Life.. The story opens when Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called to the scene of a suspicious death in the rural village of Three Pines, south of Montreal.
STILL LIFE
by Louise Penny ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 17, 2006. Cerebral, wise and compassionate, Gamache is destined for stardom. Don't miss this stellar debut. Three Pines, an appealing Quebecois community, is shaken by the death of a beloved longtime village schoolteacher and unsung artist. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team find that Miss Jane ...
Still Life by Louise Penny Summary & Review: The Murder Mystery
The dead body of 76-year-old Jane Neal has really created chaos around the village. Ben Hadley, a friend and neighbor of Jane, has found her in the snow and called the police. Gamache rushes to the scene with Nichol, a trainee. His second officer, Beauvoir, fills him in the case. Jane was shot with an arrow.
Summary and reviews of Still Life by Louise Penny
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. First published in hardcover in 2005. Membership Advantages.
Book Review: Still Life by Louise Penny
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 Thoughts: I had high expectations going into this read, and I was left a bit disappointed. The story started off strong with the death of Jane Neal, living in a small ...
Still Life by Louise Penny
Still Life by Louis Penny is the first book in the Inspector Gamache series. There are 13 (and a half) books in the series with rumors of a fourteenth in November. In Still Life, we're introduced to a slew of characters in small Canadian Village. When one is found dead, Inspector Gamache and his team are brought in to determine if this is ...
REVIEW: 'Still Life' by Louise Penny
If you like the sound of a cosy crime story, marinated in the art world and served with a sprinkling of philosophy, then this book should suit you well. 'Still Life', Louise Penny, 2011, sphere, paperback About Emma Hamilton [email protected]. Emma Hamilton is a stay at home mum, book reviewer and former English teacher.
Review: Still Life
Review: Still Life. Still Life (Chief Inspector Gamache #1), Louise Penny. New York: Minotaur Books, 2005. Summary: The suspicious death of Jane Neal a day after her painting is accepted into an art show brings Gamache and his team to Three Pines, and to the grim conclusion that someone in this small community is a murderer.
Review: Still Life by Louise Penny
The characters, like the setting, are well-developed from the start. Gamache, our antagonist, is seasoned and serious, with a past that has thus-far been kept secret from us. His colleague, Agent Nichol, was flawed and unlikeable, but in a realistic way that was almost refreshing.
Still Life (Chief Inspector Gamache #1) by Louise Penny- Book Review
Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1) By: Louise Penny [Fulfilled 'The first book in a series you've never read' for Shelf Reflection's 2023 Reading Challenge] "Life is change. If you aren't growing and evolving you're standing still, and the rest of the world is surging ahead. Most of these people are very immature.
Book Review: Louise Penny's Still Life • KD Did It
Book Review: Louise Penny's Still Life. Posted January 22, ... Still Life by Louise Penny It is part of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1 series and is a mystery in eBook edition that was published by St. Martin Paperbacks on May 1, 2007 and has 293 pages. Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Still Life by Louise Penny
Sill Life draws Chief Inspector Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec to the delightfully bucolic Quebec town of Three Pines due to a suspicious death. As I knew coming into this book, and as you may well know, Three Pines may be bucolic with a charming variety of residents, but it is a deadly place! Jane Neal, the victim, lived a quiet ...
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Still Life
"Still Life" is Louise Penney's first novel featuring Sûreté du Québec Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team. It was the runner up for the 2004 CWA Dagger Award for a debut. It also received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Booklist.
Book Review: Still Life by Louise Penny
Still Life is the first book in Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. She's now up to Book 13, so this was published awhile ago. Since I typically like to start a series at the beginning, I checked out Still Life, and now I'm pleased to say that I have 12 more books in this wonderful series that I'm looking forward to ...
Still Life (Penny novel)
Still Life is the debut novel written by Louise Penny and published by St. Martin's Paperbacks (an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, owned by Holtzbrinck Publishing Group) on 1 January 2005.This novel won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel in 2007. It is the first in a series of mystery novels featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and set in Quebec. ...
Still Life: Penny, Louise: 9780312541538: Amazon.com: Books
Still Life. Paperback - September 30, 2008. by Louise Penny (Author) 4.3 55,641 ratings. Book 1 of 19: Chief Inspector Gamache Mysteries. See all formats and editions. Read the series that inspired Three Pines on Prime Video. In Still Life, bestselling author Louise Penny introduces Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec.
Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel: Penny, Louise
Louise Penny Boxed Set (1-3): Still Life, A Fatal Grace, The Cruelest Month (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel) ... I have one closing thought, and it's appropriate for the end of my review. Louise Penny doesn't just drop the story or our characters at the climax or resolution of her story. She includes a proper and effective denouement, for which ...
Still Life by Louise Penny
Still Life. Louise Penny, . . St. Martin's Minotaur, $22.95 (312pp) ISBN 978--312-35255-4. Canadian Penny's terrific first novel, which was the runner-up for the CWA's Debut Dagger Award in 2004 ...
Still Life: (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Book 1)
Louise Penny knows that a small, closed community is in many ways the most dangerous place to live in' -- Ann Granger--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. About the Author LOUISE PENNY is the author of the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels.
He Appraised Robert Indiana's Art Collection. Was He Off by Half?
Robert Indiana, the master Pop artist, had just died, at 89, on the nearby island of Vinalhaven, and Gamage's good friend, James Brannan, a lawyer, was the executor of the estate. Brannan hired ...
Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache
Read the series that inspired Three Pines on Prime Video. In Still Life, bestselling author Louise Penny introduces Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec. 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 ...

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Still Life by Louise Penny Summary & Review: The Perfect Murder Mystery for Holiday Season

Still Life Book Summary: Trying To Ignore Spoilers? This Is for You

Still Life by Louise Penny Summary: Jane Was Killed for This? Spoiler Ahead!

An Unexpected Murder at Three Pines

The Entire Three Pines Mourns Together

The Mysteries of Jane Neal

The Rebel Without Cause

Of Course, The Case Is Not Closed Yet

Fair Day Reveals The Murderer

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My Honest Review of Still Life Book Louise Penny

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