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Still Life by Louise Penny
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Still Life (2005)

by Louise Penny

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (1)

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3,2542301,701 (3.85)654
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English (225)  Dutch (2)  German (1)  French (1)  Finnish (1)  All (230)
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Showing 1-5 of 225 (next | show all)
I really liked this book, the first in a series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. This particular book is set in a small town south of Montreal (Canada) where an old woman, beloved by many in the town, was killed by a hunting arrow through the heart. Penny seems to have a special skill for creating original and vividly-depicted characters. I loved Gamache, especially that he didn't embody the cliche of the brooding, divorced alcoholic who rebelled against authority. No, Gamache is happily married and is a kind soul who values teamwork. I really disliked the character of Yvette Nichol, the egotistical new agent Gamache tries to take under his wing. She refused to learn and didn't listen to simple instructions and was generally nasty to everyone. I wonder if the character is in future books? I'll definitely be picking up the next in this series. ( )
  dorie.craig | Jun 22, 2017 |
An enjoyable debut mystery, this is a contemporary story that reminded me very much of the classics. With a terrific setting of a small Quebec village and an assortment of interesting characters, there's a lot to like here. I wasn't sold on some of the actions and motivations of both the victim and the murderer, and one of the chief inspector's subordinates was over-the-top annoying and unlikable, but none of it detracted too much from a solid outing. If you're looking for a cozy new series, this one is worth a look. ( )
  jimgysin | Jun 19, 2017 |
It's entertaining. I haven't read any detective novels before, but heard about this from the podcast "What Should I Read Next." Louise Penny and the Inspector Gamache novels always seem to come up as a good series. So I gave it a try. It's funny, descriptive with interesting characters. It's not my favorite genre, but is good when I just needs a good story to get lost in. ( )
  kerchie1 | Jun 9, 2017 |
I like Inspector Gamache and the mystery definitely kept me guessing - I loved the clue that gave it all away. One of the interesting aspects of the story was how narrative can be so far from the truth - everyone thought they "knew" someone because of a persistent narrative, despite the actual experiences that people had with that person. ( )
  tjsjohanna | May 17, 2017 |
Loved, loved, loved this book. So different and so engaging. Well-written. I want to read all of her books. ( )
  bcrowl399 | May 9, 2017 |
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▾Published reviews
The beauty of Louise Penny’s auspicious debut novel, STILL LIFE, is that it’s composed entirely of grace notes, all related to the central mystery of who shot an arrow into the heart of Miss Jane Neal,...
added by y2pk | editNew York Times, Marilyn Stasio
 
▾Other authors

» Add other authors (2 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Louise Penny—primary authorall editionscalculated
Cosham, RalphNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Eggesvik, AstridTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kõrgvee, EdeTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nagano, KiyomiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ram, TitiaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ruiz Jara, BeatrizTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Saint-Germain, MichelTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Salminen, RaimoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Stumpf, AndreaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tse, EdwinCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Werbeck, GabrieleTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Series (with order)
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (1)
Canonical title
Still Life
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
2005
People/Characters
Armand Gamache (Chief Inspector of Homicide with the Sûreté du Quebec)
Jean Guy Beauvoir (Inspector, 35 years old, Gamache's second in command)
Jean Neal (Miss, 76 years old, retired teacher, painter)
Clara Morrow (Mrs., Jean's dear friend and next-door neighbor, Arts Williamsburg show jury member)
Peter Morrow (Clara's husband, Royal Academy of Canada member, Arts Williamsburg show jury member)
Important places
Three Pines (fictional village in the Eastern townships, a couple of kilometers from the US border), St. Rémy county, Québec, Canada
Montréal, Québec, Canada
Olivier's Bistro, in the heart of Three Pines
St Rémy, Québec, Canada (the same as Saint-Rémi?)
Myrna's Livres, Neufs et Usagés [Myrna's New and Used Books], next to Olivier's Bistro. Each Three Pines' shop has a door connecting to the next. The Bistro's door leads to Myrna's.
Important events
Related movies
Still Life (2013 ∙ IMDb ∙ TV)
Awards and honors
Barry Award (First Novel, 2007)
CWA (New Blood Dagger, 2006)
Arthur Ellis Award (Best First Novel, 2006)
Dilys Award (2007)
Anthony Award (Best First Novel, 2007)
Epigraph
Dedication
This book is given, along with all my heart, to Michael
First words
Miss Jane Neal met her maker in the early morning mist of Thanksgiving Sunday.
Quotations
She also felt a stirring that suggested she didn't actually like her son. Love, yes. Well, probably. But like?
Evil is unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our own table. (From the third verse of 'Herman Melville' by W. H. Auden, quoted by Jane Neal in chapter one)
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 challenging to distinguish a pine from a partridge from a person. (Chapter 1)
[Gamache is talking with Myrna Landers]

'The funny thing about murder is that the act is often committed decades before the actual action. Something happens, and it leads, inexorably, to death many years later. A bad seed is planted. It's like those old horror films from the Hammer studios, of the monster, not running, never running, but walking without pause, without thought or mercy, toward its victim. Murder is often like that. It starts way far off.' (chapter 7)
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Crombie, Deborah
Hill, Reginald
Perry, Anne
Spencer-Fleming, Julia
Lovesey, Peter
Publisher series
St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries
Original language
▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

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▾LibraryThing members' description
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▾Book descriptions

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0312541538, Paperback)

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.

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 17:59:00 -0400)

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▾Library descriptions

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the S?uretâe du Quâebec 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.--From publisher description.… (more)

» see all 10 descriptions

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