Still Life
On sale
30th September 2025
Price: £25
Genre
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache’s world of facts and feelings.
In 2005, with Still Life, bestselling author Louise Penny introduced her iconic mystery series starring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators as they are called into the scene of a suspicious death in a picturesque rural village somewhere south of Montreal, a village not found on any map, a village with three majestic pine trees presiding over the village green, a sign to weary travelers that they had reached a place of safety.
Still Life is the beginning of not only an engaging series starring Inspector Gamache―a man whose integrity and quiet courage, whose humanity, is an example to everyone around him―but also the launch of one of the most dynamic voices in popular fiction today.
‘[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
‘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
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache’s world of facts and feelings.
In 2005, with Still Life, bestselling author Louise Penny introduced her iconic mystery series starring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators as they are called into the scene of a suspicious death in a picturesque rural village somewhere south of Montreal, a village not found on any map, a village with three majestic pine trees presiding over the village green, a sign to weary travelers that they had reached a place of safety.
Still Life is the beginning of not only an engaging series starring Inspector Gamache―a man whose integrity and quiet courage, whose humanity, is an example to everyone around him―but also the launch of one of the most dynamic voices in popular fiction today.
‘[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
‘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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Reviews
Clever, full of twists and turns . . . wonderfully satisfying
Penny's elegant style is deeply satisfying, while Gamache is contemplative even when under pressure, and remains a man you want to spend time
Louise Penny twists and turns the plot expertly tripping the reader up just at the moment you think you might have solved the mystery
Brimming with atmosphere and steeped in soul-searching . . . Penny combines clever plotting with beautifully evocative descriptions and the deep affection for her characters that keeps readers travelling back to Three Pines for more
This is a crime novel that is rich in atmosphere with a fascinating array of characters that enhance a plot of great suspense and ingenuity
Subtle, elegant and beautifully written
