Still Life (An Inspector Armand Gamache - Three Pines Mystery #1)

Still Life (An Inspector Armand Gamache - Three Pines Mystery #1) Review

Louise Penny has done Canada truly proud with a debut mystery novel that can be characterized as roughly halfway between the cozy mysteries of Agatha Christie and the deeper, psychological much darker mysteries starring the likes of angst-ridden detective Harry Bosch.

Three Pines is a small, primarily English-speaking town in Quebec's Eastern Townships, the beautiful wooded area bordering on the more rugged White Mountains of Vermont. The citizens of Three Pines are shocked when the body of long-time resident, Jane Neal, a local artist whose painting "Fair Lady" has recently been accepted for showing in an important local exhibition, is found dead in the nearby forest. She has been shot through with a hunting arrow and it is unclear whether her death is the result of a hunting accident or something entirely more sinister. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec is assigned from Montreal to investigate.

Louise Penny clearly has the chops to concoct a clever mystery and that would have been enough all by itself to commend any lover of the genre to read STILL LIFE. But there is so much more ...

For example, the bilingual and bicultural aspects of life in Quebec and their political fall out are neither explicitly spelled out or preached about to any great extent. They're just there and they bring the setting of this novel very close to home and make it seem exceptionally real. After interrogating one of the English residents of Three Pines, for example, CI Gamache muses:

"It was ... one of the fundamental differences between anglophone and francophone Quebecers; the English believed in individual rights and the French felt they had to protect collective rights. Protect their language and culture."

I had never thought of our differences in quite that light and it seemed a particularly instructive, intuitive and enlightening observation.

Secondly, I've just got to add as well that I positively love it when a mystery or thriller author can effectively and unobtrusively add some bonus education and information or even tidbits of trivia to a story. For example, STILL LIFE used some of the more arcane aspects of archery, bow-hunting, bows, arrows and target shooting as integral parts of the mystery and its solution. In addition, art, its interpretation, the styles of painting and even the uses of certain colours were important in the mystery. When the exhibition panel discussed Jane Neal's "Fair Lady", for example, they commented:

"For whatever reason, Fair Day challenges us. It moves us. To anger, ..., to confusion, to ... joy. ... The truth is, I don't know whether Fair Day is a brilliant example of naive art, or the pathetic scrawling of a superbly untalented, and delusional, old woman. That's the tension."

Interesting, challenging and evocative art analysis without any of the typical pretentious snobbery that we're used to hearing!

Finally, there is some positively brilliant characterization happening. Aside from the studied, interesting development of a calm, introspective and intelligent lead man in CI Gamache, we are treated to some very interesting and colourful side players as well - the acerbic, self-centered and bitter niece, Yolande; the humorous, loving and clearly out of the closet gay couple, Olivier and Gabri; and the apprentice police woman, Yvette Nichol, who clearly has enormous difficulty keeping her intellect under wraps and acknowledging that her superiors have some insight and wisdom to pass on to her.

A wonderful story of a small town in Quebec and a well-crafted mystery as well. Highly recommended with the additional comment that I can't wait to lay my hands on the second novel in the series, A FATAL GRACE.

Paul Weiss

Still Life (An Inspector Armand Gamache - Three Pines Mystery #1) Overview

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.

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Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul Review

Summary: This book was written by a husband and wife team to help women of all ages and stages.

"You are a woman to your soul, to the very core of your being....The desires that God has placed into our hearts are clues as to who we really are and the role that we are meant to play....We think you'll find that every woman in her heart of hearts longs for three things: to be romanced, to play an irreplacable role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty. That's what makes a woman come alive."

Reactions: What an amazing book! It really touched something in me and helped me realize how much shame I was carrying around needlessly. The Eldredges take it back to the very beginning and put a whole new light on Eve - one I had never thought of or realized before. I always thought of the apple incident when I thought of Eve, but no longer. Eve was created as a perfect woman to complete man and the world! What an empowering feeling! They also encourage women to find, or should I say dig out, their inner dreams that have been buried for years. What a wonderful, life changing book. I would recommend this book to any woman.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul Overview

Bestselling author John Eldredge and his wife and co-author, Stasi, unveil the beauty and mystery of the feminine soul by showing readers the three core desires of every woman’s heart. Every little girl has dreams of being swept up into a great adventure, of being the beautiful princess. Sadly, when women grow up, they are often swept up into a life filled merely with duty and demands. Many Christian women are tired, struggling under the weight of the pressure to be a "good servant," a nurturing caregiver, or a capable home manager. What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating can do for women. This groundbreaking book shows readers the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how the feminine heart can be restored, and casts a vision for the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be. By revealing the core desires every woman shares—to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a grand adventure, and to unveil beauty— John and Stasi Eldredge invite women to recover their feminine hearts, created in the image of an intimate and passionate God. Further, they encourage men to discover the secret of a woman’s soul and to delight in the beauty and strength women were created to offer.

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