Still life
Special 20th Anniversary Edition
20th anniversary deluxe edition
I am SO excited about, is the re-issue of STILL LIFE. You and I first met Gamache and Three Pines 20 years ago, in the pages of this book. I am so thrilled to be celebrating that event. When Still Life first came out very few paid attention to the little book set in the little village in Quebec. Until the awards started coming in.
The 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, features stenciled edges, foil case stamp, four color endpapers, fold-out map, and a conversation between the author and Margaret Atwood about the Three Pines novels.
Buy Still Life Special Edition
paperback edition
synopsis
The discovery of a dead body in the woods on Thanksgiving Weekend brings Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his colleagues to a place called Three Pines. Gamache cannot understand why anyone would want to deliberately kill well-loved artist Jane Neal, especially any of the residents of the village – a place so free from crime it doesn’t even have its own police force.
But Gamache knows that evil is lurking somewhere behind the white picket fences and that, if he watches closely enough, Three Pines will start to give up its dark secrets…
"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… But, like her neighbors in the picturesque Canadian village of Three Pines, the dear old thing had hidden depths, courtesy of an author whose deceptively simple style masks the complex patterns of a well-devised plot…Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, who is as bemused as we are by life in Three Pines, has the wit and insight to look well beyond its idyllic surface."
"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."
"Cerebral, wise and compassionate, Gamache is destined for stardom. Don't miss this stellar debut."
"Like a virtuoso, Penny plays a complex variation on the theme of the clue hidden in plain sight. Filled with unexpected insights, this winning traditional mystery sets a solid foundation for future entries in the series."
"This is a real gem of a book that slowly draws the reader into a beautifully told, lyrically written story of love, life, friendship and tragedy."
"Debut novelist Penny writes poignantly about life in a small hamlet…A first-rate creator of memorable characters, Penny introduces a truly engaging sleuth in Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, who is sent to investigate and in the process falls in love with Three Pines and its inhabitants."
"An impressive debut novel…Penny writes with intelligence and subtlety….the result is a first novel promising much enjoyment to come."
"A wonderful murder mystery."
"Louise Penny has written an extremely satisfying mystery, one that will please on many levels…this book touches the heart while engaging the mind. Miss Jane Neal kept a well-read book on her nightstand, C.S. Lewis' Surprised by Joy. That title is a fitting phrase for Still Life."
"This is an elegantly written, compelling, and masterful first novel. If I were a betting woman I'd advise anyone interested in such things to lay aside a first edition; I plan to myself…If there is a more perfect novel written this year, I would be very much surprised."
"Ever since Agatha Christie, we long for that perfect village that is touched by death. Three Pines delivers."
"A delightful and clever collection of false leads, red herrings, meditations on human nature, strange behavior and other diverting stuff."
"This is a much darker, cleverer, funnier and, finally, more hopeful novel than even the great Dame Agatha could have penned. It's light, witty and poignant, a thrilling debut from a new Canadian crime writer."
