Still Life (chief Inspector Armand Gamache Mysteries, No. 1) [Paperback]

Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sur?t? du Qu?bec 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 Lifeintroduces 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.

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,lc�