I think I am in love with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and I can't wait to read the rest of Penny's award-winning series! Gamache is a unique literary sleuth in his intense humanness, but he does remind me in some ways of Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti: he devotes his mind and his body to his work, but his heart and soul belong to his wife and family. In Still Life we are introduced to the community of Three Pines, where the much-loved but unfortunate Jane Neal, a retired teacher and aspiring artist, has been found dead in the woods, killed by an arrow through her heart. Gamache and his team, including devoted second-in-command Beauvoir and the irritating rookie agent Nicole, set up shop in Three Pines to investigate the unusual death. Was it a hunting accident, as many believe, or a deliberate killing? Why would anyone want to rid Three Pines of the the beloved schoolteacher who meant so much to so many? Could her untimely death have anything to do with the recent acceptance of her painting, Fair Day, in the local art show? Why has no one ever seen Jane's living room and what is her niece and supposed heir, Yvonne, up to?
Two of the best things about Still Life are the incredible sense of place and the wonderfully drawn and developed characters. I felt as if I could smell the autumn air and hear the dried leaves underfoot. Penny draws the reader into the life of Three Pines as surely as if we were sitting at the Thanksgiving table with her characters. We feel agent Nicole's awkwardness and Beauvoir's frustration and his concern for Gamache as a partner and friend. We understand Gamache. He is a dedicated, upstanding man who is also human and compassionate. He cares, so we care. I understand from talking to others who have read some of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series that a surprise twist at the end is one of her signature touches. It works well, and so does this series. I can understand why she keeps winning Agatha awards year after year!
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