Still Life is the debut novel written by Louise Penny. The book is the first in a series of mystery novels set in rural Canada featuring detective Armand Gamache. Penny won multiple awards for Still Life, including a Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Award, a Barry Award, an Arthur Ellis Award, an Anthony Award, and the Dilys Award.
Still Life centers on an official investigation following the death of Jane Neal, a 76-year-old retired schoolteacher who lived in the small town of Three Pines in Quebec, Canada. Jane is found dead in the woods on Thanksgiving Sunday, just two days after deciding to submit her artwork for an exhibition for the first time ever. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, homicide investigator for the Sûreté du Québec, leads the investigation. He is accompanied by his second in command, Jean Guy Beauvoir, as well as a recently certified agent, Yvette Nichol, who is eager to impress but fails to integrate with Gamache’s team.
Still Life centers on an official investigation following the death of Jane Neal, a 76-year-old retired schoolteacher who lived in the small town of Three Pines in Quebec, Canada. Jane is found dead in the woods on Thanksgiving Sunday, just two days after deciding to submit her artwork for an exhibition for the first time ever. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, homicide investigator for the Sûreté du Québec, leads the investigation. He is accompanied by his second in command, Jean Guy Beauvoir, as well as a recently certified agent, Yvette Nichol, who is eager to impress but fails to integrate with Gamache’s team.