While waiting to read the newest Louise Penny, I decided to go back to the first in the series. “Still Life” is set in the village of Three Pines in the province of Quebec, Canada. We are introduced to the characters that appear first in this novel and reappear in many of her stories that follow.
The main character is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec, who with his right-hand man, Inspector Jean Guy Beauvoir, have been called to the small village of Three Pines to investigate the murder of Jane Neal. This is a very close-knit community and the murder of Miss Neal shocks and mystifies all those who knew her. She was respected and loved by everyone by the community. The title “Still Life” refers to the fact that several of the inhabitants of the area are artists, including Jane, Clara and Peter Morrow. Painting plays an important part in the plot, especially the paintings created by Jane Neal.
The murder investigation unfolds slowly with some leads that turn out to be false. I was able to identify the killer early on in the story, but I could never have imagined the reasons why this character committed the murder.
This was a good opening novel, and Louise Penny has gotten better with each subsequent addition to this series.