Exceeded my expectations, can't wait to read more in the series.

Reminds me of The Killings at Badger's Drift but set in a border village in Quebec. Maybe because I read a ton of mysteries (around 60 a year), I found the solution rather straightforward. Despite the easy solution, I still enjoyed the set up of the series. I am intrigued enough by the main characters and the small town and the politics to keep reading. One annoyance, though, is there were a few copy editing inconsistencies and one typo. Canadian English spelling is nearly identical to British English. However, I saw attempts to Americanize, namely the u dropped from words like colour and neighbourhood. But words where an s would be used instead of a z were left alone. Then the word centre was spelled both ways. I'm hoping future editions I find in this series are more consistent.

Really 3.5. Still 3.5 upon reread. Listened 2nd time.

Absolutely loved it!

maybe the audiobook quality didn't help because the narrator made it more boring, but I didn't connect with the characters (except Yvette, hated her) and the plot was too plain, I didn't really enjoy it and won't continue the series

Delightful characters, decent mystery, only a few moments of cringe. There was some fat shaming and several predictable stereotypes. Sometimes, Gamache has boomer energy, but it's mostly charming. I found the shifting third-person omniscient narrator to be jarring at times because it shifted from one paragraph to the next. I actually really appreciate an omniscient narrator in this current atmosphere of unreliable narrators, though. I loved how the setting was so key. I enjoyed using my French and having a literary hangout in Quebec. I look forward to joining Gamache and crew again.

I read this on the recommendation of my supervisor at the library I work at, and was surprisingly entertained. I don't normally read novels in this genre, but something about the writing style, plot, and characters appealed to me. The backstories (of which there were many) were fleshed out, and left me feeling like I knew everybody from Three Pines like family. I look forward to reading the other books in this particular series.

While the series revolves around Chief Inspector Gamache, I was surprised how much of the mystery was investigated and solved by the locals of Three Pines - the sleepy Québécois town, where the crime is committed. This novel has quite a large cast of characters, but most of them are fleshed out really well, including the title's detective. I loved the little Canadian quirks that were included in the character development, including a certain somebody's obsession with Tim Hortons' double-double. I'm certain I'll be picking up the next book in the series.

This is a great book. I love Inspector Gamache and how he looks at the world. The characters in this book were very interesting. It kept me guessing "who dunnit" up until the very end. I can't wait to read the rest of the Gamache books.

A cozy feel-good mystery

I don't recall ever reading anything by Louise Penny prior to this. I don't know how I missed out. This story was engaging and well written. I did struggle with keeping some of the characters straight and don't really understand what role Agent Nichols played except to be an idiot and provide comic relief for how dense she was. I'm definitely going to be reading the next in the series.

A fun mystery with characters who each have their own fun personalities. I enjoyed the audiobook, the French pronunciations were good. I like a book that I can learn from too, and this book offered insight into bow hunting and French Canadian culture that I know little about. I will be checking out the sequel for sure.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up. I’ve been hearing hearty praise for this series for literally years. I’ve never taken the time to pick it up, because while I enjoy a good mystery element in my reading, I don’t generally set out to read a mystery; it’s just to one of my go-to genres. And if I do set out to find a mystery, I tend to choose those that lean more towards suspense or thriller or horror. That is not the world of Three Pines, at least as far as I’ve seen in this first installment, Still Life. Even though the plot centers around a murder, there’s something gentle and quiet about the tone and writing. While I didn’t adore this book, I did enjoy it. And while I’m not on the hype train yet, I can see why so many people love the series so much. Three Pines sounds like a delightful place, in spite of the murder. And the cast of characters is a lot of fun. I love Inspector Gamache. He’s like an endearing version of Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, but more believable and compassionate. The rest of the cast is pretty great, as well. I enjoyed getting pieces of the story from different perspectives, whether those perspectives were Three Pines residents or other law enforcement agents. Some of the townspeople are incredibly unique, and I’ll be interested to see more of them. Three Pines is a charming setting, even when murder is afoot. The setting puts me very much in mind of a cozy mystery, but the tone was weighty enough to give the book more gravitas than that genre usually brings to the table. I found the pacing pretty slow for a novel this short, but not so slow that I actually became bored. The plot itself was an interesting one, and I didn’t actually guess the outcome until pretty late in the narrative. I also really appreciated the importance of art to the plot, and all of the ways in which it was discussed. Still Life wasn’t a total hit for me, but it was far from a miss. I found it thoughtful and thought-provoking which, paired with my enjoyment of the cast and the setting, means that I’ll absolutely be continuing on with the series. If you’re looking for something akin to a cozy mystery but with more depth, perhaps in a similar vein to Agatha Christie, this just might be the series for you.

3.5 stars

This is brilliant literary mystery ;~; I almost felt that it was too short, but in truth it was just the right length. I loved the juxtaposition made between the behaviours of the side characters Agent Nichol & Yolande - one who couldn't see the problem, & one who didn't want to see the problem. This gets 5 stars not only for the writing, but because of the crumbs of Québecois (& Montreal) culture & life that resonate if you've lived in la belle province or the city of Montreal for any significant amount of time. So many things that put a little smile on your face & say "heh yeah." I want more Inspector Gamache & I'm so glad Louise Penny is churning out these mysteries at a good clip because I want to keep reading them for years.

There are 7 books in this series and I certainly can't imagine what sort of crimes are going to keep this Chief Inspector busy in this small village of Three Pines but I plan to read more to find out. This one, book one, involved a street fair, some dog poo, bows and arrows and snakes (or maybe not). There are personal discoveries going on in the white space of the plot for all the main characters and an interesting kind of French infected mood about things as a murder is solved.

I don't recall ever reading anything by Louise Penny prior to this. I don't know how I missed out. This story was engaging and well written. I did struggle with keeping some of the characters straight and don't really understand what role Agent Nichols played except to be an idiot and provide comic relief for how dense she was. I'm definitely going to be reading the next in the series.

A re-read after catching up with the series to the most recent addition #11. First in the series and a first novel - it shows. A bit clunky and a few mistakes. In addition some details that no longer fit with the rest of the series. It is however the introduction to the wonderful Three Pines village, it's fabulous inhabitants and the heroes of Armand Gamage, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, Isabelle Lacoste. While a few details in this first book don't align with the series there are many more that were built upon layer by layer in each successive book. It's a three star book that turns onto a five star series.

It’s been a while since I read a straight-up detective mystery. What great fun! The characters were vivid, the plot engaging & well-paced. The mystery itself was fascinating, without grisly details. The characters were diverse & I loved learning more about Quebec. Lastly, I’d like to say I look forward to more. The inspector is a generous man of substantial character with a splash of humor. I’m so glad I tried something different!

Maybe 2.5

Life was far from hurried here, but neither was it still. It's like Agatha Christie but with feelings. In this first installment of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series we are introduced to the Quebec detective as he works to solve the apparent accidental shooting with a hunting bow of an elderly woman on the quiet village of Three Pines. Jane Neil was kind and reasonable and loved by most. If it wasn't an accident, who could have wanted her dead? We follow along, not only the inspector and his coleagues, among which the truly awful agent Ivette Nichol, but also the people who live in this village, particularly Jane's closest friends, as they try to unravel who could have done it. I thought the story was a very effective mystery, compelling and kept me curious about all the minor details as well as the bigger picture. There were somethings that in the end felt out of place in the overall plot, and the first red herring was obvious (at least to me), but in the end, the story had a satisfying and surprising conclusion. I look forward to reading the rest of the series on audio. The narration by Ralph Cosham brings the perfect cosy mystery feel to the story.