BOOK CLUB BEAT
with Sherry Hemingway
THE BOOK
Still Life
First book in the Three Pines/
Inspector Gamache mystery series,
set in rural Quebec by the author,
Louise Penny
THE RATING:
C
aution: “Still Life” is a good, scene-
setting kind of book that lays the
groundwork for the next ten books
in Louise Penny’s Three Pines/Inspector
Gamache novels. This innocuous intro belies
the danger that you are likely to lose more
than a little sleep as you become addicted to
each book. This series is that good.
My love of mystery books dates back to
two inconspicuous take-a-book, leave-a-book
“Mystery Shelves” at my university. The
collection had evolved through 20 years of
students and professors before I came upon
this decades-old trove of literate, original,
charming and often quirky mystery novels.
Some of the best series were out-of-print,
never to be seen again. When I discovered
Canadian mystery writer Louise Penny, I felt
like I had re-found those shelves.
The setting is the village of Three Pines,
a mythical place inspired by the Eastern
township of Quebec, Canada. The book’s
central character is Chief Inspector Armand
Gamache, the respected and ethical chief
of The Sûreté du Québec, the national
police force. Novelist Penny has said the
theme of her books is, goodness exists. Her
protagonist, Inspector Gamache finds the
world around him, even within the police
force, is often at odds with that premise.
It is illustrative of Chief Inspector
Gamache’s character that he tells new agents
the four sayings that can lead to wisdom, the
four sentences his own mentor taught him:
This “dinosaur” thinking is seldom
compatible with arrogance and corruption.
The counterpoint to more serious
themes are the characters (literally) of Three
Pines, an eccentric poet laureate with a pet
duck, artists of varying abilities, a retired
psychologist with a used bookstore, bistro
owners serving sumptuous French dishes
with French attitude – and all in all – a
slew of endearing characters with the gift of
banter. The dialogue is often a whimsical
fencing tournament. And, the charming
village of Three Pines is a kind of nirvana
(until someone gets murdered).
I recently attended BookSmart’s Book
Lovers Reading Club in Morgan Hill as
they tackled Still Life as their first Gamache
book. Having read all the books in the
series, it was fascinating to hear their
intrigue with the charms of Quebec, the
cultural confusions caused by a Canadian
book (Canadian Thanksgiving is in
October?), and their guesses (right and
wrong) about the beginnings of the mystery
of people and the unraveling of plots. With
unfair knowledge of the development of the
books, I could only think, “Just wait.”
The 11 novels in the series arguably
I was wrong
I’m sorry
I don’t know
I need help
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
must be read in order. The plot of one
builds on the next, and the next. Since the
publishers (fibbing) tell you that they don’t
necessarily have to be read sequentially, the
books are not numbered. I once begged
friend Lisa DeSilva, who had accidentally
picked up the most recent book, to stop
reading. I would have handed over the
entire series to her, if only she would/could
have halted. She didn’t, and now she knows
too much. So for the rest of you, this is the
order of the Gamache series, from the first
to the most recent:
STILL LIFE
A FATAL GRACE
THE CRUELEST MONTH
A RULE AGAINST MURDER
THE BRUTAL TELLING
BURY YOUR DEAD
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT
THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY
HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN
THE LONG WAY HOME
Spouse and I seldom agree on books,
but we both read this series faithfully. So
much so that we will probably pre-order
number 12.
SHERRY HEMINGWAY spent her childhood after lights out
with a book and flashlight under the covers. With degrees
from Kent State University and Harvard University, her
lifelong career was in journalism and public relations. Her
hobbies are travel in (very) remote countries, volunteering,
and two book clubs.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016
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