MADreads

Three Pines, Quebec

August 6th, 2007 Mary K. - Central

It is always great to discover a new mystery author, especially one who is starting a series.  Louise Penny, the author of Still Life and A Fatal Grace, seems like one to watch.

Still Life is the first in the series and is set in Three Pines, Quebec, an idylic small village, filled with interesting characters, many of them artists.  That community is shocked when elderly Jane Neal is found dead in the woods, killed by an arrow.   Was it murder or an accident?  Is it  a coincidence that Jane has just unveiled a major art work featuring the residents of Three Pines, and also invited people to see her home for the first time? 

An outside investigation team arrives from Montreal, led by Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, to try to find out the truth.  Gamache is a fascinating character, very ethical and intelligent.  He meets many of the villagers: Clara who was Jane’s closest friend and confidant, the two gay men running the local bed and breakfast, and Ruth, a poet who was once Jane’s close friend.

Penny is a great writer and does an excellent  job with developing  characters and describing the setting.   And murder by bow and arrow is certainly an unusual plot twist. 

The second book in the series,  A Fatal Grace, is also set in Three Pines, a year later.  CC de Poiters, an unpleasant new arrival, has been murdered and the team, again led by Gamache arrives to solve the case.   This book continues to develop the characters and the setting.  I did not find it as compelling as the first in the series, but it also well-written and fans of the first book will enjoy it.

Entry Filed under: Mystery