A Small-Town Murder – Still Life by Louise Penny
By Julie Sellers
Hello, Radio Readers. I’m Julie A. Sellers for the HPPR Radio Readers Book Club.
If you’re a fan of mysteries like I am, Still Life by Louise Penny is the perfect summer read. This is the first of nineteen books in Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series, and once you begin, you’ll devour them all and be eagerly awaiting book 20 this fall.
The novel takes place in the village of Three Pines, located in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Homicide Division of the Surété du Quebec is called, along with his team, to investigate the murder of former schoolteacher Jane Neal, found shot to death by an arrow. There, he discovers a town so small it doesn’t even have its own police force, although it does have a lot of character and local characters. In fact, part of the enjoyment of the novel is in getting to know these unique and often quirky individuals along with Gamache. There’s Ben, who discovered the body, aspiring artists Clara and Peter, Gabri and Olivier who own the B&B and bistro, and the salty poet, Ruth Zardo.
The village of Three Pines is a character itself. The town is so small it’s not even on a map, and there’s no cell coverage. It’s like stepping into an oasis of a slower-paced life where neighbors help each other and there are no strangers. Much of life in the village occurs around the dinner table, be it in the characters’ homes or at the bistro. The descriptions of meals and dishes is enough to make the reader seriously consider booking a trip to the region where the novel is set.
Penny does an excellent job of pacing in Still Life, throwing twists and wrenches into the investigation along the way. Gamache’s early investigation is hampered by the fact that Jane Neal’s next of kin take possession of her house—a house no one has been in past the kitchen. Jane’s orderly life has been so predictable that the only ripple in its waters has been her decision to submit a painting to a local art show. It was accepted the day before she died—and no, it’s not a coincidence.
In addition to the mystery itself, Penny’s masterful characterization adds a human depth to the novel and to each of the books in her long-running series. These are characters who face internal and external challenges, who make mistakes, who confront pre-conceived notions, and who struggle through life like the rest of us. Gamache is not your typical hardened gumshoe. In fact, the narrator describes his eyes as “kind.” He is observant, a good listener, and he interacts with his peers and the townspeople with an equal degree of respect. Although the mystery is a page-turner, the human element keeps the reader returning case after case.
Pick up Still Life, and you’ll keep reading novel after novel---it’s the perfect recipe for summer reading.
I’m Julie A. Sellers for HPPR Radio Reader’s Book Club.
Julie A. Sellers was raised in the Flint Hills near Florence, Kansas, and she currently resides in Atchison, Kansas. She is the author of the novel, Ann of Sunflower Lane (Meadowlark, 2022), a Kansas National Education Association Reading Circle Recommended Title and a 2023 Finalist for the High Plains Book Award. Her book Kindred Verse: Poems Inspired by Anne of Green Gables (Blue Cedar Press) was released in 2021. Julie’s creative work has appeared in publications such as Cagibi, Wanderlust, Unlost, The Write Launch, Kansas Time + Place, and 105 Meadowlark Reader. She was the Kansas Authors Club Prose Writer of the Year (2020, 2022, 2023), and the Overall Winner in Poetry (2022) and Prose (2017, 2019, 2024) in the Kansas Voices Contest. Her second novel, Home to Sunflower Lane, is forthcoming from Meadowlark Press in 2026.
