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Charlotte
Observor, Salem Macknee
If I thought
for one minute this place really existed, I would be
packing the car. As it was, on finishing "The Cruelest
Month," I grabbed the first two books, "Still
Life" and "A Fatal Grace," and spent
a lovely weekend in the village. The mouthwatering food,
the beautiful gardens, the quirky and literate villagers
-- Three Pines is a charming oasis for the spirit....it's
more about the journey than the destination in these
wonderful books full of poetry, and weather, and a brooding
manor house, and people who read and think and laugh
and eat a lot of really excellent food.
Move over, Mitford.
People Magazine
(3 1/2 out of 4 stars)
Impossible
to put down!
The Scotsman
There's
real pleasure here.
Kirkus
Review
Perhaps the deftest talent to arrive since Minette
Walters, Penny produces what many have tried but few
have mastered: a psychologically acute cozy. If you
don't give your heart to Gamache, you may have no heart
to give.
Publishers
Weekly
Chief Insp. Armand Gamache and his team investigate
another bizarre crime in the tiny Québec village
of Three Pines in Penny's expertly plotted third cozy…Arthur
Ellis Award-winner Penny paints a vivid picture of the
French-Canadian village, its inhabitants and a determined
detective who will strike many Agatha Christie fans
as a 21st-century version of Hercule Poirot.
Library
Journal
Gamache is an engaging, modern-day Poirot who
gently teases out information from his suspects while
enjoying marvelous bistro meals and cozy walks on the
village common…Penny is an award-winning writer
whose cozies go beyond traditional boundaries, providing
entertaining characters, a picturesque locale, and thought-provoking
plots. Highly recommended.
Quill
and Quire, Sarah Weinman
Penny
shines most in revealing Gamache's frailties....As Penny
demonstrates with laser-like precision, the book's title
is a metaphor not only for the month of April but also
for Gamache's personal and professional challenges -
making this the series standout so far.
Good
Reading, Australia - four stars
Penny's real skill is creating a dense, possibilities
rich atmosphere....Impressive writing
Mystery News, 5 of 5 quills, Lynn Kaczmarek
Influenced by Simenon, Christie and Sayers before
her, Penny is doing them all one better. ... These
books are so much more than traditional mysteries—the
writing is sublime and the characters unique yet much
more developed than their individual quirks. ...And
this place, this wonderous, fantastical place.
You’re just incredibly thankful that it exists,
if only in the brilliant mind of Louise Penny....behold
the ushering in of a new era of traditional mysteries—21st
century-style.
Booklist USA
For such a small, pleasant place, the Quebec
village of Three Pines has a surprising amount of big-time
crime. In the third Armand Gamache novel, the
Surete Chief Inspector is once again confronted with
a baffling mystery, this one coming after an Easter
séance results in murder. The thing about the
Gamache novels is that while the crimes are intriguing,
the people are downright fascinating not just Gamache
himself, who manages to be completely original despite
his similarities to Columbo and Poirot, but also the
entire cast of supporting characters, who are so strongly
written that every single one of them could probably
carry an entire novel all by themselves. Readers familiar
with the preceding two novels in the series Still Life
(2006) and A Fatal Grace (2007) will be champing at
the bit to get their hands on this one, and those who
haven’t yet met Armand Gamache will wonder what
took them so long.
The Calgary Herald, Joanne Sasvari
Penny...has created a world that is clever,
complex and gorgeously written.
The London Times, Marcel Berlins
A neat mystery!
The Sunday Telegraph, Susanna Yager
Just the thing for a gloomy Autumn day...the enjoyment
of a stirring tale of jealousy and long-awaited revenge.
The Sherbrooke Record, James Napier
With the publication of The Cruellest Month, Louise
Penny has come of age as a novelist. The writing
is sensual, full of sights and smells and tastes that
will resonate with her readers. And although Penny
paints an almost Grandma Moses idealized view of village
life, it is a view tinged with ominous foreboding, reminiscent
of the brooding images of Breughel and Bosch....It's
a gem.
Sydney
Morning Herald, Australia - Pick of the Week
Readers on the lookout for a good crime writer are in
for a treat...Penny's writing is rich in imagery and
atmosphere and characterised by a very quick and highly
verbal intelligence.
Kirkus
Review
Remarkably, Penny manages to top her outstanding
debut. Gamache is a prodigiously complicated and engaging
hero, destined to become one of the classic detectives.
Library
Journal
A highly intelliegent mystery. Penny's
new title is sure to creat great reader demand for more
stories featuring civilized and articulate Chief Inspector
Armand Gamache.
Booklist
Gamache, a smart and likable investigator -
think Columbo with an accent, or perhaps a modern-day
Poirot....This is a fine mystery in the classic Agatha
Christie style and it is sure to leave mainstream fans
wanting more.
Houston Chronicle P.G. Koch
For
all the perplexing mechanics of the murder, and the
snowed-in village setting, this is not the usual "cosy"
or even a traditional puzzle mystery. It's a finely
written, intelligent and observant book. Imbued with
a constant awareness of the astonishing cold, this perfect
blend of police procedural and closed-room mystery finds
its solution, as in the best of those traditions, in
the slow unlayering of a sorrowful past.
Manly Daily, Australia
Quebec's answer to Poirot and Morse.
Weekend Gold Coast Bulletin, Australia
Compelling
South Coast Register, Australia
A poetic and gifted writer.
The Ottawa Citizen, Mike Gillespie
Penny writes like a modern-day Agatha Christie,
with a little Dylan Thomas thrown in for good measure.
Her characters leap from the page, her plotting is sublime,
the atmosphere she builds in a bitter Quebec winter
in Dead Cold, completely chilling.
Tangled
Web, UK, Bernard Knight
Surete Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is in
danger of turning into a latter-day Hercule Poirot....The
writing is superb. A magnificent read.
The Calgary Herald, Joanne Sasvari
A wonderfully quirky, beautifully written story set
amid the eccentric residents of charming Three Pines,
Quebec. With DEAD COLD Penny has firmly established
herself among the best in Canadian crime fiction....Like
all the best Canadian fiction, DEAD COLD is a brilliant
evocation of place. And like Gamache, you too will be
drawn to Three Pines and to this work of magical realism
masquerading as a cosy English mystery.
The Globe and Mail, Margaret Cannon
A
beautifully crafted Christmas cracker of a novel. We're
back in the charming Quebec village of Three Pines....The
setting is wonderfully done, as are the characters.
The solution is perfectly in tune with their psychology
and there's plenty of evidence that Gamache will make
a third appearance.
The Halifax Chronicle Herald, Paul Fiander
Louise Penny stunned the crime fiction world last year
with STILL LIFE....Sooner or later the whole world will
discover Penny. With a unique sense of timing, patience
and subtle wit, Penny is able to create a whodunit that
recalls those of Agatha Christie....Magically bringing
the postcard village of Three Pines to life, she gives
it innocence, allows a touch of evil to intrude and
then brings in the outsider, the intriguing Gamache,
to solve the crime.
CrimeSquad.com,
UK
The plots against Gamache made me feel like a pantomime
audience shouting 'look behind you', while the unsympathetic
characters are so vividly drawn that they, in turn,
provoked sotto voce boos... (A five star
review)
The Sherbrooke Record, Jim Napier
DEAD COLD is a richer, darker book, with humour and
a sub-plot that builds on relationships only hinted
at in her debut novel. The result is an engrossing read
that will only add to the ranks of her readers.
Quill
and Quire Literary Magazine, Canada
Louise Penny received a great deal of praise from some
very impressive sources for her first novel, STILL LIFE.
After reading DEAD COLD, her second effort, I can safely
say that much more praise is on its way….no mystery
reader will regret the time they spend in the snowy
village of Three Pines.
Shotsmag,
UK
This is a wonderful novel, full of mystery. It is as
deeply layered as snow drifting down upon snow. The
cold will seep into your bones so wrap up warm and have
a good hot drink at your elbow.
New York Times Sunday Book Review,
Marilyn
Stasio
The beauty of Louise Penny's auspicious debut novel, STILL
LIFE, is that it's composed entirely of grace notes, all
related to the central mystery of who shot an arrow into
the heart of Miss Jane Neal… But, like her neighbors
in the picturesque Canadian village of Three Pines, the
dear old thing had hidden depths, courtesy of an author
whose deceptively simple style masks the complex patterns
of a well-devised plot…Chief Inspector Armand Gamache
of the Sûreté du Québec, who is as
bemused as we are by life in Three Pines, has the wit
and insight to look well beyond its idyllic surface.
Chicago
Tribune, Crime watch, Dick Adler
It's hard to decide what provides the most pleasure
in this enjoyable book: Gamache, a shrewd and kindly
man constantly surprised by homicide; the village, which
sounds at first like an ideal place to escape from civilization;
or the clever and carefully constructed plot.
Kirkus Review
Cerebral, wise and compassionate, Gamache is destined
for stardom. Don't miss this stellar debut.
Publishers
Weekly
Like a virtuoso, Penny plays a complex variation on
the theme of the clue hidden in plain sight. Filled
with unexpected insights, this winning traditional mystery
sets a solid foundation for future entries in the series.
Booklist,
Emily Melton
This is a real gem of a book that slowly draws the reader
into a beautifully told, lyrically written story of
love, life, friendship and tragedy.
The
Library Journal, USA
Debut novelist Penny writes poignantly about life in
a small hamlet…A first-rate creator of memorable
characters, Penny introduces a truly engaging sleuth
in Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, who is sent to investigate
and in the process falls in love with Three Pines and
its inhabitants.
The
London Times, Marcel Berlins
An impressive debut novel…Penny writes with intelligence
and subtlety….the result is a first novel promising
much enjoyment to come.
DearReader.com,
Suzanne Beecher
A wonderful murder mystery.
Shelf
Awareness, Marilyn Dahl
Louise Penny has written an extremely satisfying mystery,
one that will please on many levels…this book touches
the heart while engaging the mind. Miss Jane Neal kept
a well-read book on her nightstand, C.S. Lewis' Surprised
by Joy. That title is a fitting phrase for Still
Life.
Aunt Agatha's
Bookstore, Ann Arbour, Robin Agnew
This is an elegantly written, compelling, and masterful
first novel. If I were a betting woman I'd advise anyone
interested in such things to lay aside a first edition;
I plan to myself…If there is a more perfect novel
written this year, I would be very much surprised.
The
Toronto Globe and Mail, Margaret
Cannon
Ever since Agatha Christie, we long for that
perfect village that is touched by death. Three Pines
delivers.
Toronto
Star, Jack Batten
A delightful and clever collection of false
leads, red herrings, meditations on human nature, strange
behavior and other diverting stuff.
The
Calgary Herald, Joanne Sasvari,
This is a much darker, cleverer, funnier and, finally,
more hopeful novel than even the great Dame Agatha could
have penned. It's light, witty and poignant, a thrilling
debut from a new Canadian crime writer.
'A cast of
fascinating and beautifully sketched characters, deep
insight into human motives and relationships, intelligent
and literate writing, an unusual and detailed setting,
a clever plot with lots of twists and turns and suspense.
Georges Simenon kept Maigret going for over a hundred
books. It will be a delight for all of us who love detective
fiction if Louise Penny can stay around long enough
to do the same for Gamache.' Reginald Hill
'An
excellent, subtle plot full of understanding of the
deeper places in human nature, and many wise observations
that will enrich the reader long after the pages are
closed.' Anne Perry
'What
a joy to read a crime novel written with such skill
and integrity, strong on character and atmosphere…
I couldn't put it down' Margaret Yorke
'It's
a very clever book. Louise Penny knows that a small
closed self-sufficient community is in many ways the
most dangerous place to live in.' Ann Granger
'What
a joy it is to discover a detective like Armand Gamache,
strong, calm and charismatic and at work on a good mystery
in a believable setting.' Peter Lovesey
'Louise
Penny's Still Life is a gem of a debut novel-clever,
charming, with perceptively realized characters, a setting
to die for, and the enormously appealing Chief Inspector
Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec. I can't wait
for the next installment.' Deborah Crombie
'Still
Life is a masterpiece of a traditional drawing room
mystery, repainted in the autumnal colors of the Canadian
countryside. Louise Penny's movingly sketched characters
invite you into their petit village, where Chief Inspector
Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec, a modern Poirot,
slowly peels back the layers of time to solve a heartbreaking
homicide. I eagerly await her next book.' Julia
Spencer-Fleming
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