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Still Life

Chief Inspector Gamache/Three Pines, Book 1

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Still Life

By: Louise Penny
Narrated by: Adam Sims
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'A cracking storyteller, who can create fascinating characters, a twisty plot and wonderful surprise endings' ANN CLEEVES

There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.

The discovery of a dead body in the woods on Thanksgiving Weekend brings Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his colleagues from the Surete du Quebec to a small village in the Eastern Townships. Gamache cannot understand why anyone would want to deliberately kill well-loved artist Jane Neal, especially any of the residents of Three Pines - a place so free from crime it doesn't even have its own police force.

But Gamache knows that evil is lurking somewhere behind the white picket fences and that, if he watches closely enough, Three Pines will start to give up its dark secrets...

Ten million readers.
Three pines
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache

'One of the most interesting detectives in crime fiction' THE TIMES
Mystery Police Procedurals Thriller & Suspense
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Reviews

Clever, full of twists and turns . . . wonderfully satisfying
Penny's elegant style is deeply satisfying, while Gamache is contemplative even when under pressure, and remains a man you want to spend time
Louise Penny twists and turns the plot expertly tripping the reader up just at the moment you think you might have solved the mystery
Brimming with atmosphere and steeped in soul-searching . . . Penny combines clever plotting with beautifully evocative descriptions and the deep affection for her characters that keeps readers travelling back to Three Pines for more
This is a crime novel that is rich in atmosphere with a fascinating array of characters that enhance a plot of great suspense and ingenuity
Subtle, elegant and beautifully written
All
Most relevant
Excellent. Brilliant characterisation, a wonderful story and great narration. I look forward to continuing with the next 17 books in the series.

Excellent

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This novel is apparently the first of a series set in rural Québec.

Sadly, it is totally devoid of interest:

• the characters are shallow and stereotypical: a rebellious teen-ager, a chubby, cheerful, gay restaurant owner, a foul-mouthed perpetually angry poet, etc.
• the plot is at once predictable and ridiculous: a lost will, a job suspension for thinking outside the box, a finale in a snake pit (which turns out to be an illusion), etc.
• an irritating obsession with food, complete with lengthy descriptions of … muffins;
• a poor knowledge of Québec culture despite its use for providing colour and originality; much is made for instance of Thanksgiving dinner which is by no means a local tradition;
• multiple basic errors in the use of French, which could have easily been avoided by hiring a francophone proof-reader.

The audio version compounds the aggravation with a narrator who does not adequately know French (pronouncing for instance “Société des alcools” to rhyme with fool) and who gives the main character a Québec accent whereas we are told very early on that he studied in the UK and speaks an impeccable British English.

Overall, there is no justification for recommending this work to anyone.

Pathetic!

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Eyerolling, predictable, artificial plot twist with a bunch of stereotypical, slightly problematic dumb and incoherent characters
Don't bother

Cliché

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