Louise Penny Boxed Set (1-3): Still Life, A Fatal Grace, The Cruelest Month (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel)

Great series of clever inspector Gamache. Loved the characters and atmosphere of the small Quebec town of Three Pines. The depiction of the main character Armond Gamache shows a shrewd, relentless investigator who balances his work with intuition, and compassion.

I love this series, having started in the middle several years ago. At the risk of contradicting some earlier reviews of mine, I now feel like readers would be best advised to read this series in sequence. The separate stories do stand alone, but there is a recurring cast of characters in the village of Three Pines and a back story involving the lead character Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, that would likely be confusing to a reader jumping from place to place. This set consists of the first three in the series. 1.) Still Life - very well done,although I found one character Agent Yvette Nicole, hard to believe. She is a rookie, but still, she is 25, not 15. Since character development is such a strength of Penny's I was disappointed in this. With later books we learned more about her, and it does serve as a partial explanation, but that just makes the point of my opening paragraph. 2.) Fatal Grace - I liked this the least of the three in this set, although Penny is always a cut above other murder mysteries. The idyllic Three Pines setting worked better in the first one where a beloved school teacher died, than here where the murder provoked a "good riddance" reaction. Also, the manner in which the murder was committed, a low voltage electrocution strikes me as impossible. 3.) Cruelest Month - in this one the back story of Gamache's prior investigation of corrupt police practices overwhelms the basic story. Also, the first 50-60 pages of this, before Gamache arrives had me ready to gag on too much sweetness with the Three Pines characters. Once Gamache arrives on the scene, however, the characters became adults. Finally the book contained a phrase that I honestly think should have been used for the title. The Near Enemy - refers to the dual nature of human emotion, that for example pity is the near enemy of compassion, the bad side that ruins the good intention. The Near Enemy would have been a better title for Penny's third book, but she didn't take it, so I am stealing it for my review.

What a fantastic debut. Louise Penny has a remarkably engaging little universe with the creation of the town of Three Pines. every character feels substantial and the location "lived-in". the story was incredibly captivating with several twists and red herrings.throughout I felt the faint echo of Hercule Poirot in our detective Chief Inspector Gamache (but with real fleshed-out characters not chess pieces) this review is actually closer to 4 1/2 star and was actually a 5-star the whole way for me until....well the reveal of the murderer I felt was "unfair". it played a little too loose and cute with the facts as we knew them at that point. even with that, this was an outstanding beginning to a series and to be sure I will continue to seek out the rest.

Great author and good deal. Bought as a gift. I’ve read that and would buy them again.

I love all of the books in the Inspector Gamache series and am reading them for the second time. The writing is absolutely lyrical, and descriptions of the Canadian landscape so vivid that I can practically feel the wind blowing in the trees.I love how complex the characters are. I have come to care about each of the village inhabitants as well as members of Inspector Gamache's team. Each personality is well-rounded and they grow and change over the course of the series. But as is probably appropriate or at least realistic in a series dealing with homicide cases, there is also an undercurrent of darkness and confronting evil in the stories that brings a certain intensity. These are not simple cozy mysteries, despite the charm of Three Pines, the Quebecois village where most of the stories are centered. I find that after reading one, I take a bit of a break to read something a little more light-hearted before going on to the next book in the series.

This is a delightful series that I'm happy to have been introduced to. The characters are all well developed with complex characters. The town of Three Pines is charming, quaint, and a place I'd love to retire to if it really existed. The plot is charming, suspenseful, and not at all predictable. The main character Chief Inspector Gamache, is a true leader, a superb detective, and a person you root for and want as a dear uncle. I whole heartedly recommend the entire series. I'm currently on book 4 and can't wait to see our Louise Penny continues to weave in these beloved characters and this beloved town into each mystery.

I really enjoyed reading the Inspector Gamache Series, Books 1-3 and am now reading the next series, 4-6. Have also listened to some of these stories on CD and watched the TV movie. Gamache is wonderful -- polite, gentle, thoughtful, respectful, etc. -- a true gentleman. He has such an honest way about him and is able to gently coax information from people by really listening to and hearing their stories and observing without making assumptions. He's a marvelous detective. These stories take you to the wonderful village of Three Pines where you meet interesting characters and feel as though you are part of the community. Wonderful reads!!!

The author Louise Pence is one of my favorite author. She write in a way that draws you in and makes you want to keep reading her books. I started reading her books awhile ago and it is hard to put it down. I definitely like her style of her writing as it allows one to understand the struggle of some of the characters. Eventually you would start to learn to understand their thought process and it stays on your mind as you read through the book.

Easy reading with a bit of franglais thrown in since these stories are set in Canada. I really appreciated reading them and have ordered books 4-6 already.

Louise Penny is one of our most published Canadian authors . Her Inspector Gamache series is excellent. There is no need to read the books in order; each one is a stand-alone readable mystery.

Love DCI Gamache and three pines series

A wonderful author with excellent storytelling! Will read every book she writes if only to imagine the lovely places she describes. Great characters. Louise Penny is an absolute Canadian gem!

Very happy - great price. Bought as gift