Still Life

I couldn't remember when or why I bought this book on Audible, so I didn't know what to expect when I started listening to it, but I was pleasantly surprised by the richly drawn portrait of life in the small Canadian town of Three Pines -- and the mysteries surrounding two older women's deaths.

I enjoyed all of the characters, including the two gay men who run the B&B, who were portrayed in a somewhat flamboyant but ultimately respectful manner. The part where we learn "who dunnit" was the least believable or enjoyable to me, as the guilty character went too far outside the boundaries of his previous characterization to be believable.

But I loved the exchanges between Inspector Gamache and the clueless newbie on the team as well as the parts from her POV, as it was so painfully clear that she had no business doing police work (despite her occasional good insight). My favorite part was when she saw the note on a potential suspect's mirror that read "you're looking at the problem," and instead of stopping to apply that bit of wisdom to herself, she turned around to investigate the part of the room reflected in the mirror, thinking that perhaps it would hold a clue to the mystery. A bit over the top, perhaps, but we've all known people who are almost as painfully un-self-aware as she is.

It started a little too slow for me. I understand that since was the start of the series, the author was really trying to set the background for every character, but it took me 4.5 chapters to get excited about the book. I probably won’t read the rest of the series. It does have wonderfully written descriptions and I did enjoy the book after a while of reading, but it just wasn’t my style.

should have DNF. really did not like this at all

I enjoyed this book, it kept me guessing. It was my first Louise Penny

I love this entire series of almost 20 books.