Still Life by Louise Penny

Still Life is my second Louise Penny novel. Once again, the protagonist is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec, and a crime has occurred in Three Pines, a very small and rural village near Montreal. Jane Neal was murdered in the woods with a bow and arrow, and while the locals think it must have been a hunting accident, it makes little sense that it could have been a mistake. The bow hunter would have to have been very skilled and would have to have been very close to shoot an arrow directly through her heart with enough force that the arrow went completely through her body. A mistake like that is improbable. And, who would want to kill this splendid woman who had lifelong friendships in the village where everyone knew everyone. The title of the novel comes from the victim’s involvement in the local art world, but she never let anyone see any of her finished works. Just after she decided to enter a piece in a local competition, the murder occurred. The familiarity of the characters with one another, both in the village and in the Surete feels similar to the Camel Club series by Baldacci, although the characters are more fleshed-out by Penny. The author takes us through a cascade of fascinating local characters who could have committed the murder, and the process of Gamache putting the clues together is well done. Did the murder have anything to do with the painting that she submitted for viewing, or was it from some old local feud. Penny feigns resolution of the mystery from one character to another, as well as any author, so I was surprised by the twists near the end that led to the story’s conclusion. This is very entertaining stuff without being too gruesome or too contrived. I’ve already selected and downloaded my next Penny novel.