Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

This is definitely a typical detective crime novel that's well fitting for small town reading. Being from the area, I love the references and the introduction to the Quebec tension and small town feels of the Eastern Townships. This is an easy read for the first novel of many introducing the area and initial characters of the series

I read the 17th book in this series before reading the 1st because the 17th was a book club selection. Unexpectedly this first one has as many characters as the 17th so if you plan on reading this series take notes on who is who. But it was shorter and better than the 17th book so I much preferred it.

My first Louise Penny book. I think I liked it. I had a rough start where she introduced about fifteen characters in a few pages and I was scrambling to figure out who they hell all these new people were.

I did like Gamache and Beauvoir. I might read another. We’ll see.

Lines that I loved.

“Violent death demanded Earl Grey.”

“They were held together with hubris, a short-term binder at best since many of them had long ago been torn down or donated to McGill University, which needed another Victorian monstrosity like it needed the Ebola virus.”

“Clothes, hairstyle, friends. Yes. It starts there. Life is choice. All day, everyday. Who we talk to, where we sit, what we say, how we say it. And our lives become defined by our choices. It's as simple and as complex as that. And as powerful.”