Review of STILL LIFE by Louise Penny

 3 Stars

This is the first in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series.  It seemed time to get to this series after my husband and I watched Three Pines on Netflix and recently visited Knowlton, the town in the Eastern Townships in Quebec where the author lives.

Jane Neal, a well-respected, retired teacher and artist, is found dead, killed by an arrow.  Was it a hunting accident?  Or is there some connection to the fact that her first submitted painting was accepted for a local exhibition?  The impossibly charming village of Three Pines doesn’t have a police force so Gamache from the Sûreté du Québec is sent to investigate. 

Much of the book focuses on introducing the villagers:  artists Clara and Peter Morrow; poet Ruth Zardo; therapist/bookshop owner Myrna Landers; and Olivier Brulé and Gabri Dubeau, a gay couple who own a bistro and bed-and-breakfast.  They seem a cosmopolitan group.  I assume these characters will be regulars in successive books.  Of course, we also become acquainted with Gamache’s team, especially his second-in-command Jean-Guy Beauvoir and rookie Yvette Nichol. 

Armand is definitely likeable.  My problem is that he is almost flawless.  A soft-spoken mentor, he’s well-read, wise and introspective.  He has keen powers of observation and a gift for listening.  He is deeply empathetic and has a vast reserve of patience.  He is so principled that he’ll accept a suspension rather than arrest someone he believes is innocent.  What makes him less than perfect is that he does make errors but, of course, he acknowledges his mistakes and tries to learn from them. 

The characterization of some characters is problematic in that they’re almost cardboard characters.  Yolande, the self-absorbed social climber, has no redeeming qualities.  The other character who is unbelievable is Yvette Nichol.  I understand that as the daughter of immigrants she feels a lot of pressure to succeed, but she is so incompetent it is difficult to believe she ever received any training.  In addition, she is rude, self-absorbed, arrogant, and petulant.  And she’s so dense and oblivious that she doesn’t understand the message in the mirror about looking at the problem?!

The mystery itself is fairly simple and predictable.  Clues are sprinkled throughout, the biggest being the title.  The author obviously has an interest in human nature and psychology, though I found the murderer’s motive is rather weak.  The pace is slow; only one scene towards the end has any real action.  There is also a paucity of suspense.

Some plot elements are weak.  Characters who are suspects are allowed to uncover potential evidence and aren’t even supervised while doing so?  The explanation for how the murderer lured Jane makes little sense.  We are told she trusted him completely, but this can’t be true given what impels him to kill Jane. 

There are some awkward stylistic elements.  The perspective jumps among characters within scenes; this approach feels clunky.  I also dislike the evasive tactic of being told that something has been found or realized but not being told what that is until later.  I guess this is intended to create suspense but I just find it annoying. 

Despite its flaws, I found the book a pleasant companion on morning walks.  Anyone looking forward to a comfortable, unchallenging book set in a charming village full of quirky residents would enjoy it.  I have been told by several people who have devoured the entire series that the books improve in quality so I’ve already downloaded the next novel in the series.