Now Read This: “Still Life,” by Louise Penny

I grew up devouring mystery fiction, thanks to my father. I fondly recall rainy afternoons spent in the company of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. I struggled with the detective’s name, but I cobbled together a phonetic mispronunciation and made it through the books, despite my ignorance — it was the stories I was there for, after all. After reading my way through Christie, I moved on to Simenon, where I failed to wrap my Midwestern brain around detective Jules Amedée François Maigret’s name. Still, the stories and the characters kept me going. Sayers’ books were easier, and in Lord Peter Wimsey, I finally found a detective whose name I could pronounce. These three authors nurtured my love for mysteries — specifically detective stories.

Around the time my father was sharing Christie, Simenon and Sayers with me, a young Canadian reader was devouring these same authors from her mother’s book shelves. That reader, Louise Penny, would go on to become a best-selling author, creating Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and featuring him in a series of mysteries set in Three Pines, a quaint — albeit murder-prone — village in Quebec.

When I first encountered Louise Penny this year, I had a moment of déjà vu as I found myself limping over pronunciations; Chief Inspector Armand Gamacheof the Sûreté du Québec is a mouthful, even if you can speak French. But I was captivated by Ms. Penny’s storytelling and enamored with Three Pines’ timelessness and quirky characters.

Chief Inspector Gamache is known for his intelligence and his belief that four sentences lead to wisdom: “I was wrong. I’m sorry. I don’t know. I need help.” There are 14 books to date; my best suggestion would be to read or listen to the books in order, beginning with “Still Life,” if for no other reason than to avoid spoilers. (The author is known for her character development, and Three Pines is a small town. Louise Penny may not be George R.R. Martin, but she is known for killing off characters. The books are murder mysteries, after all.) I must admit, however, I am beginning to worry about the town of Three Pines. I would not recommend retiring there.

Look for Louise Penny’s books in print and audiobook format at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.