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A review by meganpbennett
Still Life by Louise Penny
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The summary of All the Devils Are Here made me want to read it, despite not having read any of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. My parents love the series, and my grandfather enjoyed it (though he did request a French-English slang dictionary), so I decided to give the series a try, starting with Still Life.
Armand Gamache was not what I was expecting, but in a good way. He's older than I expected, with more experience behind him. Still Life bounced back and forth between perspectives - Gamache and Clara, usually - sometimes confusingly. Overall, an excellent read. I did not see the ending plot twist coming, though I did see Jane having changed her will, the painting having something to do with why she was murdered, the connection between Timmer and Jane, and the connection between the painting and Timmer coming. I think it would hold up well to repeated readings, each re-read revealing more of just how the murder was carried out and Gamache figured it out.
Armand Gamache was not what I was expecting, but in a good way. He's older than I expected, with more experience behind him. Still Life bounced back and forth between perspectives - Gamache and Clara, usually - sometimes confusingly. Overall, an excellent read. I did not see the ending plot twist coming, though I did see Jane having changed her will, the painting having something to do with why she was murdered, the connection between Timmer and Jane, and the connection between the painting and Timmer coming. I think it would hold up well to repeated readings, each re-read revealing more of just how the murder was carried out and Gamache figured it out.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death