In Still Life, bestselling author Louise Penny introduces Monsieur L'Inspecteur Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec, a modern Poirot who anchors this beloved traditional mystery series
sarah-e: The first of another fun mystery series: a lovable detective and an entertaining group of supporting characters, all against a lively African backdrop!
wandering_star: Both these mystery series are excellent examples of the quirky/cosy end of the spectrum, with extremely engaging characters, an ironic wit and good twisty mysteries.
Primera del Inspector Ganache, me pareció algo confusa, en un pequeño pueblito aparece muerta una vieja vecina, y como dice el dicho pueblo chico infierno grande, tal vez influye que hay muchas sub tramas con lo cual los personajes principales resultan algo desteñidos. ( )
The beauty of Louise Penny’s auspicious debut novel, STILL LIFE, is that it’s composed entirely of grace notes, all related to the central mystery of who shot an arrow into the heart of Miss Jane Neal,...
She also felt a stirring that suggested she didn't actually like her son. Love, yes. Well, probably. But like?
Evil is unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our own table. (From the third verse of 'Herman Melville' by W. H. Auden, quoted by Jane Neal in chapter one)
Every year the hunters shot cows and horses and family pets and each other. And, unbelievably, they sometimes shot themselves, perhaps in a psychotic episode where they mistook themselves for dinner. It was a wise person who knew that some hunters -- not all, but some -- found it challenging to distinguish a pine from a partridge from a person. (Chapter 1)
[Gamache is talking with Myrna Landers]
'The funny thing about murder is that the act is often committed decades before the actual action. Something happens, and it leads, inexorably, to death many years later. A bad seed is planted. It's like those old horror films from the Hammer studios, of the monster, not running, never running, but walking without pause, without thought or mercy, toward its victim. Murder is often like that. It starts way far off.' (chapter 7)
"There are four things that lead to wisdom. They are four sentences we learn to say, and mean."
When he [Gamache] looked at you, you were the universe. (p. 119)
The ritual was simple and time-worn. Myrna led it ... The farm women stood in a loose semi-circle of woolen sweaters and mitts and toques, staring at this huge black woman in a bright green cape. The Jolly Green Druid. (p. 208)
Three Pines wasn't on any tourist map, being too far off any main or even secondary road. Like Narnia, it was generally found unexpectedly and with a degree of surprise that such an elderly village should have been hiding in this valley all along.
'Imagine a world where you could do anything. Anything. And get away with it,' said Myrna, warming to the topic again. 'What power. Who here wouldn't be corrupted?'
'We choose our thoughts. We choose our perceptions. We choose our attitudes. We may not think so. We may not believe it, but we do.'
'Clothes, hairstyles, 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.'
Nichol could feel herself blush and cursed her body, which had betrayed her for as long as she could remember. She was a blusher. Maybe, came some voice from deep down below blushing level, maybe if you stop pretending you'll also stop blushing.
In Still Life, bestselling author Louise Penny introduces Monsieur L'Inspecteur Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec, a modern Poirot who anchors this beloved traditional mystery series
No está mal. Me parece un poco simple a veces y no sé si aguantaré toda la serie, pero los personajes son de esos con los que te puedes encariñar (o puedes odiar), asà que de momento me conformo, aunque las tramas sean bastante primitivas. Ya veremos si mejora. De todas formas, se lee del tirón y los ambientes están muy bien descritos. Me ha desconcertado un poco que la autora sea tan amiga de Hillary Clinton y se preste a escribir cosas con ella. No me parece buena señal.