Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's nothing more than a tragic hunting accident, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bow hunter. Still Life, a Debut Dagger honor book in the U.K., introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces—and this series—with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny.

LOUISE PENNY was born in Toronto and worked as a journalist and radio host for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, specializing in hard news and current affairs. Today she lives outside a small village south of Montreal, along with her husband and three golden retrievers.