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Still Life
- Chief Inspector Gamache Book 1
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
- Series: Chief Inspector Gamache/Three Pines, Book 1
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery
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why did you change the narrator???????
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Hardly a day goes by when nine-year-old Laurent Lepage doesn't cry wolf. From alien invasions to walking trees to winged beasts in the woods to dinosaurs spotted in the village of Three Pines, his tales are so extraordinary no one can possibly believe him. Including Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, who now live in the little Quebec village.
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When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines one cold November day, Armand Gamache and the rest of the villagers are at first curious. Then wary. Through rain and sleet, the figure stands unmoving, staring ahead. From the moment its shadow falls over the village, Gamache, now Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, suspects the creature has deep roots and a dark purpose. Yet he does nothing. What can he do? Only watch and wait. And hope his mounting fears are not realized.
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Happily retired in the village of Three Pines, Armand Gamache, former Chief Inspector of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, has found a peace he'd only imagined possible. On warm summer mornings he sits on a bench holding a small book, The Balm in Gilead, in his large hands. "There is a balm in Gilead," his neighbor Clara Morrow reads from the dust jacket, "to make the wounded whole." While Gamache doesn't talk about his wounds and his balm, Clara tells him about hers. Peter, her artist husband, has failed to come home. Failed to show up as promised on the first anniversary of their separation. She wants Gamache's help to find him. Having finally found sanctuary, Gamache feels a near revulsion at the thought of leaving Three Pines. "There’s power enough in Heaven," he finishes the quote as he contemplates the quiet village, "to cure a sin-sick soul." And then he gets up. And joins her.
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It’s Gamache’s first day back as head of the homicide department, a job he temporarily shares with his previous second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Flood waters are rising across the province. In the middle of the turmoil a father approaches Gamache, pleading for help in finding his daughter. As crisis piles upon crisis, Gamache tries to hold off the encroaching chaos, and realizes the search for Vivienne Godin should be abandoned. But with a daughter of his own, he finds himself developing a profound, and perhaps unwise, empathy for her distraught father.
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I wish the narrator had been French Canadian.
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On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather as a family for a bistro dinner with Armand’s godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. But an attempt on the elderly man’s life sends Armand, his wife, Reine-Marie, and his former second-in-command at the Sûreté, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, from the top of the Tour d’Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives, from luxury hotels to odd, coded works of art. It sends them deep into the secrets Armand’s godfather has kept for decades.
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She's done it again!!!!
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After a tumultuous period in American politics, a new administration has just been sworn in, and to everyone’s surprise the president chooses a political enemy for the vital position of secretary of state. There is no love lost between the president of the United States and Ellen Adams, his new secretary of state. But it’s a canny move on the part of the president. With this appointment, he silences one of his harshest critics, since taking the job means Adams must step down as head of her multinational media conglomerate
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Turn up the speed!
- By Kindle Customer on 2021-10-16
Written by: Louise Penny, and others
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The Madness of Crowds
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
While the residents of the Québec village of Three Pines take advantage of the deep snow to ski and toboggan, to drink hot chocolate in the bistro and share meals together, the Chief Inspector finds his holiday with his family interrupted by a simple request. He’s asked to provide security for what promises to be a non-event. A visiting Professor of Statistics will be giving a lecture at the nearby university.
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This book is very disappointing.
- By Elissa Beaulieu on 2021-08-29
Written by: Louise Penny
Publisher's Summary
The discovery of a dead body in the woods on Thanksgiving Weekend brings Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his colleagues from the Surete du Quebec to a small village in the Eastern Townships. Gamache cannot understand why anyone would want to deliberately kill well-loved artist Jane Neal, especially any of the residents of Three Pines - a place so free from crime it doesn't even have its own police force. But Gamache knows that evil is lurking somewhere behind the white picket fences and that, if he watches closely enough, Three Pines will start to give up its dark secrets....
Coming soon: Book 2 in the Chief Inspector Gamache series, Dead Cold. Winter in Three Pines, and the sleepy village is carpeted in snow. It's a time of peace and goodwill - until a scream pierces the biting air. A spectator at the annual Boxing Day curling match has been fatally electrocuted. Despite the large crowd, there are no witnesses and - apparently - no clues.
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What listeners say about Still Life
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Danielle
- 2018-12-18
Warm and Cozy Mystery
This was my first time reading this series and I loved it. Narration was well done and it was easy to listen to. I am now intrigued by Inspector Gamache and will be listening to book 2.
5 people found this helpful
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- Jennifer
- 2019-10-09
The accent mistakes were frustrating!
It took me awhile into the first chapter to get into this book, but once I did, I was hooked. Love that it’s set in Canada, which is where I’m from. The narrator was really good with the exception of the accent of the main character Chief Inspector Gamache. At times, he had a French accent, which was done well, but at other times, he had a British accent. It was confusing and quite disappointing. It honestly made the audio book much less enjoyable for me. I’ll be hesitant to listen to another book from the same narrator.
4 people found this helpful
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- Christina
- 2017-11-22
wonderful start to a well written series
Great writing, good performance, ocassional odd pace skip. An excellent beginning to an intriguing series that builds anticipation and depth.
4 people found this helpful
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- Melissa Rose
- 2020-09-21
It was alright
After being recommended many, many times, I finally got around to reading Still Life by Louise Penny.
I have mixed feelings.
First, in terms of the negatives, I found that this book tended to be quite dry in its narrative; causing me to lose interest in the plot at times - needless to say, I had to press rewind on the audiobook more than a few times.
Additionally, I found that the author didn't make it much of a challenge to guess who the killer was, which was a bit disappointing.
As for the characters, I adored Inspector Gamache, as a detective, he seemed to be kind and fair - but was capable of sternness when needed.
Agent Nichol was a total and utter cow that drove me up the wall.
Finally, as a side note, I must add that I did learn a lot about bows, arrows, and hunting from this book, which was cool, it is always fun to finish a book feeling like you gained some new knowledge.
Overall, while Still Life failed to capture my entire interest, I found it a decent enough novel to give the series another chance.
3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2019-10-16
Terrible narration
I have listened to many of the books and loved them all. I thought I would start again at the first book but I cannot listen to this narrator. I will try to return this book.
3 people found this helpful
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- Jane Hartin
- 2019-09-19
Sign me up for more Gamache!
This is my first Louise Penny experience, and won't be the last! I'm looking forward to catching up with Gamache in Book 2.
3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2019-08-31
Memories of home!
Growing up in the Eastern Townships, it was fun to revisit things like the Tour des Arts in this book. It felt like coming home. I really enjoyed the story, but I want to know more about Gamache. The reading was pretty good, but sometimes an accent/voice would falter or a French name was mispronounced (not just anglicized), and it pulled me out of the story somewhat. Overall, very enjoyable though, and I’ll definitely read more.
3 people found this helpful
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- Cheryl Wilks
- 2020-02-27
Excellent Mystery
I found myself completely absorbed in this Mystery. It was well written, well performed and the ending was made up of many surprises. This was my first Louise Penny Novel and how pleased I am to have read it. I am looking forward to reading the rest. I especially enjoy the audio version.
2 people found this helpful
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- Laurie D.
- 2020-01-05
An enjoyable experience.
A great way to spend a Saturday, Sunday. Enjoyed the narrator's French and English accents.
2 people found this helpful
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- Peter Malysewich
- 2017-10-09
Still life
A great introduction to Inspector Ganesh and 3 Pines. Having read the latest on the series first it was great to meet the characters early in their careers. Enjoyable as a stand-alone, it’s like a retreat with a friend to learn what had moulded them before you met them.
5 people found this helpful
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- bg
- 2016-03-28
Worried for nothing!
I love this series and author dearly. But I was afraid to buy these in audiobook format as I couldn't have stood listening to the French get all mangled up. Thankfully the narrator made me feel right at home. I am very impressed and glad to know I can safely continue to purchase this series!
4 people found this helpful
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- DIANE
- 2014-06-04
Love Louise Penny's writing
I read Still Life out of order. I had already read a number of books in the Inspector Gamache series and decided that it was a good idea to go back and start from the beginning. One of the disappointing things about this decision was hearing the rendition by Adam Sims. Had I not heard Ralph Cosham's masterful rendition in later books, I would not have had anything to compare this book to. But I have, and Mr. Cosham brings something special to Ms. Penny's books that Mr. Sims was not able to accomplish, despite a good performance overall. As usual, this was a twisted, convoluted story that left the reader wondering "who dun nit" until quite far into the story. I just love the characters... especially Ruth Zardo.
This is a fascinating group of people and I will keep reading until I have caught up. Can't wait to read the new book!!!
3 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2021-04-18
Brilliant Story-Telling
Louise Penny is a brilliant story-teller. She has mastered the balance between character development and plot. In this first installment of the Gamache series, she sets up all of the characters (and the village of Three Pines) for the remainder of the series! She pulls no punches! The narrator is great as well!
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- Anonymous User
- 2020-09-08
Captivating Murder Mystery
This book is so well written. Captivating and entertaining. Amazing character knowledge which brought them to life.
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- Anonymous User
- 2020-09-03
Warm British-style mystery
As mentioned by other reviewers, this is a fun, character-driven story in the vein of the British murder-mystery canon. Smart and a good listen, if you're into that sub-genre, which I am.
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- Melissa Rose
- 2020-08-27
It was alright
After being recommended many, many times, I finally got around to reading Still Life by Louise Penny.
I have mixed feelings.
First, in terms of the negatives, I found that this book tended to be quite dry in its narrative; causing me to lose interest in the plot at times - needless to say, I had to press rewind on the audiobook more than a few times.
Additionally, I found that the author didn't make it much of a challenge to guess who the killer was, which was a bit disappointing.
As for the characters, I adored Inspector Gamache, as a detective, he seemed to be kind and fair - but was capable of sternness when needed.
Agent Nichol was a total and utter cow that drove me up the wall.
Finally, as a side note, I must add that I did learn a lot about bows, arrows, and hunting from this book, which was cool, it is always fun to finish a book feeling like you gained some new knowledge.
Overall, while Still Life failed to capture my entire interest, I found it a decent enough novel to give the series another chance.
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- T. Trefan
- 2020-07-28
the dullest detective story I've ever heard
i can't finish this. I've only 4 hours left and the story is so dry. the characters are flat and uninteresting. The mystery is only slightly interesting but the whole story is told in such a plodding and boring fashion i just can't be bothered to find out what happened.
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- Susan Moore
- 2017-07-25
Better the second time around.
I read this book first and then decided to listen to audio version several years later. While I actually enjoyed the story more the second time around, I did not enjoy the performance. I found the english/french versions of Gamache very distracting, irritating and unnecessary. I know Penny indicates that he speaks like a British royal in english, but I found the switch too jarring.
The story is wonderful. Penny has great storytelling ability. If you enjoy cozy mysteries then this series does not disappoint.
1 person found this helpful
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- Tammy Sheedy
- 2015-12-21
Realistic and brilliant
Beautiful story of Life, and friendship. Very well written, narrator was brilliant. Slow beginning but then was sucked in, transfixed till the last word.
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- angi4262
- 2015-08-27
Loved it
So glad to find the beginning of a great series. I'll be looking up more!
1 person found this helpful
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- Pierre Gauthier
- 2017-10-01
Pathetic!
This novel is apparently the first of a series set in rural Québec.
Sadly, it is totally devoid of interest:
• the characters are shallow and stereotypical: a rebellious teen-ager, a chubby, cheerful, gay restaurant owner, a foul-mouthed perpetually angry poet, etc.
• the plot is at once predictable and ridiculous: a lost will, a job suspension for thinking outside the box, a finale in a snake pit (which turns out to be an illusion), etc.
• an irritating obsession with food, complete with lengthy descriptions of … muffins;
• a poor knowledge of Québec culture despite its use for providing colour and originality; much is made for instance of Thanksgiving dinner which is by no means a local tradition;
• multiple basic errors in the use of French, which could have easily been avoided by hiring a francophone proof-reader.
The audio version compounds the aggravation with a narrator who does not adequately know French (pronouncing for instance “Société des alcools” to rhyme with fool) and who gives the main character a Québec accent whereas we are told very early on that he studied in the UK and speaks an impeccable British English.
Overall, there is no justification for recommending this work to anyone.