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Still Life
- Chief Inspector Gamache, Book 1
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
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Still Life
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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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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- 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.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- 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.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- TThornton
- 2019-07-15
Performance ruined it for me
He was great with the voices except the British accent for Gamache. Why? It ruined it.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Laurie D.
- 2020-01-05
An enjoyable experience.
A great way to spend a Saturday, Sunday. Enjoyed the narrator's French and English accents.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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!
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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!!!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- 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.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- angi4262
- 2015-08-27
Loved it
So glad to find the beginning of a great series. I'll be looking up more!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- M.R.
- 2023-05-05
Lovely
It took some time for me to get into it ,but it was entertaining crime novel. It moved on steadily enough and meeting the same characters in the second book was really lovely. The performance itself was great and easy to listen. Nice quick listen in between longer works giving this nostalgic small town murder investigation vibe without much core but plenty tea and croissants.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E who Reads a Thousand Mysteries
- 2022-12-19
What a great Canadian mystery
I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of characters and lively descriptions in this small town mystery. I'm definitely looking for the next book💕
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tyner Gillies
- 2022-12-16
Pretty good
I really enjoyed this book, despite a few errors in police procedure and terminology/explanation of bows and how they work.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Merlin
- 2022-12-16
Classic whodunnit
This is a classic whodunnit with a super sagacious detective, and a sleepy village full of suspects. Gamarhe is a great character. The narration is excellent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael Forte
- 2023-02-13
Excellent
Excellent. Brilliant characterisation, a wonderful story and great narration. I look forward to continuing with the next 17 books in the series.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- 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.
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