Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1) by Louise Penny

I have used cozy mystery books as a sort of refuge since I was in middle school. I read most of Nancy Drew and then moved on to Jenny McGrady mysteries. From there I desperately sought out any kind of fireside mystery read I could find. I found a lot of stuff I did not like, but the ones I found, I have saved for rainy days. This long backstory all to say After finishing Still Life I realized that I just found a cozy mystery series with 16 books and I'm not sure I'm going to he able to hoarde these books away and savor them slowly the way I usually do!

Still Life takes place in a small town in Quebec Canada where a 76 year old woman dies in what first appears to be a hunting accident, but when no one comes forward to confess their mistake, it is evident that this was no hunting accident. This town is like that song in Beauty and the Beast where all the town people yell "bonjour" directly into Belle's face while swapping loaves of bread for eggs. It is really that quaint and idyllic.

A suspicious murder in a small town means they need the very best! Enter Chief Inspector Armand Gamache! An experienced Detective, and truly the reason why this book felt so different from everything I have read in this genre.

Most of the mystery novels I have encountered are either about a first-time-on-the-job detective learning alongside a more experienced detective, or an experienced detective jaded by years of seeing the absolute worst in humankind.

Gamache is compassionate, empathetic and at times even emotional. He is a keen observer of people, but unlike the jaded detective trope, Gamache sees the worst in humankind but doesn't allow that to dictate the way he treats people. He comes on the scene ready to listen with no preconceived biases. He just watches and listens until he gets to the bottom of things.

Because the leading narrative voice is mostly Gamache, the characterization of this novel has a beautiful uniqueness.

"The curtains struck him as odd, then he noticed she'd put the pattern on both sides, so it showed outside as well as in the home. He'd never seen that before, but he wasn't surprised. Yolande Fontaine only really existed with an audience. She was like this novelty lamps that came on when you clapped your hands. She switched to life with applause, or the sharp clap of rebuke. Any reaction, as long as it was directed at her, was sufficient. Silence and solitude drained her of life"

There are loads of these little paragraphs where he and his equally observant partner see someone so completely as they are and sum them up in a couple poignant sentences.

If you are unfamiliar with "Cozy Mysteries" and are more used to suspenseful page turners, this might seem slow in pace. My favorite thing about cozy mysteries is the slow but carefully crafted characterizations and the way the murder is there, but is never the only theme the author has for readers.

It comforted me, it entertained me, and I will be reading every book in this series!

4/5 stars