Reprinted with permission from Oprah Daily. This has been lightly updated.
We’re in the midst of what may be one of our hottest weeks of summer where I live, yet here at Modern Mrs Darcy HQ I’m dreaming of and planning for fall reading. It’s shaping up to be an excellent season for book lovers, who have many great works to look forward to in the coming months. I know I’m in good company when I say that, like many readers, one of my most anticipated fall reads is book 19 in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series, the October 29 release The Grey Wolf.
Penny seems to be picking up new readers with every release: some begin at the beginning; some start with the most recently published novel. Regardless of their preferred path, every day thousands of readers worldwide embark on a much-anticipated trip: one that requires no plane, train, or automobile (unless they’re traveling to the bookstore) but is instead powered by the magic of fiction.
With the 2022 publication of Louise Penny’s 18th Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novel, A World of Curiosities, readers were invited to return once again to the fictional village of Three Pines, the setting of the long-running series, and now a TV show available on Prime Video. For many, it’s a place they can’t get to fast enough. I talked to Penny on the What Should I Read Next? podcast about the writing life, the stunning success of her series, and why readers continue to gobble up the Gamache books just as fast as she can write them.
When Penny was initially shopping her debut novel, Still Life, to publishers before its 2005 publication, she was told readers would never be interested in a crime novel set in Québec. How wrong they were: Readers can’t get enough of Three Pines, finding comfort in returning not only to beloved characters book after book but to the village itself, with its snug boulangerie where Sarah bakes crusty loaves fresh each morning, Myrna’s bookshop that smells of tea and flowers, Olivier’s bistro where endearing eccentrics gather to banter (or argue) over mugs of café au lait or glasses of evening scotch. Penny may have drawn inspiration from real places, but Three Pines is fictional, even a touch magical: In the world of the books, it’s a known curiosity that the village doesn’t appear on any maps, and “is only ever found by people who are lost.” That hasn’t stopped scads of devoted readers from flocking to the Eastern villages of Québec to see and experience a version of village life for themselves.
Why is everyone reading Louise Penny? Three Pines holds a magnetic pull for readers, despite the fact that terrible things happen in and around the village—and happen fairly often, given Penny’s publication rate of a book a year. The books are, after all, murder mysteries; by her own description, they are “proudly and specifically crime novels.” The series follows the investigations of the supremely decent, quietly intelligent, startlingly kind Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec. His job may be to investigate murders, but at their heart, Penny’s books are not primarily focused on crime. Her whodunit plotlines serve as a springboard to explore the mystery of human nature, an approach that grants the stories a satisfying depth and psychological astuteness. Penny’s novels shine a light on the best and worst of humanity, exploring love and friendship, belonging and loneliness, goodness and evil—the stuff of life that matters deeply not only to the Three Pines residents that populate her stories but to readers everywhere. And if she does it in a way that keeps us turning the pages, saying Just one more chapter long after bedtime? So much the better.
A common question with any long-running series is: Where does one begin? In other words, must you begin at book #1 before you can enjoy book #19? Penny told me no; it would be unfair to demand readers read nearly two dozen books to earn the right to read the new one. That’s why every book is intentionally written so it can serve as an entry point into the series.
Good news for Three Pines newcomers wanting to jump in right now: A World of Curiosities is particularly hospitable to those meeting Armand Gamache and his fellow villagers for the first time. In this new release, a brother and sister with a tragic past return to Three Pines after a long absence. Many years ago, their mother was brutally murdered, and Penny reveals that it was this case that brought Gamache and his protegé Jean-Guy Beauvoir together. She takes us back in time to their very first meeting and the ensuing investigation that left both feeling uneasy. Now, more than a decade later, the siblings’ reappearance resurrects painful memories for Gamache and Beauvoir and rattles the community, already on edge because of a series of recent murders in the area. Longtime Gamache readers will appreciate how the newly revealed origin story adds layers to the two’s history; new readers will benefit from meeting the pair at the beginning of their relationship.
Regardless of where you choose to begin, these series highlights will give you a sense of what to look forward to upon entering the world of Three Pines.
Still Life (#1)
In the idyllic village of Three Pines, people feel such a sense of safety that they don’t even lock their doors. When a beloved local woman is found in the woods with an arrow shot through her heart, the locals assume it’s a tragic hunting accident—but Three Pines resident and Surêté du Québec Chief Inspector Armand Gamache senses something is off, and probes to discover what really happened in those woods, and why. A stunningly good first novel and a tantalizing series opener, with more of a slow burn than her subsequent works.
A Rule Against Murder (#4)
Because a small village can realistically only absorb so much murder, Penny sends Gamache away from Three Pines for his murder investigations roughly every other book. In this installment, Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, retreat to the luxurious Manoir Bellechasse to celebrate their anniversary, only to find that the wealthy, cultured, and absolutely unbearable Finney clan has descended upon the place for an ill-tempered family reunion. When somebody turns up murdered, it’s obvious to all that the killer must still be at the manor. If you enjoy mysteries with a closed circle of suspects, you’re going to love this one.
The Brutal Telling (#5)
In the opening pages of this installment, a stranger is found murdered on the floor of Olivier’s Bistro. Olivier and his partner, Gabri, claim they don’t know the victim, but it quickly becomes clear to Gamache that that’s not the whole truth. Three Pines residents are forced to confront the unthinkable: Could the murderer really be the man who tends the hearth of the bistro, the symbolic heart of village life? “Thomas Hobbes said that hell is truth seen too late,” Louise Penny wrote on Goodreads. “That’s the vortex around which The Brutal Telling swirls.”
Bury Your Dead (#6)
My personal opinion: The series moves to the next level in this sixth installment, in which Penny brings the riveting plotline she’s hinted at in previous books front and center. Plus it’s set during Winter Carnival in startlingly beautiful Québec City (which, upon reading Penny’s lavish descriptions, you will want to visit immediately). Gamache is there not to revel with the celebrants but to grieve an investigation gone horribly wrong, retreating to the city’s snug Literary and Historical Society for rest and research. But then a historian is found murdered in the basement.
How the Light Gets In (#9)
A missing celebrity, a fatality at the Champlain Bridge, a Sûreté in turmoil under corrupt leadership: Folks may be feeling festive in Three Pines as Christmas draws near, but Gamache’s world is in chaos. This book, which takes its title from a Leonard Cohen lyric, adroitly balances the baffling murder investigation of an elderly woman with the excruciating drama gutting the Sûreté—and Gamache’s own inner circle—from within.
A Great Reckoning (#12)
When an old map showing Three Pines is found in the walls of Olivier’s Bistro, the villagers are at first intrigued by the curiosity—particularly because Three Pines, as a rule, doesn’t appear on maps. But then the map is implicated in the murder of a Sûreté professor, a murder seemingly committed by one of their own. Even Gamache himself is a suspect. The investigation leads the former head of homicide to devastating secrets, ones whose truths he is afraid to uncover.
A Better Man (#15)
There’s a lot happening in this 15th book: A pregnant woman goes missing during a record-breaking flood, the Sureté itself is in turmoil, thanks to ongoing corruption and power struggles, and Gamache makes a terrible decision. Readers relish seeing poet Ruth Zardo in her role as fire chief and artist Clara Morrow as she faces a pivotal career decision after critics skewer her new show. By introducing new characters and challenges, Penny deftly sets the stage for a new set of plotlines we’ll see unrolled in later books.
All the Devils Are Here (#16)
Louise Penny + Paris sounds like a match made in heaven, but the title smacks of hell. It’s drawn from The Tempest: “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” While Gamache’s visit to the City of Lights is tainted by murder most foul, the litany of Parisian landmarks employed in these pages is pure delight for the reader. We visit neighborhood bistros, fancy hotels, patisseries, the Paris Archives, the Eiffel Tower, and the garden of the Musée Rodin.
Good news for readers who are caught up on the series: The Grey Wolf, the 19th installment, releases on October 29, 2024! Do you prefer to read series in order or will you jump into in the middle? Please tell us in the comments section.
P.S. 16 series to read after you’ve run out of Louise Penny novels and, for my fellow compulsively readabale literary fiction fans, 15 propulsive literary mysteries that balance plot and prose.
33 comments
I can’t wait for the new one! I’ve read them all in order, many of them more than once.
I agree, I have also read them in order. I’ve pre-ordered the new one.
I prefer to read series in my deer. I’m up to book 7 so I have to get busy! They are such good books!
How The Light Gets In was my first book and I was hooked. I’ve read the series twice and will probably read it again in the future. These characters pull at my heart strings and of course I always preorder Louise Penny books now. Can’t wait!!
Likewise- can’t wait for the new one coming out in October. I’ve read the series in order and have often gone back and looked up characters, etc on her website during the course of reading one of her books.
So interesting that this is today’s post! I was just relistening to an old episode of the Currently Reading podcast in which Kaytee and Meredith have Anne on as their guest. In that episode (season 2 ep. 8) Meredith had just read A Better Man (the newest of the Three Pines books at that time). After Meredith talks about the book they discuss with Anne the fact that it really is best (or at least helpful) to read the series from the start. But the series keeps getting longer so there are more to get to! This shorter list makes it feel more doable for those who want to get into the series late. For Three Pines readers, the Currently Reading podcast also has a side-series in which Meredith and another of the co-hosts, Roxanna, are doing deep-dive, close-reads of each book of the series. These are truly fantastic. Like a master class about each book. Thanks for this post, Anne! Looking forward to that new book in the fall!
Once I read the first book, I was hooked. I’ve read every book in order and I’m looking forward to The Grey Wolf.
I am so excited for the Grey Wolf and have had it pre-ordered as soon as it was available. I read Still Life in 2019 after hearing about it on the podcast and then in 2020 decided to read
one each month. By the time #17 came out in in fall 2021 I had already run out and was eagerly anticipating the new release! I can’t get enough of 3 Pines and its inhabitants!
I am a Louise Penny completist, and while I agree that it may feel daunting to start at the beginning, I do think it’s the only way to really “know” Gamache and co. in that way that is necessary to understand and appreciate the depths of character and history that Penny has built over the years. It’s worth reading each book in this series, in order, and I encourage anyone considering it to give it a go. It’s so, so worth it.
I was fortunate to be introduced to this series when Still Life was first published and have been a huge fan ever since. Louise did an appearance at our local mystery book store years ago with just a few people in attendance; what a treat! Now she draws hundreds to an event.
The reason: well written stories and characters with depth.
I have recommended her series often and if you haven’t read her yet and love mysteries please do!
I just started this series this year after years of hearing Anne gush about Louise Penny. Oh. My. Gosh. I never thought I would enjoy mysteries (and especially not murder mysteries) but I am SO HOOKED.
It was wonderful to wake up this morning and open my email to your post. Louise Penny is one of my very favorite authors. I get her letter each month and can’t wait to read. It is a wonderful man and an excellent detective. He is able to solve cases with the help of the, rest of his team. You get to learn all about the people of three Pines and they become friends too. Thank you for doing this. It was lovely to read this morning.
I actually started with “All the Devils are Here” and loved it so much. I have been reading all the rest ever since, not in order. I love filling in the blanks about the details of the characters in random order. I actually just read whichever one I can find available on my library Libby app.
I am still one behind, but I started with #1, skipped 2 and 3, and then have gone in order from 4 onward. This totally worked for me to achieve momentum at the beginning and I don’t regret it because this series is such a balm to my soul (despite all the murder). Any order or entry point that gives people access to this series is great!
I read the first Louise Penny novel, Still Life, in May 2020. I finished listening to The World of Curiosities (#18) in Dec 2022. Listening to this series while I walked for miles during the Pandemic was a silver lining during a dark time. I will be forever grateful for Inspector Gamache and the other characters of Three Pines that shared so much wisdom, humor and love. I know of no other mystery series that has the depth that these books have. And they are excellent on audiobook (both narrators are wonderful).
I went to Quebec City in the fall of 2022 and loved the area. I would love to return for the Winter Carnaval. I have completed the series and did not recall the setting of book 6. I think I will re-read it to further dream about going for the Winter Carnaval and to get me ready for the new release of The Grey Wolf.
Looks like I started with #8 (A Beautiful Mystery) and then I had to go back to the beginning bc that’s how I read.
Huge Louise Penny fan and also a completist. My path to her work was circuitous though. I read BuryYour Dead many years ago and loved it, but didn’t pick up on the fact that it was a series. Then, when I read Glass Houses years later it hit me that I knew these characters and I went back and read the whole series. I have been pre-ordering the newest releases ever since. I have recommended the series to so many people and some people do not engage with Still Life. Now I tell them to Start with Bury Your Dead and then go back and read the series in order. Looking forward to The Grey Wolf.
I love all the characters in Three Pines but I must admit Inspector Gamache is my fictional crush. I adore him and even though I hate extreme cold I would live in Three Pines. I am also Team Ruth. Looking forward to the latest.
I am reading the books in order — I think I’ve read 5 so far, and hoping to get to the next one soon…! They are wonderful.
I tried reading the first novel a few years ago, but I found it a bit weird to read about the place where I live (Québec) in English with the names in French even if I am a francophone that read all her novels in English.🤦🏻♀️ Maybe it was just not the right time in my reading life.. I want to try again, but I’m wondering if I would prefer to read them in English or in French … 🤔
My daughter gave me the first 4 books as a Christmas gift. I read a lot and I collect books as well; I had several books in the queue so it took a little time to get to Louise Penny and Still Life. But when I did, I was hooked and the other 3 went more quickly. I started searching used book outlets for more Louise Penny books. I was able to find book #6, Bury Your Dead and decided to read it and come back to #5, The Brutal Telling, later. I was only a few pages in when I was shocked to find something that had I read #5 I would understand. That something caused me to stop reading #6, go on-line and order book #5, The Brutal Telling (and #7 and #8). I am looking forward reading The Brutal Telling to put the storyline back in order for me.
I’ve read them in order, twice. Some I love more than others-I think my favorite is the one set in the monastery, but now that I write that, I can think of two others that might be my favorite, as well. I don’t typically read mystery/crime, but these books are actually about relationships within that setting, the same way Harry Potter is about relationships within the wizarding world. I can’t wait to visit Quebec someday and scout out all the places mentioned or based upon throughout the series. Also, Louise Penny writes a very cute monthly newsletter. It’s a worthwhile read!
I am reading the books in order and an up to number 6. Trying not to rush through them all but to space them out when I need a comfort read. I first discovered them on your podcast so thank you!
Oh Anne thanks so much for this info on L Penney’s new book and all the other info you put into this email! Yes I am a huge fan too. But most importantly thank you for all that you do for readers everywhere!!!
I started when I saw Still Life on PBS! Then picked up her books & kept on going . I am a great fan of Elizabeth George Detective Lynley these are, like Penny, intelligent puzzles!
Anne, this Louise Penny starter kit is fantastic! It’s a great guide for both newcomers and longtime fans of the Chief Inspector Gamache series. I’m excited for ‘The Grey Wolf’ and appreciate the thoughtful recommendations on where to start—perfect for planning my fall reading!
I read Louise Penny’s books in order during the pandemic. Loved them so much that I attended a Writers Festival event in person (wearing a mandatory mask) to see/hear Louise talk about “A World of Curiosities” in February 2022 (the heart of winter) in Ottawa, ON, and pre-ordered “The Grey Wolf” this past Spring! In June 2022, a friend and I learned so much local history on a 3-day bus tour of the Eastern Townships to visit villages and buildings that inspired the fictional Three Pines.
btw – in the article above, Gamache and Marie-Reine move to Three Pines in book #10 “The Long Way Home,” published in 2014 (not in #1 “Still Life”)
I would love to see a brief overview of the series that gives which season each book is set in! Penny’s books have such lovely strong sense of place, and I would love to read them seasonally, but I’ve never been able to find a list that gives the seasonal setting. Maybe a post idea, Anne?? Thanks for all you do 🙂
My absolute favorite series. I’ve fallen deeply in love with each character. I think my favorite may be Guy Beauvoir. His devotion to Gamache and his growth as a man are compelling. I have burst into tears at some scenes, awed by the storyline. I’ve reread the series once and am thinking about starting again this winter. I will wait for the paperback version of Grey Wolf so this reread will set me up for that release.
I started with A Still Life and have continued from there; I always have to read a series in order. J’adore these books, love Three Pines and her people, love the mind of Gamache. A small correction to the above . . . it is stated that Armand Gamache is a resident of Three Pines in A Still Life . . . not so fast, there! Give him some time to find where he truly belongs.
I have read the books in order. I have read the series in order and just fell in love with the characters and Three Pines.
She’s one of my favorite authors and can’t wait for her newest release!
This is a fantastic guide for diving into Louise Penny’s world! Her storytelling is so rich and immersive, and having a starter kit like this will definitely help newcomers find their way into her intriguing mysteries. Can’t wait to explore these recommendations!
Comments are closed.