Louise Penny: The Three Pines series in order
'A cracking storyteller, who can create fascinating characters, a twisty plot and wonderful surprise endings' ANN CLEEVES
'One of the most interesting detectives in crime fiction' THE TIMES
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
The discovery of a dead body in the woods on Thanksgiving Weekend brings Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his colleagues to a place called Three Pines. Gamache cannot understand why anyone would want to deliberately kill well-loved artist Jane Neal, especially any of the residents of the village - 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...
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'Louise Penny's writing is intricate, beautiful and compelling' PETER JAMES
'Penny is a joy' IRISH TIMES
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
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.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache discovers a history of secrets and enemies in the dead woman's past. But he has enemies of his own, and as he is frozen out of decision-making in the police force, he has to decide who he can trust ...
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'No one does atmospheric like Louise Penny' ELLY GRIFFITHS
'Altogether extraordinary' WASHINGTON POST
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
It's Easter, and on a glorious Spring day in peaceful Three Pines, someone waits for night to fall. They plan to raise the dead . . .
When Chief Inspector Gamache arrives the next morning, he faces an unusual crime scene. A séance in an old abandoned house has gone horrifically wrong and someone has been seemingly frightened to death.
In idyllic Three Pines, terrible secrets lie buried, and even Gamache has something to hide. One of his own team is about to betray him. But how far will they go to ensure Gamache's downfall?
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'No one does atmospheric quite like Louise Penny' ELLY GRIFFITHS
'Impossible to put down' GLOBE AND MAIL
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
It's the height of summer, and the wealthy Finney family have gathered at the Manoir Bellechasse to pay tribute to their late father. But as the temperature rises, old secrets and bitter rivalries begin to surface. When the heat wave boils over into a mighty storm, a dead body is left in its wake.
Chief Inspector Gamache, a guest at the Bellechasse, finds himself with a building full of suspects. With the hotel locked down, the murderer is trapped. But a cornered predator is always the most dangerous of all...
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'Ingenious and unexpected' GUARDIAN
'One of the most interesting detectives in crime fiction' THE TIMES
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
When Chief Inspector Gamache arrives in picturesque Three Pines, he steps into a village in chaos. A man has been found bludgeoned to death, and there is no sign of a weapon, a motive or even the dead man's name.
As Gamache and his colleagues start to dig under the skin of this peaceful haven for clues, they uncover a trail of stolen treasure, mysterious codes and a shameful history that begins to shed light on the victim's identity - and points to a terrifying killer...
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'Outstanding' THE NEW YORK TIMES
'No one writes evil like Louise Penny' ANN CLEEVES
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
As Quebec City shivers in the grip of winter, its ancient stone walls cracking in the cold, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache plunges into the strangest case of his celebrated career.
A man has been brutally murdered in one of the city's oldest buildings - a library where the English citizens of Quebec safeguard their history. And the death opens a door into the past, exposing a mystery that has lain dormant for centuries . . . a mystery Gamache must solve if he's to catch a present-day killer.
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'A cracking storyteller' ANN CLEEVES
'Stellar . . . With her smart plot and fascinating, nuanced characters, Penny proves again that she is one of our finest writers' PEOPLE MAGAZINE
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
In the green depths of spring, morning breaks on a woman splayed in a bed of flowers - her eyes wide, her neck broken.
Her death is a mystery; so is the woman herself. But as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team peer into the dark corners of the victim's past, they expose a secret that rots at the very heart of their community - a secret that will implicate someone they've trusted for years. And as Gamache knows too well, in the flickering shadows of death, the truth may be just a trick of the light.
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
Winner of the Anthony Award for Best Crime Novel
Winner of the Macavity Award for Best Crime Novel
Winner of the Agatha Award for Best Crime Novel
'Penny's writing is intricate, beautiful and compelling' PETER JAMES
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
Hidden deep in the wilderness are the cloisters of two dozen monks - men of prayer and music, famous the world over for their glorious voices. But a brutal death throws the monastery doors open to the world. And through them walks the only man who can shine light upon the dark deeds within: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.
Who among the brothers has become an angel of death? As the peace of the monastery crumbles around him, Gamache finds clues in the divine, the human . . . and the cracks in between.
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
*** NOMINATED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER ***
'Full of twists and turns . . . Wonderfully satisfying' KATE MOSSE
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
As a fierce, unrelenting winter grips Quebec, shadows are closing in on Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. When he receives a message about a mysterious case in Three Pines, he is compelled to investigate - a woman who was once one of the most famous people in the world has vanished.
The investigation gathers momentum and Gamache is drawn into a web of murder, lies and unimaginable corruption at the heart of the city. Facing his most challenging, and personal, case to date, can he save the reputation of the police force, those he holds dear and himself?
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'Compelling . . . An original voice' PETER JAMES
'Penny twists and turns the plot, expertly tripping the reader up just at the moment you think you might have solved the mystery' DAILY EXPRESS
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
Clara Morrow's husband is missing. When he fails to come home on the first anniversary of their separation, as promised, Clara asks the only person she trusts to try and find him: former Chief Inspector of Homicide, Armand Gamache.
As Gamache journeys further into the case, he is drawn deeper into the tortured mind of Peter Morrow, a man so desperate to recapture his fame as an artist that he would sell his soul. As Gamache gets closer to the truth, he uncovers a deadly trail of jealousy and deceit. Can Gamache bring Peter, and himself, home safely? Or in searching for answers, has he placed himself, and those closest to him, in terrible danger?
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'One of the most interesting detectives in crime fiction' THE TIMES
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
Hardly a day goes by when nine-year-old Laurent Lepage doesn't cry wolf. His boundless sense of adventure and vivid imagination mean he has a tendency to concoct stories so extraordinary and so far-fetched that no one can possibly believe him.
But when Laurent disappears, former Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.
So begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth. And what Gamache uncovers deep in the forest leads back to crimes of the past, betrayal and murder, with more sinister consequences than anyone could have possibly imagined . . .
Ten million readers.
Three pines.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'Penny combines clever plotting with beautifully evocative descriptions' DAILY EXPRESS
WINNER of the the Barry, Macavity, & Anthony Awards for Best Novel
WINNER of the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Crime Novel
'Outstanding' THE NEW YORK TIMES
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
Former Chief Inspector Gamache has been hunting killers his entire career and as the new commander of force, he is given the chance to combat the corruption and brutality that has been rife. But when a former colleague and professor is found murdered, with a mysterious map of the village of Three Pines, Gamache's home, in his possession, Gamache has an even tougher task ahead of him.
When suspicion turns to Gamache himself, and his possible involvement in the crime, the frantic search for answers takes the investigation to Three Pines, where a series of shattering secrets are poised to be revealed ...
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'Makes most of her competitors seem like wannabes' THE TIMES
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
One cold November day, a mysterious figure appears on the village green in Three Pines, causing unease, alarm and confusion among everyone who sees it. Chief Superintendent, Armand Gamache knows something is seriously wrong, but all he can do is watch and wait, hoping his worst fears are not realised. But when the figure disappears and a dead body is discovered, it falls to Gamache to investigate.
In the early days of the murder inquiry, and months later, as the trial for the accused begins, Gamache must face the consequences of his decisions, and his actions, from which there is no going back . . .
Ten million readers.
Three pines.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'One of the greatest crime writers of our times' DENISE MINA
'This gloriously shocking book grips from the very first page' DENISE MINA
'Wonderful' ELLY GRIFFITHS
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
When Armand Gamache receives a letter inviting him to an abandoned farmhouse outside of Three Pines, the former head of police discovers that a complete stranger has named him as an executor of her will. The bequests are so wildly unlikely that he suspects the woman must have been delusional - until a body is found.
But it isn't the only menace Gamache is facing. The investigation into the events that led to his suspension delves deeper, and he takes increasingly desperate measures to rectify previous actions. As he does, Gamache begins to see his own blind spots - and the terrible things hiding there . . .
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
'One of the greatest crime writers of our times' DENISE MINA
'No one does atmospheric quite like Louise Penny' ELLY GRIFFITHS
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
The air is unbearably tense as Armand Gamache returns to work since being demoted from its command to head of homicide. Amid blistering personal social media attacks, Gamache sets out on his first assignment. He has been tasked with finding a missing woman, but while he leads the search for Vivienne Godin, his home of Three Pines itself is threatened when the river breaks its banks, and an emergency is declared.
As the waters rise, a body is discovered - and the victim's distraught father contemplates revenge. Gamache is a father himself, and is haunted by a question . . . what would he do, if his child's killer might walk free?
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
*** WINNER OF THE AGATHA AWARD FOR BEST MYSTERY NOVEL 2021***
'Makes most of her competitors seem like wannabes' THE TIMES
'Altogether extraordinary' WASHINGTON POST
There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.
On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather for a family dinner with Armand's godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. But the evening ends in horror when Stephen is knocked down and critically injured in what Armand is convinced is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on an elderly man's life.
When a strange key is found in Stephen's possession it sends Armand on a desperate search for the truth that will take him from the top of the Tour Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives.
And as Armand begins to uncover the secrets his godfather has kept hidden for decades, he finds himself ensnared in a web of lies and deceit that threatens to destroy everything - and everyone - he holds dear.
For even the City of Light casts long shadows. And in that darkness devils hide . . .
Millions of readers worldwide.
One inimitable Chief Inspector Gamache.
The incredible new book in Louise Penny's #1 bestselling Chief Inspector Gamache series.
When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is asked to provide crowd control at a statistics lecture given at the Université de l'Estrie in Quebec, he is dubious. Why ask the head of homicide to provide security for what sounds like a minor, even mundane lecture?
But dangerous ideas about who deserves to live in order for society to thrive are rapidly gaining popularity, fuelled by the research of the eminent Professor Abigail Robinson. Yet for every person seduced by her theories there is another who is horrified by them. When a murder is committed days after the lecture, it's clear that within crowds can lie madness.
To uncover the truth, Gamache must put his own feelings about the divisive Professor to one side. But with her ideas gaining ground, the line separating good and evil, right and wrong, is quickly blurring - especially when the case leads unexpectedly close to home ...
PRAISE FOR LOUISE PENNY AND THE INSPECTOR GAMACHE SERIES:
'Louise Penny is one of the greatest crime writers of our times' DENISE MINA
'She makes most of her competitors seem like wannabes' THE TIMES
'Gamache has become to Canada what Hercule Poirot is to Belgium' THE NEW YORK TIMES
'Louise Penny twists and turns the plot expertly tripping the reader up just at the moment you think you might have solved the mystery' DAILY EXPRESS
'The series is deep and grand and altogether extraordinary . . . Miraculous' WASHINGTON POST
'No one does atmospheric quite like Louise Penny.' ELLY GRIFFITHS
'An absolute joy' IRISH TIMES
*** SELECTED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE GUARDIAN ***
'Electrifying drama' BOOK OF THE MONTH, THE TIMES
'This is a hugely satisfying mystery of course, but more than that, it's a chilling morality tale. Nobody does evil quite as scarily as Louise Penny' ANN CLEEVES
It's spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has.
As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the investigators' lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they've arrived in the village of Three Pines. But to what end?
As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. When the room is found, and the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there's more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge.
In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache's home.
'Penny delves into the nature of evil, sensitively exploring the impact of the dreadful events she describes while bringing a warmth and humanity to her disparate cast of characters that, unusually for a crime novel, leaves you feeling better about the world once you've finished' BOOK OF THE MONTH, OBSERVER
'Crime writing of the highest order' DAILY MAIL
'No one does atmospheric quite like Louise Penny' ELLY GRIFFITHS