Louise Penny is one of my favorite authors. I just finished reading, The Black Wolf, her twentieth book. Her novels have been translated into over 23 languages, sold millions of copies worldwide, and repeatedly reached number 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. She has also earned prestigious awards including multiple Agatha and Anthony Awards, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada and an Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 2017.
Penny is a Canadian crime-fiction author, best known for her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec series. She was born on July 1, 1958, in Toronto, Canada, and has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. After graduating at age 21, she embarked on an 18-year career as a radio host and journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). She left the CBC in 1996 to take up writing. She started a historical novel but had difficulty finishing it and eventually switched to writing mysteries.
Besides her wonderful writing, there are two features I like about her books:
- The intricately constructed plots often reflect current events, and explore universal themes as love, friendship, loss, and redemption.
- Her characters are unique and familiar.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of the Homicide Department of the Sûreté du Québec, inspired by Penny’s husband, Michael Whitehead, is not the typical world-weary and troubled detective, but compassionate and kind. Gamache and his team, including his second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, investigate conspiracies and murders by unconventional means.
I suggest you start by reading her first novel, Still Life, in which she introduces the characters living in the Village of Three Pines. In Three Pines, based on her town of Knowlton, Quebec, Canada, you’ll meet an assortment of memorable residents: an artist (Clara Morrow), a psychologist-turned-bookstore-owner (Myrna Landers), a cantankerous poet (Ruth Zardo) and her pet duck (Rosa), and a gay couple who own the local bistro and bed-and-breakfast (Gabri Dubeau and Olivier Brulé). Gamache lives in Three Pines with his wife, Reine-Marie, but when the crimes are set in more distant locations, the quaint village of Three Pines and its residents are central elements of the novels.
There are many memorable quotations in her books. One I particularly like is: “Life is choice. All day, every day. Who we talk to, where we sit, what we say, how we say it. And our lives become defined by our choices.” Louise Penny
I hope you enjoy reading her books as much as I do.
BarbaraHelene Smith,
Author of The Connie Murphy Mysteries
Lilac City Rochester Writers 
Yes, I like her books as well. She creates an interesting world in Three Pines!Mary Lou
Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer
LikeLike