We're delighted to reveal the 20th anniversary edition of Louise Penny's Still Life, celebrating the wonderful novel that launched the acclaimed and globally bestselling Chief Inspector Gamache series.
This beautiful hardback includes a unique jacket, foil case stamp, vibrant stencilled edges and bespoke endpapers. It also features a fold out map of the idyllic, mystery-filled setting of Three Pines, and an exclusive Q&A about the Chief Inspector Gamache series.
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Still Life at 20: the mystery that started a phenomenon
Still Life is an apt title for a mystery novel that resists the conventions of modern crime fiction. It evokes the art community at the heart of the tale, and the local painter whose murder first brings Chief Inspector Armand Gamache to the village of Three Pines.
It's also a fitting description for Three Pines itself - a village that does not appear on any map, its inhabitants living at a different pace to the bustling cities of modernity. But Still Life also alludes to the philosophy behind the book; an approach that takes its time exploring the lives, the day-to-day moments of its characters.
This is acheived with crackling wit. The authorial voice peels back the psychology of its characters with gleeful rigour. But as much as Penny enjoys exploring the eccentricities of her subjects, this is done with clear affection.
In many ways Still Life is an anthropological study of the inhabitants of small towns, but not in a clinical way - rather an awareness of our shared humanity. Chief Inspector Gamache himself embodies this philosophy. Twenty years on, it's still refreshing to follow the exploits of a police investigator who isn't jaded and hardboiled, but rather values kindness and treats his work with sensitivity.
This captivating eye for detail also extends to the setting. Three Pines acts as a focal point for the history of Quebec and wider Canada, and concerns for the future. The three pines themselves are a memory past times, planted together as a secret symbol for those seeking shelter across the Canadian border that they had found somewhere safe to rest.
It is fitting, then, for Penny's words to be presented in a carefully designed edition with deluxe finishes that capture these values. The painterly endpapers and sprayed edge mirror the artistic theme wonderfully, bursting with colour and evoking the sort of piece that might be displayed at the Arts Williamsburg show within the novel.
The deluxe edition is published on the 30th September, and is available to order now through Special Edition Books.