In the first book Still Life, he is said to have learned English while he was an undergraduate at Christ's College, Cambridge, where according to A Great Reckoning he read for a degree in History. The native French speaker Gamache speaks English with a British accent. The stories take place usually in the village of Three Pines, with Gamache investigating the murders of various people in each novel. The series revolves around the character of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. She entered the first book of the series, Still Life, in the 'Debut Dagger' competition in the United Kingdom, placing second out of 800 entries. Penny originally began writing a historical novel, but changed to mystery writing after finding trouble finishing. Prior to writing full-time, she worked 20 years as a radio journalist and host for CBC Radio in Thunder Bay, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache book series is written by Louise Penny. Many have also made the New York Times Best-Seller List, debuting as high as #1. All subsequent novels in the series have won major crime-writing awards in three countries. The first book in the series, Still Life, was released in 2006 and won the New Blood Dagger award, Arthur Ellis Award, the Dilys Award, 2007 Anthony Award, and the Barry Award.

Books in the series have been nominated for and received numerous awards. The series is set around the life of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of Sûreté du Québec, the provincial police force for Quebec. Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache in the series Three Pines.Ĭhief Inspector Armand Gamache is the main character in a series of mystery novels written by Canadian author Louise Penny.

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny