I have read the first four of Louise Penny’s Quebec-set mysteries and thoroughly enjoyed them. The sixth book, Bury Your Dead got starred reviews in all the pre-pub journals and made a number of “Best of 2010” lists. Louise Penny’s website says “Like the rest of the Chief Inspector Gamache novels, BURY YOUR DEAD is a murder mystery. But it’s not actually about murder. It’s not about blood, but what’s in the marrow. What we harbor and hide deep down. Our terrors, but also our grace.”
When asked, “should the books be read in order?” Ms. Penny replies “… while it’s not necessary to read them in any particular order (they’re designed to be self-standing) there is quite a strong character development arc. I think you’d enjoy the books even more if read in order. ”
From the first to the most recent:
- Still Life
- A Fatal Grace
- The Cruelest Month
- A Rule Against Murder
- The Brutal Telling
- Bury Your Dead