Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Mysteries, No. 1)

'As the early morning mist clears on Thanksgiving Sunday, the homes of Three Pines come to life- all except one...'
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal and yet a world away. Jane Neal, a long-time resident of Three Pines, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more but Gamache smells something foul this holiday season and is soon certain that Jane died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter. ...
STILL LIFE
With this award-winning first novel, Louise Penny introduces an engaging hero lin Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces--and this series with power, ingenuity, and charm.
'[An] auspicious debut... [Penny's] deceptively simple style masks the complex patterns of a well-devised plot.' --Marilyn Stasio, "The New York Times Book Review'
"A perfectly executed traditional mystery." -Denver Post