Louise Penny Books In Order – Inspector Gamache Books Order
Reading the Louise Penny books in order involves picking up the so-far 19 mystery novels in her popular Canadian crime series involving Chief Inspector Armand Gamache living in Quebec, her standalone novel, and short story anthologies.
Thus here is the list of Louise Penny Chief Inspector Armand Gamache books in publication order. Note that some of the books have been published under different names in different countries. If the case, then I will list both names for the same novel. The publication year is listed next to each book in the Gamache book series. We also list the author’s standalone works.
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Chief Inspector Gamache Books In Publication Order
featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache
- Still Life (#1), 2006
- A Fatal Grace (#2), 2006
- The Cruellest Month (#3), 2007
- A Rule Against Murder (#4), 2008
- The Brutal Telling (#5), 2008
- Bury Your Dead (#6), 2010
- The Hangman (novella #6.5), 2011
- A Trick of the Light (#7), 2011
- The Beautiful Mystery (#8), 2012
- How the Light Gets In (#9), 2013
- The Long Way Home (#10), 2014
- The Nature of the Beast (#11), 2015
- A Great Reckoning (#12), 2016
- Glass Houses (#13), 2017
- Kingdom of the Blind ( #14), 2018
- A Better Man (#15), 2019
- All The Devils Are Here (#16), 2021
- The Madness of Crowds (#17), 2021
- A World of Curiosities (#18), 2022)
- The Grey Wolf (#19), 2024
Standalone Novels
- State of Terror, 2021 (co-authored with former US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton)
Short Story Anthologies
- Mysterious Writers: The Many Facets of Mystery Writing, 2010
- The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook, 2015
- The Best American Mystery Stories, 2018
Should we read the Louise Penny books in order?
Having read most of the Louise Penny books a while ago, and the latest two murder novels only recently, I don’t feel it’s essential to read the Louise Penny books in order – well unless you’re a stickler to reading the book list in chronological order like me, no matter what. They do stand on their own nicely, each with their own plot to murder someone dead.
The author makes a good job of explaining in each book if anything is important from the past, so you don’t feel overwhelmed with lots of stuff that you should have read before reading the current book.
However, for the sake of character development and getting to know the beautiful people a bit better, I’d say why not – if you can pick up the her novels and read each book in order, do it, even if to learn more about Armand Gamache, his wife, and the Three Pines village a bit more in each book.
If you get them out of order though, not such a biggie. As the author herself put it, it’s not necessary to read previous books – but it is recommended. They make for relatively light reading (the nature of the characters involved in solving the murders has nothing seriously gory in them). So check out the Louise Penny reading order above and follow it, including the short novella.
Louise Penny Biography
Louise Penny was born in 1958 in Toronto, Canada. The love of reading crime mystery books was in the family, since her mother would read such novels all the time.
Louise enrolled at the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, currently known as Ryerson University, where she earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts (Radio and Television).
After graduation, she began working as a radio broadcaster and journalist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a position that she had for 18 years. After she got married to Michael Whitehead, head of hematology at Montreal Children’s Hospital, she stopped working, choosing instead to devote her time to writing at her husband’s urging to follow her dreams.
The author’s first book would have been a historical novel, but as she didn’t feel any calling for the genre, she soon switched to crime mystery, a genre that works for her very well even after all these years.
In 2013 the author was made a Member of the Order of Canada for her essential contribution to Canadian culture. This order is only second to the Order of Merit in Canada.
The author currently lives in a small village just south of Montreal called Knowlton alone, since her husband died in 2016. Her books won numerous awards over the year. From 2006 onward she won at least an award, if not more, every single year. Only her first novel won all these awards: the New Blood Dagger award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the 2007 Anthony Award, the Barry Award, and the Dilys Award. Some books have also earned Louise Penny the Agatha Award and the Macavity Award, and many were nominated for the Agatha and the Edgar Award.
In fact, she was ready to give up when she entered the British contest, Debut Dagger, aimed at unpublished writers. Among the 800 entries present, she won the second place. Next, she found a British agent which helped her become popular and publish her – so far -18 novels.
The Louise Penny books show that serious psychological books can easily hide inside a commercial genre. There is a deeper faith and hope that the author’s book radiate from within.
About the Louise Penny Books
In Louise Penny’s popular book, Glass Houses, Armand Gamache, who is by now a Chief Superintendent of the Quebec Provincial Police, encounters a tall, hooded figure standing unmoving in the greens of the village for three days, a foreboding of something dark and sinister, and a murder of a body discovered by Armand’s own wife, Reine-Marie Gamache, in the church basement. Armand couldn’t do anything to remove the figure because no crime has been committed with regards to it.
Next, we meet Armand at the stand testifying about a murder that was committed about the same time the dark figure appeared at the doors of the village. he Three Pines, the idyllic village will be soon shaken by murder, revenge and dark secrets that Armand Gamache must uncover before it’s too late.
I loved Glass Houses by Louise Penny, but I have to admit that the first half of the book was not up to the author’s usual standards. However, much to my delight, the pace picked up soon after and I, once again, became enthralled by the Louise Penny’s usual flowing style.
Not sure if I mentioned it before, but just recently I got a chance to watch the 2013 Louise Penny movie adaptation by CBS based on her first novel. The movie has the same title as the book. The movie featured the village Three Pines, just like the Armand Gamache books, and Armand, of course, was there as well in a leading role cast by Nathaniel Parker.
The movie adaptation turned out to be great, it was a fine translation of the author’s first book in the series. However, for some reason, I expected something a bit more. I can’t put my finger on what that was – maybe the main character’s British accent, which I didn’t feel that was belonging in Canada all that much. Still, it was a darn good movie. And the author Louise Penny being an executive producer for the film I’m sure helped with making it as close as possible to the book a lot.
The Nature of the Beast was so far probably my favorite Louise Penny book. Laurent Lepage is just a nine-year-old boy, but one with a strong imagination. And all of it revolves around alien abductions, death, murder, and all sorts of other nasty things. The proverbial crying wolf is what everyone in town things it’s going on. Until it’s not. Because Laurent goes missing and there is a reckoning to deal with after that. Could it be that what some of the boy’s blabberings were true? There is a major search going on to find him everywhere, out in nature, in the woods, down south, up north, but what they come across is nothing less than death, murder, and complete betrayal and reckoning.
What About the Inspector Armand Gamache TV Show?
December 2022 saw the premiere of Three Pines, an Amazon Studios mystery streaming television series starring Alfred Molina, which is based on the book series focused around Chief Inspector Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec police force.
Unlike the books, the TV series a;sp includes another storyline going throughout the season, where Gamache is investigating the disappearance of a young Indigenous woman.
Some of the other main actors for the TV show are:
- Rossif Sutherland as Jean-Guy Beauvoir
- Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers as Isabelle Lacoste
- Tantoo Cardinal as Bea Mayer
- Clare Coulter as Ruth Zardo
- Sarah Booth as Yvette Nichol
- Anna Tierney as Clara Morrow
- Roberta Battaglia as Crie
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com talked about Three Pines, saying it is “A collection of intelligent two-hour mysteries that fans of Agatha Christie or even Columbo should watch.”
A former TV movie adaptation was released in 2013 with the title Still Life: A Three Pines Mystery featuring Nathaniel Parker as Inspector Gamache.
Louise Penny Awards and Nominations
Over the years, Louise Penny’s books have received several awards and nominations including
A Trick of the Light
- received the 2012 Anthony Award for Best Novel
- received the 2012 Agatha Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2012 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2012 Dilys Award for Best Book
Still Life
- received the 2006 John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger
- received the 2007 Dilys Award for Best Book
- received the 2007 Barry Award for Best First Novel
- received the 2007 Anthony Award for Best First Novel
- was nominated for the 2010 Barry Award for Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade
The Cruellest Month
- received the 2008 Agatha Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2009 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2009 Barry Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2009 Anthony Award for Best Novel
The Brutal Telling
- received the 2010 Anthony Award for Best Novel
- received the 2010 Agatha Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2010 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2010 Dilys Award for Best Book
Bury Your Dead
- received the 2011 Nero Award
- received the 2011 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- received the 2011 Dilys Award for Best Book
- received the 2011 Anthony Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2011 Barry Award for Best Novel
The Beautiful Mystery
- received the 2012 Agatha Award for Best Novel
- received the 2013 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- received the 2013 Anthony Award for Best Novel
A Great Reckoning
- received the 2017 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- received the 2017 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel
- received the 2017 Barry Award for Best Novel
- received the 2017 Anthony Award for Best Novel
- received the 2016 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel
Glass Houses
- received the 2017 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel
- was nominated for the 2018 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2018 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel
- was nominated for the 2018 Anthony Award for Best Novel
Kingdom of the Blind
- was nominated for the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel
The Nature of the Beast
- received the 2016 Lefty Award for Best World Mystery
- was nominated for the 2016 Anthony Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2015 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel
How the Light Gets In
- was nominated for the 2014 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2014 Edgar Award for Best Novel
- was shortlisted for the 2014 CWA Gold Dagger
- was nominated for the 2013 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel
The Long Way Home
- was nominated for the 2015 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2015 Anthony Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2015 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel
All the Devils Are Here
- received the 2021 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel
- received the 2020 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel
- was nominated for the 2021 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- was nominated for the 2021 Barry Award for Best Novel
The Madness of Crowds
- was nominated for the 2021 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel
A World of Curiosities
- received the 2023 Macavity Award for Best Novel
- received the 2022 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel
- was nominated for the 2023 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel
- was nominated for the 2023 Anthony Award for Best Hardcover Novel
Enjoyed all the books, Alfred Molina, as the main character, excellent, Hope they renew the series, as these are amazing stories, & should be continued.
I’ve seen that they are not renewing Three Pines. I’m so sad. I love all of Louise Penny’s Gamache series and was so hopeful to see the television adaptation. Any chance the decision will be reversed?
Just finished watching season 1 on Prime. The Hangman was the last episode. What book follows, A Trick of the Light? I’m going to read the books before season 2 comes out! Thank you.