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Louise Penny


Canada (b.1958)

Louise Penny is the author of the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels (Still Life, A Fatal Grace, and The Cruelest Month). She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (six times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise lives in a small village south of Montréal.
 

Awards: Macavity (2023), Agatha (2022), Barry (2017), Anthony (2017)  see all

Genres: Mystery, Thriller
 
New and upcoming books
Series
Chief Inspector Gamache
   1. Still Life (2005)
   2. A Fatal Grace (2006)
     aka Dead Cold
   3. The Cruellest Month (2007)

     aka The Cruelest Month

   4. A Rule Against Murder (2008)
     aka The Murder Stone
   5. The Brutal Telling (2009)
   6. Bury Your Dead (2010)
   6.5. The Hangman (2010)
   7. A Trick of the Light (2011)
   8. The Beautiful Mystery (2012)
   9. How the Light Gets In (2013)
   10. The Long Way Home (2014)
   11. The Nature of the Beast (2015)
   12. A Great Reckoning (2016)
   13. Glass Houses (2017)
   14. Kingdom of the Blind (2018)
   15. A Better Man (2019)
   16. All the Devils Are Here (2020)
   17. The Madness of Crowds (2021)
   18. A World of Curiosities (2022)
   19. The Grey Wolf (2024)
   20. The Black Wolf (2025)
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Novels
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Books containing stories by Louise Penny
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The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook (2015)
Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For
edited by
Kate White
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Mysterious Writers (2010)
The Many Facets of Mystery Writing
edited by
Jean Henry Mead

Awards
2023 Macavity Award for Best Novel : A World of Curiosities
2022 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel : A World of Curiosities
2021 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel : All the Devils Are Here
2020 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel : All the Devils Are Here
2017 Macavity Award for Best Novel : A Great Reckoning
2017 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel : A Great Reckoning
2017 Barry Award for Best Novel : A Great Reckoning
2017 Anthony Award for Best Novel : A Great Reckoning
2017 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel : Glass Houses
2016 Lefty Award for Best World Mystery : The Nature of the Beast
2016 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel : A Great Reckoning
2013 Macavity Award for Best Novel : The Beautiful Mystery
2013 Anthony Award for Best Novel : The Beautiful Mystery
2012 Anthony Award for Best Novel : A Trick of the Light
2012 Agatha Award for Best Novel : The Beautiful Mystery
2011 Nero Award : Bury Your Dead
2011 Macavity Award for Best Novel : Bury Your Dead
2011 Dilys Award for Best Book : Bury Your Dead
2011 Anthony Award for Best Novel : Bury Your Dead
2010 Anthony Award for Best Novel : The Brutal Telling
2010 Agatha Award for Best Novel : Bury Your Dead
2009 Agatha Award for Best Novel : The Brutal Telling
2008 Agatha Award for Best Novel : The Cruellest Month
2007 Dilys Award for Best Book : Still Life
2007 Barry Award for Best First Novel : Still Life
2007 Anthony Award for Best First Novel : Still Life
2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel : A Fatal Grace
2006 John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger : Still Life

Award nominations
2023 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel (nominee) : A World of Curiosities
2023 Anthony Award for Best Hardcover Novel (nominee) : A World of Curiosities
2021 Macavity Award for Best Novel (nominee) : All the Devils Are Here
2021 Barry Award for Best Novel (nominee) : All the Devils Are Here
2021 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel (nominee) : The Madness of Crowds
2019 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel (nominee) : Kingdom of the Blind
2019 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel (nominee) : A Better Man
2018 Macavity Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Glass Houses
2018 Lefty Award for Best Mystery Novel (nominee) : Glass Houses
2018 Anthony Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Glass Houses
2018 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel (nominee) : Kingdom of the Blind
2016 Anthony Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Nature of the Beast
2015 Macavity Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Long Way Home
2015 Anthony Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Long Way Home
2015 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel (nominee) : The Nature of the Beast
2014 Macavity Award for Best Novel (nominee) : How the Light Gets In
2014 Edgar Award for Best Novel (nominee) : How the Light Gets In
2014 CWA Gold Dagger (shortlist) : How the Light Gets In
2014 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel (nominee) : The Long Way Home
2013 Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel (nominee) : How the Light Gets In
2012 Macavity Award for Best Novel (nominee) : A Trick of the Light
2012 Dilys Award for Best Book (nominee) : A Trick of the Light
2011 Barry Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Bury Your Dead
2011 Agatha Award for Best Novel (nominee) : A Trick of the Light
2010 Macavity Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Brutal Telling
2010 Dilys Award for Best Book (nominee) : The Brutal Telling
2010 Barry Award for Best Mystery/Crime Novel of the Decade (nominee) : Still Life
2009 Macavity Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Cruellest Month
2009 Barry Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Cruellest Month
2009 Anthony Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Cruellest Month


Louise Penny recommends
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The White Lady (2023)
Jacqueline Winspear
"The White Lady is a triumph of storytelling. Rarely have I been swept up into a novel, into the lives of the main characters, so quickly and thoroughly. Winspear creates in Elinor White (The White Lady), a complex, endearing, achingly flawed hero. This is both fast-paced and thoughtful, bold and nuanced, a thriller that is thrillingly human. I loved it."
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The Horsewoman (2021)
Mike Lupica and James Patterson
"Patterson and Lupica manage to get deep into the world of high-level show jumping and also, incredibly for two men, deep into the lives of three generations of strong women. I don't know what's more compelling--the white-knuckle descriptions of the horse shows in the lead-up to the Olympics or the tense, complex relationships among the three women. We grow to care deeply about these horsewomen. This is a hugely entertaining, riveting, page-turner of a book. A thrilling and thoughtful read."
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Midwinter Murder (2020)
(Murder For All Seasons)
Agatha Christie
"Agatha Christie’s books are both wonderful crime novels and studies in contrast and duality, and I adore them still. Underestimate them at your peril."

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