<P> The series is based around the character of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache . The stories take place in the town of Three Pines, with Gamache investigating the murders of various people in each novel . They have been described as "character - driven" mysteries that explore the relationships between characters with each book in the series . Three Pines is a fictional location set in the province of Quebec, with Penny setting up the characters using the history of old Canada to show their personalities and backgrounds . In the series, some of the plots take place outside of Three Pines . </P> <P> The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache book series contains little or no sex or violence and has been referred to as a kinder and gentler alternative to modern crime fiction . </P> <P> There are a total of 13 books in the series, all published by Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press . The first book was released in 2005, not in the U.S., with the most recent in 2017 . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> No . </Th> <Th> Title </Th> <Th> Publisher </Th> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> ISBN </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Still Life </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2005 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 1410448972 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> Still Life is the debut novel in the series and introduces the character Chief Inspector Armad Gamache . The story takes place in the town of Three Pines and one of the beloved residents, Miss Jane Neal, was shot in the heart with an arrow . Neal is an archery enthusiast and retired school teacher and Gamache must investigate to solve the murder . The novel was the winner of several awards, including the New Blood Dagger award, Arthur Ellis Award, the Dilys Award, 2007 Anthony Award, and the Barry Award . (This book was adapted as a 2013 film starring Nathaniel Parker as Gamache .) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> A Fatal Grace (Dead Cold), Canadian title </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2007 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 0312352561 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> Main article: A Fatal Grace Inspector Gamache investigates after CC de Poitiers, a sadistic socialite, is fatally electrocuted at a Christmas curling competition in the small Québécois town of Three Pines . CC, who had a "spiritual guidance" business based on eliminating emotion, was hated by seemingly everyone, including her husband, lover, and daughter . The crime links to a vagrant's recent murder as well as to the pasts of several other villagers . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Cruelest Month </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2008 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 1585366040 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> Main article: The Cruelest Month The novel, set in the small Canadian town of Three Pines, takes place around the Easter season . A group of friends visits a haunted house, hoping to rid it of the evil spirits that have haunted it, and the village, for decades . One of them ends up dead, apparently of fright . Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team from the Sûreté du Québec investigate the old house and the villagers of Three Pines . The novel also gives us more insight into a past case and its aftermath . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> A Rule Against Murder (The Murder Stone), Canadian title </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2009 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 0312614164 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> Gamache is visiting Manoir Bellechasse to celebrate Canada Day . After solving his previous murders in the Spring, Fall, and Winter, he must now face the hot Summer while on vacation . As soon as Gamache settles into his hotel, a murder takes place when a statue falls on its victim . Despite the bloody body, the statue has no blemish, leaving Gamache to investigate it as a homicide . Nominated for an Arthur Ellis Award as Best Novel for 2009 . The book was also the first in the series to make the New York Times Bestseller List . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 5 </Td> <Td> The Brutal Telling </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2009 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 1410423047 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> The Brutal Telling takes place in Three Pines with a body being discovered on the floor of the local bistro . No one in the town claims to know the victim who was bludgeoned to death . Gamache discovers the victim lived deep in the woods and suspects one of the locals as the suspect . The book was the winner of the 2009 Agatha Award and the 2010 Anthony Award, as well as reaching the New York Times Best - Seller List . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 6 </Td> <Td> Bury Your Dead </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 1585366040 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> Gamache is in Quebec City to enjoy the winter carnival . He is on leave after being involved in a shootout with a terrorist gang . While there, the body of an amateur archaeologist draws Gamache into investigating his death . He also revisits the murder he solved in The Brutal Telling, the previous novel in the series . The book won the 2010 Agatha Award, the 2011 Anthony Award, the 2011 Macavity Award, the 2011 Arthur Ellis Award, and the 2011 Nero Award . It was also a bestseller on the New York Times, London Times, and USA Today lists to name a few . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 7 </Td> <Td> A Trick of the Light </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2011 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 1410441072 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> Gamache finds himself investigating the murder of Lillian Dyson, an artist who is found dead . her childhood friend Clara Morrow is the main suspect, an artist herself who spent most of her life in the shadows of her husband . The book was nominated for a Macavity Award, Anthony Award, and the Agatha Award . It also reached #4 on the New York Times Bestseller List . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 8 </Td> <Td> The Beautiful Mystery </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2012 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 0312655464 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> The Beautiful Mystery has Gamache investigating the death of a monk . The monk is a member of what was believed to be an extinct order . Gamache and his partner must travel by airplane and boat into the remote forests of northern Quebec to investigate the mystery . The book won the 2013 Macavity Award for Best Mystery and the 2013 Anthony Award . The book also reached #2 on the New York Times Bestseller List . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 9 </Td> <Td> How the Light Gets In </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2013 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 0312655471 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> Gamache comes to Three Pines looking for a safe haven . He is isolated by his corrupt supervisor and winds up luring two of his friends to Three Pines after their safety becomes an issue in an undercover operation . The book was nominated for an Edgar Award and an Agatha Award, as well as debuting at #1 on the New York Times Best - Seller List . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 10 </Td> <Td> The Long Way Home </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 1250022066 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> Gamache has retired from the force amid corruption within the department . He is summoned by Clara Morrow, one of the main characters in the book A Trick of the Light, whose husband has gone missing . The book reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 11 </Td> <Td> The Nature of the Beast </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2015 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 1250022080 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> Gamache has retired and settled to live in Three Pines . He is drawn out of retirement by the death of Laurent Lepage, a nine - year - old boy known best in the town for crying wolf . His most recent claim was finding a gun with a winged monster on it in the woods . Gamache is allowed to work on the case, even though he is no longer officially a detective . It also reached #3 on the New York Times Bestseller List . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 12 </Td> <Td> A Great Reckoning </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2016 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 1250022134 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> When an intricate old map is found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in Three Pines, it at first seems no more than a curiosity . But the closer the villagers look, the stranger it becomes . Given to Armand Gamache as a gift the first day of his new job, the map eventually leads him to shattering secrets . To an old friend and older adversary . It leads the former Chief of Homicide for the Sûreté du Québec to places even he is afraid to go . But must . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 13 </Td> <Td> Glass Houses </Td> <Td> Minotaur Books </Td> <Td> 2017 </Td> <Td> ISBN 978 - 1250066190 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="11"> When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines one cold November day, Armand Gamache and the rest of the villagers are at first curious . Then wary . Through rain and sleet, the figure stands unmoving, staring ahead . <P> From the moment its shadow falls over the village, Gamache, now Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, suspects the creature has deep roots and a dark purpose . Yet he does nothing . What can he do? Only watch and wait . And hope his mounting fears are not realized . </P> But when the figure vanishes overnight and a body is discovered, it falls to Gamache to discover if a debt has been paid or levied . </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Louise penny list of gamache books in order