Louise Penny Inspector Gamache Books In Order

I have a goal to read all the Louise Penny Inspector Gamache books, and since it is a series, I will be reading them in order.

I recently posted about my goal to read all the Hercule Poirot books by Agatha Christie, but did you know that I also have a goal to read all the Louise Penny Inspector Gamache books in order?

It took me years to pick up an Agatha Christie book, but once I read one, I was hooked. The same can be said for Louise Penny and her Three Pines books.

If you are unfamiliar with Louise Penny, she is a Canadian mystery author. Her Inspector Gamache series is about Three Pines and the villagers that live there.

Still Life, the first book in the Inspector Gamache series, was published in 2005. I did not read it until 2022, but I could not put it down once I picked it up. I read it in two days.

Shortly after that, I read A Fatal Grace, book two in the series, and I also loved it. I enjoy mystery books, so I can’t believe it took me so long to read Louise Penny.

My goal is to read all eighteen books in the series now. The good thing about being behind the times on a book series is that you don’t have to wait a year after reading a book for the next one to come out.

My 50th Birthday Gift To Myself

I turned fifty last month. For my birthday, I wanted to buy myself something fun to enjoy for a long time. I also wanted it to be something I could reflect on and say I bought it for my fiftieth birthday.

I didn’t want something impractical that would never get used, so after considering it, I decided on books.

Books are always an excellent gift for a reader.

The hard part was deciding what books I wanted to buy.

I ended up deciding to buy myself Louise Penny books!

I owned the first several books in the Louise Penny Inspector Gamache series. I had also picked up a few of the later ones at a used bookstore, but I wanted the whole set to read them in order easily.

I thought the whole set would look nice on a shelf and knew I would have them for years. This is a series I can see myself rereading in twenty years.

I also think my husband will enjoy the series when he has more time for reading. So, I think the whole set will get used a lot over the years.

I decided to order them in paperback instead of the hardback. It was cheaper, and my whole set now matches.

Are Louise Penny’s books cozy mysteries?

There is a lot of debate on if they are cozy mysteries, or at least from what I have read, there is quite a bit of debate.

Louise Penny’s books have some aspects of a cozy mystery but are not cozy. They are also not thrillers.

They are police detective books that are a little darker and more complex than a cozy mystery.

They reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie, and others also compared them. My love of Agatha Christie finally got me to pick up Louise Penny.

The ones I have read feel a lot like modern day Agatha Christie books to me.

Do Louise Penny, Chief Inspector Gamache’s books, need to be read in order?

I am only on book seven, so I can’t speak from experience, but from what I have read, they will make a lot more sense if they are read in order. From the first few books that I have read, I would agree with that.

Do you have to read them in order? No. Should you read them in order? Yes, because the characters and places make more sense if you read them in order.

Louise Penny Books

This book list is a little different than most of our book lists. Most of the book lists we share are all books we have read.

I am still working through this series, so I have not read all the books listed below.

I decided to go ahead and share this list because I wanted to keep track of what I have read and what I still need to read. I am not the only Louise Penny fan, so I decided to share the list with you.

I have linked to my full review of the ones I have read, and I will update the list as I read more. I am keeping the information about each book brief because I do not want to give any spoilers.

Three Pines Chief Inspector Gamache Books In Order

There are currently nineteen books in the Three Pines series, with the nineteenth book being released in October 2024.

Still Life was published in 2005

Still Life by Louise Penny is book one in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. Inspector Armand Gamache of the Québec and his investigators are called to solve a suspicious death in a rural village near Montreal.

Still Life is the book that introduces you to Three Pines and Inspector Gamache. It is the book that made me fall in love with Louise Penny’s writing when I read it in 2022.

A Fatal Grace was published in 2006

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny is the second book in the Inspector Gamache series. It is winter in Three Pines and just as everyone is preparing for Christmas a murder takes place. I really enjoyed A Fatal Grace, although I could have done without the excessive use of the F word.

The Cruelest Month was published in 2007

The Cruelest Month is the third book in the Inspector Gamache Three Pines Series. With the arrival of spring and Easter in Three Pines, a murder takes place.

This is my least favorite of the ones that I have read so far, but I still enjoyed it.

A Rule Against Murder was published in 2008

A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny is the fourth book in the series. It is summer and vacation time, but that doesn’t mean Inspector Gamache can escape from his job of solving crime.

This is my favorite of the first four books. I have heard a lot of people say that the series gets better with each book. Many people say that the first three or four books in the series are their least favorite. If they keep getting better and better I can’t wait to read the next ones in the series.

The Brutal Telling was published in 2009.

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny is the fifth book in the Chief Inspector Gamache series. A body is found on the floor at the bistro in Three Pines. Inspector Gamache is called to investigate.

I loved the writing in The Brutal Telling. Her descriptions of the characters and places in the book are so well down. You feel like you are there in Three Pines.

Bury Your Dead was published in 2010.

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny is the sixth book in the series. Inspector Gamache is taking a break and attending the Winter Carnival up north, but he can never really take a break.

This book is like three mysteries woven into one story. I found it brilliant. Weaved into the mysteries is a ton of history about Quebec which made for a fascinating read. 

A Trick of the Light was published in 2011.

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny is the seventh book in the series. A body is found in Clara’s garden in Three Pines. No one seems to know who it is, but are they telling the truth?

The Beautiful Mystery was published in 2012.

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny is the eighth book in the Inspector Gamache series. Inspector Gamache is called to a monastery to solve the murder of the choir director.

How the Light Gets In was published in 2013.

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny is the ninth book in the series. Christmas is coming, and Inspector Gamache has been called to Three Pines to find a missing woman.

The Long Way Home was published in 2014.

The Long Way Home by Louise Penny is the tenth book in the series about Three Pines. Inspector Gamache escapes to Three Pines, but he can never really escape from crime.

The Nature of the Beast was published in 2015.

The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny is the eleventh book in the series. In this book, a boy disappears in Three Pines. Can Gamache find him? Will he be alive when found?

A Great Reckoning was published in 2016.

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny is the twelfth book in the series. A map is found at the bistro in Three Pines. What secrets does it hold?

Glass Houses was published in 2017.

Glass Houses by Louise Penny is the thirteen book in the series. It starts on a cold November day but skips ahead to a hot July day.

Kingdom of the Blind was published in 2018.

Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny is the fourteenth book in the series set in Three Pines. Gamache receives a letter from a stranger that invites him to a farmhouse. It turns into a mystery that challenges Gamache.

A Better Man was published in 2019.

A Better Man by Louise Penny is the fifteenth book in the series. Amid major flooding, Gamache must deal with the chaos and crises.

All the Devils Are Here was published in 2020.

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny is the sixteenth book in the series. The Gamaches head to Paris, but they can’t escape crime. Gamache’s godfather is injured, and it is no accident.

The Madness of the Crowds was published in 2021.

The Madness of the Crowds by Louise Penny is the seventeenth book in the series. A charge is brought against Gamache as the New Year approaches.

A World of Curiosities was published in 2022.

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny is the eighteenth book in the series. It is spring in Three Pines. What will spring bring?

The Grey Wolf was published in 2024.

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny is the nineteenth book in the series and was published in October 2024.