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Louise Penny

ルイーズ・ペニー

Ruīzu Penī

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1958-07-01 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
Nationality
Canada
Languages
English
Residence History
Toronto, Ontario, Canada (birthplace) → North Hatley / near Montreal, Quebec, Canada (residence)

Career

Occupations
broadcaster, mystery writer, journalist
Active Years
2005-
Influenced By
Agatha Christie, Georges Simenon, Dorothy L. Sayers, Michael Innes

Education

Ryerson Polytechnic (now Ryerson University)
Radio and Television
Degree: Bachelor (Radio & Television)
Period: 1975-1979
Year of Graduation: 1979
Country: Canada
Earned a Bachelor in Radio and Television

Awards

New Blood Dagger (CWA)
2006
Work: Still Life
Category: デビュー賞
Organization: Crime Writers' Association
Result: 受賞
Arthur Ellis Award (Best First Novel)
2006
Work: Still Life
Category: 新人賞
Organization: Crime Writers of Canada / Arthur Ellis Awards
Result: 受賞
DILYS Award
2007
Work: Still Life
Category: 新人賞
Organization: Independent Mystery Booksellers Association
Result: 受賞
Anthony Award (Best First Novel)
2007
Work: Still Life
Category: 新人賞
Organization: Bouchercon/Anthony Awards
Result: 受賞
Barry Award (Best First Novel)
2007
Work: Still Life
Category: 新人賞
Organization: Deadly Pleasures / Barry Awards
Result: 受賞
Agatha Award (Best Novel)
2007
Work: A Fatal Grace
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Malice Domestic (Agatha Awards)
Result: 受賞
Agatha Award (Best Novel)
2008
Work: The Cruelest Month
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Malice Domestic (Agatha Awards)
Result: 受賞
Agatha Award (Best Novel)
2009
Work: The Brutal Telling
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Malice Domestic (Agatha Awards)
Result: 受賞
Agatha Award (Best Novel)
2010
Work: Bury Your Dead
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Malice Domestic (Agatha Awards)
Result: 受賞
Anthony Award (Best Novel)
2010
Work: The Brutal Telling
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Bouchercon (Anthony Awards)
Result: 受賞
Anthony Award (Best Novel)
2011
Work: Bury Your Dead
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Bouchercon (Anthony Awards)
Result: 受賞
Macavity Award (Best Mystery Novel)
2013
Work: The Beautiful Mystery
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Mystery Readers International (Macavity Awards)
Result: 受賞
Edgar Award (Best Novel)
2014
Work: How the Light Gets In
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Mystery Writers of America (Edgar Awards)
Result: ノミネート
Arthur Ellis Award (Best Crime Novel)
2011
Work: Bury Your Dead
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Crime Writers of Canada
Result: 受賞
Nero Wolfe Award (Best Mystery Novel)
2011
Work: Bury Your Dead
Category: 長編賞
Organization: Nero Wolfe Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Still Life

2005 Mystery novel

The first Chief Gamache novel: a mysterious death in the small Quebec village of Three Pines initiates an investigation that explores community secrets and human motives.

small-town dynamicshidden pastsmorality and redemption

A Fatal Grace

2007 Mystery novel

Set in winter in Three Pines, a murder exposes tangled relationships and motives; the second in the Chief Gamache series.

jealousyappearance vs. reality

The Cruelest Month

2008 Mystery novel

A murder during the village's Easter celebrations triggers revelations about the darker sides of characters in Three Pines.

religious ritual and human naturethe impact of the past

A Rule Against Murder (The Murder Stone)

2009 Mystery novel

Another Gamache investigation in Three Pines uncovers long-standing grudges and concealed truths following a death.

grudgesjustice and the law

The Brutal Telling

2009 Mystery novel

Deals with crime linked to the village's past and the arts; a highly acclaimed entry in the series.

artshadows of the past

Bury Your Dead

2010 Mystery novel

A novel in which past and present intersect in the investigation; noted for awards and recognition.

memorysin and atonement

A Trick of the Light

2011 Mystery novel

Explores perspective and the perception of truth; winner of an Anthony Award.

perspectiveambiguity of truth

The Beautiful Mystery

2012 Mystery novel

Set in a monastery, the mystery intertwines cultural and religious themes.

religioncultural clash

How the Light Gets In

2013 Mystery novel

Another installment where pasts haunt the present; it was nominated for an Edgar Award.

renewalrevealing secrets

Bibliography

  • Still Life
  • A Fatal Grace
  • The Cruelest Month
  • A Rule Against Murder / The Murder Stone
  • The Brutal Telling
  • Bury Your Dead
  • The Hangman
  • A Trick of the Light
  • The Beautiful Mystery
  • How the Light Gets In

Style & Themes

Literary Style
traditional whodunitdescriptive, character-driven prosequiet, lyrical descriptions
Recurring Motifs
small-town atmospherefood and wine imagerythe past and forgiveness

Health

  • alcohol dependence
    30代前半までに問題化し、35歳で自覚して以後禁酒
    Influenced her perspective and work; after recognizing the dependence at around 35 she remained sober and later turned to a writing career.

Legacy

Widely acclaimed for the Chief Gamache series, she won multiple major awards (including consecutive Agatha Awards 2007–2010) and has been translated into more than twenty languages; she is considered a leading contemporary mystery writer in the English-speaking world.

Trivia

  • Her works have been translated into 23 languages (commonly cited).
  • Author of the Chief Gamache series, known for country-village whodunits.
  • Before becoming a novelist she worked as a radio journalist and host at the CBC.