Louise Penny

Louise Penny is a Canadian author best known for her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, set in the fictional village of Three Pines in Quebec. Her debut novel Still Life won the CWA John Creasey Award for Best First Crime Novel in 2006 and launched one of the most acclaimed mystery series of the twenty-first century. Penny's books are celebrated for their literary richness, psychological depth, and vivid sense of place. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Penny worked for many years as a CBC Radio broadcaster before turning to fiction writing after the age of forty. Her creative breakthrough came partly through the encouragement of her late husband Michael Whitehead, a physician to whom many of her books are dedicated. The couple lived in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, the real-world inspiration for Three Pines. Penny has won the Agatha Award for Best Novel multiple times and the Anthony Award for Best Novel four consecutive times (2010–2013), a feat unmatched in the award's history. She has also won the Arthur Ellis Award, the Dilys Award, and the Macavity Award. Her books regularly debut at or near the top of the New York Times and international bestseller lists. In addition to her fiction career, Penny co-authored a memoir with former Canadian Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton titled State of Terror (2021), which became an instant bestseller. She continues to live and write in Quebec.