BookRank

Reading order

Chief Inspector Gamache — reading order

Louise Penny

  1. Still Life (2005)
  2. A Fatal Grace (2005)
  3. The Cruelest Month (2007)
  4. A Rule Against Murder (2008)
  5. The Brutal Telling (2009)
  6. Bury Your Dead (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. Every volume in order (19) ↓
7.97.9 / 10
Score out of 10Series ranking →
19 volumes
Volumes
2005–2025
Published
Ongoing
Status
Crime & mystery

Quick answer

Still Life
Start withStill Life2005 · Volume 1 of 19
Buy the first volumeListen to the audiobook

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Publication order

19 volumes2005–2025Ongoing

  • Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec keeps returning to the tiny village of Three Pines.
  • The cases stand alone, but the characters’ lives and a long corruption plot carry over, so read in order from Still Life.
  • Readers often say the series hits its stride around The Brutal Telling and Bury Your Dead.

Every volume in order

Read: 0 of 19
7.58.08.5
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8.08.0 / 10
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2005200520072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222025
7.58.08.5
2005200520072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222025
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Score per volume19 volumes on a timeline, 2005 to 2025 · Best-rated volume: Bury Your Dead
  1. Still Life
    Still Life2005 · Not ranked yetStart hereBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  2. A Fatal Grace
    A Fatal Grace2005 · 220 ratings · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  3. The Cruelest Month
    The Cruelest Month2007 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  4. A Rule Against Murder
    A Rule Against Murder2008 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  5. The Brutal Telling
    The Brutal Telling2009 · 119 ratings
    7.97.9 / 10
  6. Bury Your Dead
    Bury Your Dead2010 · 108 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  7. A Trick of the Light
    A Trick of the Light2011 · 94 ratings
    8.08.0 / 10
  8. The Beautiful Mystery
    The Beautiful Mystery2012 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  9. How the Light Gets In
    How the Light Gets In2013 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  10. The Long Way Home
    The Long Way Home2014 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  11. The Nature of the Beast
    The Nature of the Beast2015 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  12. A Great Reckoning
    A Great Reckoning2016 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  13. Glass Houses
    Glass Houses2017 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  14. Kingdom of the Blind
    Kingdom of the Blind2018 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  15. A Better Man
    A Better Man2019 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  16. All the Devils Are Here
    All the Devils Are Here2020 · Not ranked yetBuy
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  17. The Madness of Crowds
    The Madness of Crowds2021 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  18. A World of Curiosities
    A World of Curiosities2022 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  19. The Black Wolf
    The Black Wolf2025 · 19 ratings · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet

Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 11, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Which Chief Inspector Gamache book is the best?

By reader score, Bury Your Dead (8.0/10). The lowest-rated is The Brutal Telling (7.9/10).

Which Chief Inspector Gamache book is the longest?

“Bury Your Dead” is the longest at 528 pages; the shortest is “A Trick of the Light” with 352 pages.