I really like how Louise Penny sets her stories so firmly in the location of a small Quebecois village near Montreal. I sought out this novel after stumbling across Kingdom of the Blind (#14) because it was her first, and I was interested to see how she started out. Her books are reminiscent of Agatha Christie's (small rural village, colorful characters bordering on caricatures, and dose of humor), though her books lack the dramatic and often far-out revelation of the mystery by the hero-detective. Penny's first victim is named Jane (reminiscent of Jane Marple).
Penny's books read as if written a long time ago (like Christie's) - not rapid-paced, dark, violent, or thrilling, but more gentle, and in particular, her books contain a lot of descriptions of delicious food, which I enjoy, since I'm a total foodie. I'd love to sit down at the bistro Gabri and Olivier run and feast on some of those croissants!
Other observations - she uses omniscient narrator (an old POV rarely used these days) to describe the internal states of her characters, and her explorations into the psychology of her characters tend to be gentle and forgiving, without the darkness and trauma that haunts so many books these days. There is also a Christian component underlying the narrative, but as a non-Christian, I didn't find it too heavy-handed.
Caveat - I haven't read many cozy mysteries. I definitely felt cozy, driving with Armand Gamache into Three Pines and checking into the B&B. I enjoyed Still Life and a retreat from the darkness of my own life so much that I'm reading more of her work - a welcome escape at 2 am, when I can't sleep.
I include a couple of quotes that illustrate an approach to life that I resonate with and that remind me of Viktor Frankel, whose psychology of hope I've found personally transformative:
1) Gamache - "'Life is choice. All day, everyday. Who we talk to, where we sit, what we say, how we say it. And our lives become defined by our choices. It’s as simple and as complex as that. And as powerful. So when I’m observing, that’s what I’m watching for. The choices people make.'"
2) Myrna - "'The fault lies with us, and only us. It’s not fate, not genetics, not bad luck, and it’s definitely not Mom and Dad. Ultimately it’s us and our choices. But, but’ – now her eyes shone and she almost vibrated with excitement – ‘the most powerful, spectacular thing is that the solution rests with us as well. We’re the only ones who can change our lives, turn them around.'"