The most recommended books set in Quebec

Who picked these books? Meet our 40 experts.

40 authors created a book list connected to Quebec, and here are their favorite Quebec books.
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Book cover of Bury Your Dead

Yvonne Kjorlien Author Of Memoirs of a Reluctant Archaeologist

From Yvonne's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Independent researcher Edgy podcaster Intensely inquisitive Storyteller Connection seeker

Yvonne's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Yvonne Kjorlien Why did Yvonne love this book?

TV can lead me to great music and books. I’d heard from a well-read friend that the Gamache books were better than the Prime series. I wasn’t surprised by this statement; I was surprised because I liked the Prime series.

I didn’t think it was possible for Armand Gamache to be richer or more complex than in the series. I didn’t think Canada -- its environment, its culture, its history -- would be cast as prominently in the books. I didn’t believe the translation to film could be faithful, the tone as authentic, or the characters as humane. TV led me to these beautiful books, and I am glad. The Prime series was cancelled, but the books and Gamache will remain in my life. 

By Louise Penny,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Bury Your Dead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Outstanding ... a constantly surprising series' THE NEW YORK TIMES

There is more to solving a crime than following the clues.
Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings.

As Quebec City shivers in the grip of winter, its ancient stone walls cracking in the cold, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache plunges into the strangest case of his celebrated career.

A man has been brutally murdered in one of the city's oldest buildings - a library where the English citizens of Quebec safeguard their history. And the death opens a door into the past, exposing a mystery that has…


Book cover of A Great Reckoning

Krista Wallace Author Of Gatekeeper's Key

From Krista's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Fantasy writer Jazz singer Gran Lover of pie and single malt Scotch Reader of Fantasy, Mystery and Romance

Krista's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Krista Wallace Why did Krista love this book?

I just love the characters in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache novels. Though I find the "head hopping" a little irritating, I accept that it allows me to see what's going on in each character's mind, so it works.
This story of betrayal and forgiveness is intense, emotional and enormously satisfying.

By Louise Penny,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Great Reckoning as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Former Chief Inspector Gamache has been hunting killers his entire career and as the new commander of the Surete Academy, he is given the chance to combat the corruption and brutality that has been rife throughout the force. But when a former colleague and professor of the Surete Academy is found murdered, with a mysterious map of Three Pines in his possession, Gamache has an even tougher task ahead of him.

When suspicion turns to Gamache himself, and his possible involvement in the crime, the frantic search for answers takes the investigation to the village of Three Pines, where a…


Book cover of The Madness of Crowds

Linda Howe-Steiger Author Of Terroir: A Morgan Kendall Wine Country Mystery

From my list on cozy mysteries that have a secondary ethical theme.

Why am I passionate about this?

Born in Ohio, transplanted to Northern California, I’ve played many roles in life, including college teacher, environmental writer, urban planner, political activist, and mom. In the evening, when my body aches with tiredness, but my brain won’t stop churning on whatever subject I wrestled with that day, I love a good but “meaty” little cozy—one with a clever puzzle, something to make me smile, and a secondary theme that goes a bit into an important, really engaging topic. Then I snuggle down and enjoy my kind of decompression reading. After retirement, I started to write my own “cozies plus.” I hope you enjoy my picks.  

Linda's book list on cozy mysteries that have a secondary ethical theme

Linda Howe-Steiger Why did Linda love this book?

I have liked all the Gamache books, but this one blew me away.

Not just another clever puzzle-solving entertainment (which it is). It’s also a compelling meditation on the ethics of free speech in our world today as we struggle with a pandemic and elect autocrats into seats of power.

And this isn’t just any free speech, but speech coolly advocating for euthanizing the elderly and disabled, because caring for them is too expensive, and a waste—they’ll die anyway and leave society with much-reduced ability to care for those with a real chance to survive.

This speaker is a reputable academic, popular, and with hard data to support her position. Which is why someone wants to kill her. Which is why Gamache is brought in.

By Louise Penny,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Madness of Crowds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The incredible new book in Louise Penny's #1 bestselling Chief Inspector Gamache series.

When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is asked to provide crowd control at a statistics lecture given at the Universite de l'Estrie in Quebec, he is dubious. Why ask the head of homicide to provide security for what sounds like a minor, even mundane lecture?

But dangerous ideas about who deserves to live in order for society to thrive are rapidly gaining popularity, fuelled by the research of the eminent Professor Abigail Robinson. Yet for every person seduced by her theories there is another who is horrified by…


Book cover of A Fatal Grace

Amy Tector Author Of Honor the Dead

From my list on dog sidekicks nothing happens to the good boys.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a dog owner my entire life, from my childhood mutt, Paddy, to our current nine-year-old cockapoo, Daffodil. To me, a home isn’t a home without a dog thumping its tail somewhere inside. When I started writing mysteries, I realized that some of my favorites featured dogs. The animal’s loyalty, joy, and unwavering love were a necessary counter to the darker themes mysteries often explore.

Amy's book list on dog sidekicks nothing happens to the good boys

Amy Tector Why did Amy love this book?

Penny is a marvelous and renowned mystery writer whose Three Pines series evokes a cozy, food and laughter-filled town that hides dark secrets. While this book doesn’t give a huge spotlight to Henri, the German Shepherd who is not very smart but is well-loved, it does introduce him and set us up for his adventures to come. 

By Louise Penny,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked A Fatal Grace as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel!

From the Dagger award winning author Louise Penny comes the second Armand Gamache mystery set in the stunning countryside of Quebec.

Welcome to winter in Three Pines, a picturesque village in Quebec, where the villagers are preparing for a traditional country Christmas, and someone is preparing for murder.

No one liked CC de Poitiers. Not her quiet husband, not her spineless lover, not her pathetic daughter―and certainly none of the residents of Three Pines. CC de Poitiers managed to alienate everyone, right up until the moment of her death.

When Chief…


Book cover of Bury Your Dead
Book cover of A Great Reckoning
Book cover of The Madness of Crowds

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