Still Life by Louise Penny (2005)

Maybe this was a suggestion from my audio book store owner, but this was a delightful mystery set in Three Pines, a small out of the way village in Quebec. Inspector Armand Gamache is called in when an elderly lady is found dead on a woodsy path near her home. We see a close knit community of interesting characters, including the deceased Jane Neal - never married retired schoolteacher, loved by all, especially by her neighbor Clara, an artist. Clara's husband is also an artist, Myrna runs the bookstore, Oliver and Gabri are a delightful gay couple, Yolanda the self-absorbed niece, etc.

Gamache's style is to listen and observe. He has a solid team around him, except for Nicole, a new detective that is brilliant, but who is too focused on succeeding, that she does not listen to Gamache or the people of the village, thus having too little insight into others to be a good detective. When she finds a note on a mirror in someone's home that says "Problem? You're looking at it", she doesn't get it.

Jane is killed by an arrow. Hunting accident? Maybe, maybe not. There are a lot of skilled bow hunters in the village. I liked the ritual they performed after Jane's death, tying things with a connection to Jane to a prayer stick. They hold a fair every year and Jane has painted the Fair Day, maybe leaving a clue to her death. Looking forward to more from this series.