Which Louise Penny Book First Introduces Chief Inspector Gamache?

Raised in her father's gang, the young gypsy Emma Ferguson was persecuted all her life by the puritanical society of the 19th century, yet she never felt completely part of the Romani group. Vivacious and intelligent, the beautiful Emma only wished to find her true self and live the experiences she had been denied over the 20 years of her life, when an unsuccessful performance made her worst nightmares come true in that cursed Scottish town. Emma only survives all this with the help of the handsome British gentleman, Henry Dashwood, whom she met during the fateful performance, and when he rescues her from the roadside, she begins a new and dangerous journey. In a society where gypsy origin is considered worthy of capital punishment, Henry has decided to help Emma get back on her feet, and hatches a plan that could be the salvation or ruin of them both.

"He's gone, Elizabeth," her captain Charles Johnston tells her. Elizabeth blinks back her tears. Her face full of shock and disbelief. Her frozen stare interrupted by his words. "He left his badge." "There's no way," she thought. He wouldn't leave her like this. No warning, no phone call, no letter. She was more to him than that or at least so she thought. That conversation has plagued her for 3 years. For 3 long years, Detective Elizabeth Ryan tried to shut out him, to finally be able to move on. But just as she does, he abruptly returns seeking more than what either of them anticipated. Will Elizabeth be able to forgive him, or will the past be too much to swallow? What happens when life throws her too many twists to handle?

"Megan Flannigan wants only two things in life: to run her bakery The Rise and Shine, and to avoid the handsome and insufferable Officer Caleb Thornton. Caleb has made her life difficult ever since he arrested her over a decade ago, and her one wish is that he leaves her alone—while they both continue to deny the attraction that sparks between them every time they meet. Her wishes are dashed when her bakery is robbed. To make matters worse? Caleb is assigned to the case—and now he’s the officer charged to protect Megan from a dangerous criminal. Caleb Thornton decided to become a police officer to atone for a tragic adolescent mistake. As part of the famously rich and privileged Thornton family, he’s always been aware of how he can never measure up to his family’s expectations. As a result, he follows the letter of the law in both his job and his personal life—except when it comes to the beautiful and fiery Megan. She makes him yearn for something more, and she attracts him as much as she frustrates him. When Caleb is assigned to watch over Megan, he’s forced to reconcile the feelings he’s harbored for her for years. But as danger draws closer to Fair Haven, Megan and Caleb must come to grips with the past—or risk losing the love of a lifetime."

The Forgotten. Massacre and regicide under the orders of an unspeakably evil priesthood decimate the ranks of the honourable Galadon Knights, and destroy the Royal family who the Knights are sworn to protect. Now outlawed and despised, the Knights are forced, for four generations, 120 years, to hide in secret as they regain their strength for their final confrontation with the religious order. But their biggest secret is that they also hide the last surviving member of the Royal family. Finally strong enough, the last surviving Royal is brought out of hiding and told of her heritage and true identity. Unfortunately a key part of her heritage, a mysterious and magical amethyst pendant, is lost and without it her legitimacy to the throne can not be proven. So starts a desperate quest to search for the pendant to prove the claim of Princess Astrid who must be crowned before the first full moon after her 21st birthday. As more of her heritage is discovered so is passionate romance, bloody battles, betrayal, magic and alliances with the mysterious Elves, Dwarves, Dryads and Mrawlers of the planet. With her 21st birthday quickly approaching, the amethyst lost and the armies are moving into position for a final confrontation, this is their last chance, and time is running out.

Murder Inquiry is a crime fiction, whose plot is about Edwin Wolfgang, a rich New York based banker, who gives out loans for which he accepts artworks as collateral, but kills his customers before they are able to pay back the loan. And a FBI agent attached to the New York field office, who's charged with the task of bringing Mr Wolfgang to book. The story is set in three cities, in three different continents, and is full of twists and turns from the killing of Wolfgang's last two victims, up to his eventual arrest.

What does being a powerful woman mean? This question is at the core of this book where we see every female protagonist from different circumstances go through various challenges and do their best to navigate them. Our adventure starts with Patina Garcia, an artist who falls into poverty after her grandparents pass away but encounters a surprising new destiny when she discovers a Bothy in Scotland for sale. Then we meet Rose Marley, an elderly widow whose life takes an unexpected yet drastic turn after buying a Bothy. Then there is Clarissa Gould, a woman escaping domestic abuse after a fist fight with her narcissistic ex-boyfriend that leads her to a new home in the mountains. Further on, we meet Kendrick Samuel's, a happily married expectant mother whose life is turned upside down when she finds out that her husband is a hybrid on the run. Next, we have Maria Morgan, a woman on the run after being broken out of a sanitorium that she's spent the last year in after being accused of murder. Finally, we meet Audrey Willow, an unsatisfied housewife who battles a drug, and alcohol addiction before meeting a politician who changes her life forever.