Bury Your Dead

“Morning in the Burned House” by Margaret Atwood © 1995.

Published by McClelland & Stewart Ltd. Used with permission of the publisher.

“Vapour Trails” by Marylyn Plessner © 2000.

Published by Stephen Jarislowsky. Used with permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Penny, Louise.

Bury your dead : a Chief Inspector Gamache novel / Louise Penny. — 1st ed.

       p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-312-37704-5

1. Gamache, Armand (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Police—Quebec (Province)—Fiction. 3. Murder— Investigation—Fiction. 4. Quebec (Province)—Fiction. I. Title.

PR9199.4.P464B87 2010b

813'.6—dc22

2010026415

First Edition: October 2010

10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

This book is dedicated to second chances—

Those who give them

And those who take them

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Michael and I spent a magical month in Quebec City researching Bury Your Dead. Quebec is a glorious place, and the old walled city is even more beautiful. I hope I’ve managed to capture how it felt to walk those streets every day and see not just the lovely old stone buildings, but see my history. Canadian history. Alive. It was very moving for both of us. But Quebec City isn’t a museum. It’s a vibrant, modern, thriving capital. I hope I’ve captured that too. But mostly I hope Bury Your Dead contains the great love I feel for this society I have chosen as home. A place where the French and English languages and cultures live together. Not always in agreement, both have suffered and lost too much to be completely at peace, but there is deep respect and affection.

Much of the action in Bury Your Dead takes place in the Literary and Historical Society library, in old Quebec City. It is a stunning library, and a stunning achievement to have created and kept this English institution alive for generations. I was helped in my researches by the members, volunteers and staff of the Lit and His (as it is affectionately known). Because this is a work of fiction I have taken liberties with some of the history of Quebec, and the Literary and Historical Society. Especially as it concerns one of its most distinguished members, Dr. James Douglas. I realize some will not be pleased with my extrapolating, but I hope you understand.

I also need to make clear that I have met the Chief Archeologist of Quebec many times and he is charming, helpful and gracious. Not at all like my fictional Chief Archeologist.

The majority of the history in the book concerns Samuel de Champlain. I have to admit, to my shame, I wasn’t all that familiar with him before starting my researches. I knew the name, I knew he was one of the founders of Quebec and therefore Canada. I knew his burial place is a mystery. No one has found it. And this has confounded archeologists and historians for decades. This mystery is at the center of my mystery. But it demanded I learn about Champlain. To do that I read a fair amount and spoke with local historians, chief among them Louisa Blair and David Mendel. I was also helped by a wonderful book called Champlain’s Dream, by Professor David Hackett Fischer, of Brandeis University. Professor Hackett Fischer actually came to Quebec City during our stay and when we heard this Michael and I decided to hear him lecture. It struck us (belatedly) as odd that the venue would be a government conference room. When we arrived we sat at the far end of the large table. A very nice young woman approached and asked, in perfect French, who we might be. We, in not so perfect French, explained that I was an English Canadian writer doing research on Champlain and had come to hear the professor speak. She thanked me and a few minutes later a man came by, shook our hands and escorted us to the head of the table. Then everyone stood and the Minister of Culture arrived along with other high government officials. Finally Professor Hackett Fischer came in and was seated right in front of us.

Way too late Michael and I figured out this was a private briefing of high Quebec government officials—and us. When they realized who we were, instead of showing us the door, the government officials gave us the best seats and much of the conference was held in English.

This is Quebec. Where there is great kindness and accommodation. But there can also be, in some quarters, great suspicions—on both sides.

That is part of what makes Quebec so fascinating.

I’d like to thank Jacquie Czernin and Peter Black, of the local CBC Radio, for their help with contacts. And Scott Carnie for his help on some tactical issues.

For those of you who love, as I do, the poetry of the Great War, you’ll recognize that I paraphrase a stunning poem by Wilfred Owen called “Dulce et Decorum Est.”

Bury Your Dead owes a great deal to my wonderful agent Teresa Chris and editors, Hope Dellon, Sherise Hobbs and Dan Mallory. Their kind words and critical eyes bring out the best in the book and in me as a writer.

Finally, I’d like to mention that the Literary and Historical Society is a gem, but like most libraries it now functions on little money and the good will of volunteers both Francophone and Anglophone. If you’d like to join, or visit, please contact them at: www.morrin.org.

This is a very special book for me, on so many levels, as I hope you’ll see. Like the rest of the Chief Inspector Gamache books, Bury Your Dead is not about death, but about life. And the need to both respect the past and let it go.