Still Life, Week 4

Welcome to Week 4 of the Online Book Club discussion of Still Life.

Did you guess who the murderer was before the end of the book? Were you shocked? The end was pretty exciting, and I genuinely was surprised when I found out who committed the crime. 

At the beginning of the section, it still looks like Philippe is the one who killed Jane. I really believed he would turn out to be the murderer. Were you surprised that Matthew was willing to go to jail for his son? Do you think he ever would have said anything about the crime had they not found Philippe's arrow in the tree? Clara definitely helped the case immensely by finding that arrow in the tree. Weren't you sad for Philippe that he believed he had accidentally killed Jane? I did feel bad for him, because I'm sure he was scared to death, but I was also disappointed that he would hide the fact that he might have committed a serious crime from everyone in his family. That's not a great reaction. 

I was not surprised at all that there was another will. It was just too unlikely that Jane would leave all of her money and property to a niece that she wasn't getting along with. And, the fact that there was another will helped to prove that Nichol was not doing her job. Did you expect that Clara was really the one that Jane had left everything to? Do you think she will do well with the money? 

When you found out that Ruth had betrayed Jane in the past, did you wonder if Ruth was the killer? I wondered that for a few pages, but I just couldn't imagine Ruth committing a murder. That was sad that Ruth had told Jane's parents about Jane's boyfriend. I wonder if Jane and her boyfriend would have had a happy life together had Ruth not interfered. 

What did you think of the reveal of Jane's house? I was so confused when they went in the first time and it just seemed like Jane was a really tacky interior designer. I couldn't imagine that was enough to stop Jane from showing her house to everyone. And, it seems like if she had decorated her house like that, she would have liked it and would not have felt bad about showing it to others. Were you surprised when they found Jane's drawings all over the wall? It was interesting that she recorded the town in that way. 

Jane's painting ended up being the key to the murder. I can't believe that painting is what caused Jane to be murdered. If only she hadn't put Ben in the painting. What did you think when they first realized that someone had been covered up in the painting? Did you immediately think of Ben? I didn't. I was shocked when it turned out that he was the one who had committed the crime. After the whole details were revealed, it totally made sense that he was the murderer, but I didn't put it together before it was explained. I was shocked when Clara showed up at his house, and he attacked her in his basement. That was wild. I can't believe that he killed his mother, too. He just wasn't who I thought he was at all. 

Everything seems to be pretty wrapped up at the end of the book, but I worry for Peter. I think he will be affected by the betrayal of his best friend. Do you think he will be able to move on quickly from learning that his best friend wasn't who he thought he was? 

Did you enjoy the book? Do you think you would read more from this author? Did you like the setting and the characters? If you liked this book and would like to read or watch similar items, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on my list! 

Before you go, check out the clip below with Louise Penny and Alfred Molina. Do you think you'll check out the Amazon Prime series after reading the book and checking out the clips? 

Thanks so much for following along this month! I hope you really enjoyed the book. Make sure to leave me a comment to let me know if you figured out the murderer before the end of the book! And, make sure to check back next month as we discuss The Christmas Train by David Baldacci.