In the picturesque Canadian village of Three Pines, murder is never very far away. For more than 20 years, Louise Penny has been drawing readers into its seemingly idyllic world, where secrets lurk behind closed doors and Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is on hand to unravel them. Her internationally bestselling mysteries have sold millions of copies worldwide, with her latest, , the 21st instalment in the beloved series.

Penny knows better than most what makes a mystery novel impossible to put down. But which are the ones that have kept her up at night herself? Here, she shares five mysteries that have shaped her life and writing…

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

“Who knew the scent of roses could arouse such dark passions? Set in 18th -century France, follows a young man with an extraordinary sense of smell who becomes obsessed with capturing the perfect scent – even if it means killing for it.

“I read this novel before I started to write my first book, , and Süskind’s work showed me the power of engaging all the senses of the reader.  Terrifying, gripping, totally absorbing, is an utterly astonishing achievement.”

Penguin, £10.99

The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey

“Most people list Tey’s The Daughter of Time as her best and their favourite, and it is brilliant, but I love this one. It’s not a murder mystery, but it is a mystery and it is steeped with atmosphere.

“The story follows two elderly women who move to a hermetic English village just after the war. They’re already viewed with suspicion, and don’t help by keeping themselves to themselves.

“When an accusation is made, the police are called in. But has a crime even been committed? The book plays with the reader as we vacillate between believing the women guilty of a terrible crime and then, a paragraph later, thinking that they are the victims. It is ingenious.”

Arrow, £9.99

Raven Black by Ann Cleeves

“This book, about the murder of a teenage girl on Shetland and the suspicion that falls on a lonely local outcast, introduced Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez and launched Cleeves’ celebrated Shetland series.

“It was the first of Cleeves’s books I ever read, and I was there the night it won her the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award in 2006. Who knew that evening what a towering figure in crime fiction she would become?

“Like all her novels, it is atmospheric, beautifully written and filled with rich and fully developed characters.”

Pan, £8.99

Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

“Highsmith’s enduring 1950 classic is the book I wish I had written. I’m still so annoyed that she got there first – and did it so memorably that I can’t even steal the premise!

“The chilling story follows two strangers who meet on a train, one of whom suggests they each commit a murder for the other, leaving neither with an obvious motive.

“Throughout there is this extraordinary sense of claustrophobia; of the noose slowly tightening. I’m also a huge Alfred Hitchcock fan, and I think he adapted the book brilliantly.”

Vintage, £9.99

Jade Dragon Mountain: A Mystery by Elsa Hart

“Set in the early 1700s in China, this book follows a canny imperial librarian, Li Du, as he solves a murder. One of the many joys of reading is that we get to visit places and times that we cannot now get to. 

“As I turned the pages, I felt I was not just watching Du investigate, but walking beside him, seeing, hearing and inhaling the atmosphere.  The first of a trilogy, which are all worth reading, this is a wonderful debut by a gifted writer.”

‘Miss Wolcott’s Ghost’ by Louise Penny is published by Hodder, £22