# Is "The Beautiful Mystery" by Louise Penny a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books / St. Martin's Press, 2012) is identified by: Martin's first, 2012 (ISBN 9780312655464), with 'First Edition' on the copyright page and a number line. The US Minotaur 2012 hardcover is the recognized priority first for collectors; UK and other-territory editions are separate, later settings.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Martin's first, 2012 (ISBN 9780312655464), with 'First Edition' on the copyright page and a number line
- The eighth Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novel; it won the 2012 Agatha Award and the 2013 Anthony and Macavity Awards for Best Novel
- Publisher imprint reads Minotaur Books / St. Martin's Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louise Penny |
| Publisher | Minotaur Books / St. Martin's Press |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Martin's first, 2012 (ISBN 9780312655464), with 'First Edition' on the copyright page and a number line |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Minotaur/St. Martin's first, 2012 (ISBN 9780312655464), with 'First Edition' on the copyright page and a number line. The eighth Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novel; it won the 2012 Agatha Award and the 2013 Anthony and Macavity Awards for Best Novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Minotaur 2012 hardcover is the recognized priority first for collectors; UK and other-territory editions are separate, later settings.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A number line not ending in 1, or a stated later printing, indicates a reprint; book-club issues differ from the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Beautiful Mystery* by Louise Penny a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-beautiful-mystery
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.