All the Devils are Here
Score: 4.5/5 Bookmarks
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for gifting me a review copy of All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny. This is the 16th book in the series about Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, and while I suspect I would have benefited from reading the previous books in terms of background and character relationships, it still worked very well as a stand-alone novel.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec is visiting family in Paris, and on their first night Armand’s godfather is hit by a car and critically injured in what Gamache knows is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on his life. He sets about trying to solve the mystery, which becomes more and more convoluted and far-reaching the more he discovers.
It took me a few chapters to settle into the book, and work out who everyone was and the role they were playing in the bigger story, but once I did I was really, really into it. In fact, I couldn’t put it down and I became extremely invested in the characters and their lives. The author really knows how to paint a vivid picture—not just the visuals of a location, but sounds and smells and feelings. Perhaps it helps that I’ve spent a lot of time in Paris, but I really felt like I was there, moving amongst the Parisians, and seeing familiar streets and landmarks.
Her characters are also incredibly dimensional. They are flawed, and human, and beautiful. They have conflicting emotions, difficult pasts, and have to deal with impossible decisions and complex situations—all of which is handled in a truly believable way. Amidst the drama and sadness there are also little sparks of humor and levity that all add together to make it a real pleasure to read.
The audiobook is expertly narrated by Robert Bathurst and comes in at just under 14 hours. The narrator really brought each character to life and gave them such distinct personalities. You can grab a copy of the audiobook via the button below, or get a physical copy here.
Synopsis:
The 16th novel by #1 bestselling author Louise Penny finds Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec investigating a sinister plot in the City of Light.
On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather as a family for a bistro dinner with Armand’s godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. Walking home together after the meal, they watch in horror as Stephen is knocked down and critically injured in what Gamache knows is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on the elderly man’s life.
When a strange key is found in Stephen’s possession it sends Armand, his wife Reine-Marie, and his former second-in-command at the Sûreté, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, from the top of the Tour d’Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives, from luxury hotels to odd, coded, works of art.
It sends them deep into the secrets Armand’s godfather has kept for decades.
A gruesome discovery in Stephen’s Paris apartment makes it clear the secrets are more rancid, the danger far greater and more imminent, than they realized.
Soon the whole family is caught up in a web of lies and deceit. In order to find the truth, Gamache will have to decide whether he can trust his friends, his colleagues, his instincts, his own past. His own family.
For even the City of Light casts long shadows. And in that darkness devils hide.
