All the Devils Are Here (16th in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache) by Louise Penny

All the Devils Are Here (16th in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels) by Louise Penny

ISBN-10: 1250145236 - Hardcover $28.99

Minotaur Books (September 1, 2020), 448 pages. 

Review copy courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. 

I'm a huge fan of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache stories, so I am very grateful for the ARC audiobook of All the Devils Are Here the 16th in the series.   

All the Devils Are Here takes while Armand and his wife Reine Marie are visiting their children and grandchildren who have moved to Paris.  We are drawn into the family dynamics and learn about the tensions and distance between Armand and his son Daniel.  Daniel's relationship with Armand is painful, stilted,  frustrating and contrasts deeply with the ease that Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Armand share. It is difficult to stomach the coldness and pettiness with which Daniel treats his father especially since Armand is a bit of a father figure to us all.  Fortunately, the source of Daniel's anger and coldness comes out later in the story.

The real mystery that Armand, Reine Marie and Jean-Guy seek to solve comes out early in the story.  Armand spends time with his godfather Stephen Horowitz.  During their walk after dinner, a truck barreling down the road mows Stephen down.  Armand and Reine Marie are convinced that Stephen was targeted and they report the incident as a crime.  The Parisian police regard Armand and Jean-Guy as provincial dullards and it is satisfying to watch these two detectives slowly prove their worth. 

The real mystery is why was Stephen attacked and who is the dead man in Stephen's apartment. As Armand, Reine Marie and Jean-Guy find a hotel key in Stephen's pocket they also discover that Stephen has a secret project that likely drew the attention of a dangerous and powerful group.  It takes Reine-Marie's investigative and critical skills as well as the abilities of Armand and Jean-Guy to unravel the mysteries.  But their investigation draws the danger to their family and Armand finds dealing with Daniel almost as difficult and heartbreaking as the attack on his godfather Stephen.  

All the Devils Are Here is engrossing and I couldn't stop listening. I am very much looking forward to reading the book when it comes out and savoring the language and the being there as Armand, Jean-Guy, Reine Marie and Daniel work on a puzzle that cost them dearly. 

About the Author: 

LOUISE PENNY is the author of the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling series of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (seven times), and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise lives in a small village south of Montréal.