Another novel in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series? SAY WHAT?! Yes, please.

And it is a phenomenal thriller. Devoured in the form of an audiobook, I couldn't put it down.

In "All the Devils Are Here," the beloved Gamache family is not in Three Pines, Quebec, but in Paris where part of their family lives. Soon after their arrival, Gamache's godfather and an elderly citizen, Stephen, is a victim of a hit-and-run - and the Inspector has strong suspicious that this was not an accident.

Louise Penny is not just incredible at crafting a thrilling mystery, but also at truly bringing Paris to life. I equally loved the story and the setting/atmosphere. I did miss the small-town Canadian setting which we know so well, but this was a welcome change.

I highly recommend this series. This book can definitely be read or listened to as a stand-alone, though.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

All the Devils are Here (audiobook version) ****
By Louise Penny

This is the 16th in the series of Inspector Gamache novels but it can definitely stand alone as it’s set in Paris, France, far removed from the usual Three Pines or Quebec region. Gamache meets up with his 93 year old godfather who gets hit by a van in the very beginning of the story and thus begins the mystery behind this deed: was it an accident or intentional? Who is behind this and why? Of course there’s a larger story that will surprise you in the end and that’s what I love about Penny. It’s hard to guess who is involved and who isn’t until you get to the end of the story and then I find myself saying, “Of course! why didn’t I see that?”

If you enjoyed Louise Penny’s books, this one will not disappoint. It's a fast paced, emotional, and multi-layered plot. Gamache’s family dynamics are also explored in this novel so some things will be resolved here that earlier in the series remained nagging questions. I do love that Reine-Marie, Gamache’s wife, is more than supporting, loving spouse. Her acumen as archivist-librarian plays a critical role in unraveling the mystery.

I’m not fond of the reader of this audiobook version as the voice he uses for Daniel, Gamache’s estranged son, turns Scottish brogue sounding during one emotional exchange. However, the rest of the reading is perfectly suitable for the story.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC #AllTheDevilsAreHere.

I’d heard of Inspector Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec, but this 16th volume is the first I’ve read in the series. It should have been hard for a newbie to start at this point but the novel gives readers enough information about the characters to know who is who without seeming repetitive. Their dynamics are also very clear from the beginning: Gamache’s bond with his former second-in-command Jean-Guy, his troubled relationship with his son Daniel and his support network of close family members, especially his loving marriage to Reine-Marie, an organic and realistic portrait of a long time partnership. When Gamache’s godfather Stephen is run over in front of his whole family, Gamache and Jean-Guy know that it was not an accident. Their efforts to help the French police take them into a complex network of secrets, corruption and double and triple crosses. I loved the historical component, that takes the action back to the French Resistance. I gasped at the plot, that kept getting more and more interesting until it was almost unbearable. I teared up at certain moments that show how his family is always there for Gamache. Most of all, I loved the descriptions of Paris, where the action takes place. The audiobook performance by Robert Bathurst gives it an added layer of feeling. All his characters are different and identifiable. A great introduction to an established character.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Macmillan Audio!

Louise Penny is amazing. Every book seems to get better! I missed Three Pines but loved the Paris setting as well. Of course, our library will buy this in every format- our patrons will demand it!

Louise Penny's Armand Gamache series has become my most beloved comfort book. I have read each one and there has not been a loser in the whole series. All the Devils Are Here may be my absolute favorite of the series so far. I started reading it without actually seeing the summary first. I just know if it is part of this series, I am going to read it. HAD I read the summary, I might have worried going into it that many of the Three Pines characters would be missing since the novel takes place in Paris as the Gamache's visit in preparation for the birth of Jean-Guy and Annie's baby. Worrying would have been wasted. It was three quarters of the way through the book that I even noticed.

All the Devils Are Here focuses hard on simply the entire Gamache family: Armand, Reine-Marie, Annie and Jean-Guy, Armand's 90+ year old godfather, Stephen, and for the first time the Gamache son, Daniel and his family take a starring role. Daniel has been in previous books, but as a very minor character. He is a lead player in this one. Frankly, for a large chunk of his moments in the novel, I would like to throttle him. His jealousy of Jean-Guy's relationship to Armand was understandable, but when you learn why his own relationship with his father is so bad, its difficult to maintain any sympathy for him.

There are so many beautiful moments in All The Devil's Are Here that it is impossible to know what to put in the review, but I will just summarize my points by saying the relationships are what makes this entry into the series my favorite. The mystery is good, but it is not what I will remember about it. When I think about book # 16 in the series, I will be thinking about the relationships. Armand and Reine Marie have always demonstrated a strong marriage. Armand and his godfathers relationship is told from its beginning to its present, and it is a beautiful story. Annie and Jean-Guy have a similarly strong relationship to Armand and Reine Marie, but they have a moment in the novel that just shocked me to moved tears. But of course, the relationship I always love most in the series is the one of Jean Guy and Armand. Reine Marie calls it "something ancient" and I think readers feel it, too. It was a really beautiful novel.

Upon finishing book 15 of the series, I wasn't sure where Louise Penny could go with the characters to keep all the best featured ones in starring roles. All The Devils Are Here proved to me why she is a master writer and that I need to just use that pre-order option and keep pushing this series on all my friends. It is a series that just makes me feel better about life. This entry into the series might be the best.

Louise Penny's love letter to Paris. As she always does, Ms. Penny's setting is another character in her book. As the whole Gamache family gathers in Paris in anticipation of the birth of a Gamache grandchild, death and conspiracy follow. A very old friend of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is murdered but why? How does his murder endanger the rest of the Gamache family? The mystery is action-packed, the book is a page-turner and the City of Paris is a lovely additional character. Highly recommended as are the whole series. --Goodreads

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his family are vacationing in Paris when he witnesses billionaire Stephen Horowitz struck down in a hit and run. Gamache doesn’t believe it was an accident, and he, his wife and his former lieutenant begin a search for the truth behind the “accident”. From the Eiffel Tower to the bowels of Paris. Secrets, a gruesome find in Horowitz’s apartment and a growing awareness that Gamache may have to look within his own inner circle for answers make this 16th novel in the Gamache series a treat for fans. Bathurst’s narration is spot on, he captures Gamache and the peripheral characters to a T

When I requested this audiobook, I didn't realise it was the SIXTEENTH in a series about a Canadian Chief Inspector named Armand Gamache and his family.

This installation finds him on vacation in Paris with his godfather and suddenly thrust into the investigation into his godfather's murder and also a huge cover-up. Clearly, starting on the 16th book, there is a lot of background continuity and character development that I haven't been exposed to, but I never felt lost in reading, nor did I feel pandered to with massive info dumps. It was a really well-written and quickly-paced adventure created by a talented author who knows her characters inside and out. The mystery was also good; a little bit of Poirot, a little bit of Cormoran Strike.

There was some repetition as discoveries were made; the characters are talking about the new information, then relaying exactly the same info to a new character a few pages later. Cutting things like that would have made the story move a little bit quicker in the rare slow spots.

Robert Bathurst, the narrator, does a fantastic job on the story. His voice is perfectly suited to all of the characters, including the women, and never veers into offensive caricature in his delivery. His Anglo Canadian accent was a little jarring, but that's not to say it was inaccurate, just VERY regional. Overall, I would be happy to hear him read me a book again.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and MacMillan Audio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.