Thank you to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of The Devil's Choir by Martin Michaud.

This book is my first introduction to Victor Lessard and Martin Michaud, and thoroughly enjoyed the book. I loved the setting in Montreal, Canada. Victor Lessard is a man haunted by his past (literally). He discovered the bodies of his mother and brother who were viciously murdered by their father. This causes a great deal of stress as he investigates his latest case, which brings to the surface the trauma he suffered as a child.

This book was very well written, and am looking forward to reading more from Martin Michaud.

An excellent thriller and police procedural with a little paranormal thrown in just to keep it interesting. The author throws the characters into situations that will have you holding your breath until they manage to escape. Fast read and full of thrills.

This is the third book in the Victor Lessard series but the second book which has been translated into English. Victor is a police detective in Montreal Quebec, an alcoholic currently not drinking, divorced with an adult son with whom he's not on good terms, and a daughter who lives with his ex-wife (I think). As this book begins, he is called to a horrific crime scene which involves the gruesome deaths of an entire family.

This story is very confusing and fragmented. There are many different storylines, involving the Catholic church, a pedophile ring, abduction, exorcism and lots of violence, blood and gore, and there are many characters to try and keep track of. There are also sudden changes from third person to first person without warning and I had to try and figure out which character's head we're in now. It's another one of those books where it feels like somebody's adding pages as I read and it took me forever to read it. I found my attention wandering quite often and I could easily have dnf'd it without knowing or caring how it ended but I felt obligated to finish. Some reviewers complained about the author's depiction of women which didn't bother me as much as the frequent references to someone or other's weight using the word "fat" to describe them. I doubt I'll continue with this series.

I didn't realize it rained so much in Montreal or was this just a bad period in time?! I felt like I was reading a book that took place in the UK! (No offense to my British friends!)

I really don't like to give a book only 1 star but there was too much wrong with it imo for me to even round it up to 2.

Thanks to Dundurn Press via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. This book was published in November 2021.

Montreal detective Victor Lessard on the case to investigate a murder and suicide. Inevitably there’s more than meets the eye so Lessard sets out to unravel the case and the mysterious outsiders he believes to be involved.

Well written police procedural with a smart plot and well drawn characters. A good read.

I really enjoyed this book,. The main character is a complex man - being a policeman to the detriment of everything else in his life. I will definitely read more in the series.

I received free copy of The Devil’s Choir ( La Chorale du Diable) in English from Net Galley to read and review.
“ The Devil’s Choir” is a relentlessly dark thriller, a cop drama with more that dives into the depths of human depravity and never comes up.
The main character, Victor Lessard, a police detective for the Montreal police is a man with crippling psychological issues. As a schoolchild he came home from school a little light one afternoon, fearing another beating from his father. What he sees upon entering the house is a horrifying scene , one that never leaves him: his mother, and siblings death shot to death by his father., who committed suicide afterward. Naturally, little Victor is traumatized. So is the adult Victor. With this damage, it is a wonder that I for ever passed a personality entrance test by the MPD.
The. Book begins with Lessard being called to a murder scene. Multiple murders. An entire family slain by an ax wielding father who then mutilated and killed himself. Subsequent investigation reveals that the family were devout Catholics.The husband a kind, loving family man who was respected in his work . The book is not of the police procedural genre; police work is a joke herein. Lessard finds Evidence, a note( suicide note?) , then spies two VCR tapes at the scene which he slips into a pocket without telling anyone. Now a crime scene team might miss a piece of paper, but two video cassette tapes in a cabinet shelf?
Other characters in the book are a young female prostitute who performs live sex channels and is fighting off a nasty pump- loan shark. Lassard’s loser, pot head alienated son . There is a depraved Catholic Cardinal, fat, obscene and venal ; , his priest/ aide who acts as secretary, masseur and sexual servant. There is a plot theme about an underground homosexual cabal corruption the churc worldwide.
The book is filled with graphic violence, sexual scenes, ghosts and hauntings.
Some readers might enjoy this sort of novel. I did not.
Recommendation: enter at your own risk - you will spoil your brain.



N

*Many thanks to Martin Michaud, Dundrum Press, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Unfortunately, I think this book did not deliver as far as I am concerned. The problem may be in the complicated plot and a relatively high number of characters who seem to blurr the story. Possibly, I should have written Book 1 before starting this one ...

I'm so pleased to see that others have given this book the respect that it deserves because I can't. My head is often fuzzy thanks to a health condition and this novel with all the ghosts, drama, and shocking murders sent the fuzzy into a mud bath of no escape.

A compelling read. A confusing story full of conflicting plot lines. Interesting characters who are multidimensional but, at times, risk being unrealistic. A story I had to finish once I began…I had to know what happened, and why.

The Devil’s Choir is one of a series of police/crime/thrillers written in French by Martin Michaud and set in Montreal that are now being gradually translated into English. This is, I believe, the third book of the series but the second to be translated. Victor Lessard is the detective Sargent who leads this story, a man who has extensive personal emotional baggage as well as a past within the department. He is already rundown when he encounters the “case from Hell.”

The deaths of a young family begin a case that fans out across the city and into neighboring areas as Lessard tries to make sense of what he found at that crime scene. And as he then tries to make sense of other incidents occurring nearby or that may be related. At one point in the novel, we are told: What does it all mean? One thing’s for sure: Lessard hasn’t yet found the common factor that can turn these disparate details into a coherent picture. And if Lessard can’t, neither can the reader. There are street kids and a drug culture, some sort of religious cult, a side story of a teenage girl making sex videos to get by, and other violent deaths.

While I did find the book compelling and wanted to know the how and why and who, I found some of the details just too excessive for my taste. The description of the crime scenes and deaths were horrific. The multi-linear plot occasionally became confusing. And, as I said above, some of the characters behave in what seem, to me, to be unrealistic ways even in a fictional police procedural. But, and this is a big but, the story does keep you coming back, wanting answers.

Rating 3.5* rounded down.


A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

EXCERPT: Driving along the wet asphalt of Highway 10 toward the Eastern Townships helps to clear his head.

He thinks about the events of the last few hours: the senseless killing that took place under his nose and the subsequent attempt on his own life.

It all seems unreal.

During his entire career as a police officer, Lessard has never experienced anything so outlandish. This is real life, not the movies. What kind of secret could possibly be so important that it justifies killing two people in broad daylight?

ABOUT 'THE DEVIL'S CHOIR': When a young Montreal family dies in an orgy of bloody violence, all signs point to a rampage by the father. But Victor Lessard isn’t convinced. The brilliant, brooding detective suspects that others were involved in the killings. But who? And why? As Lessard struggles to solve the puzzle, the discovery of a nightmarish chamber of horrors seems to confirm that the murders are part of a wider pattern. With a ghost from his past making him doubt his own sanity, Lessard must evade the lethal operatives of a powerful, highly secretive organization as he races to untangle the mystery before a diabolical killer can strike again.

MY THOUGHTS: Dark. Disturbing. Disjointed.

The Devil's Choir is the second book that I have read by Martin Michaud, and I feel very much the same about this as I did about the previous one, Never Forget, which was actually book #3 in the Victor Lessard series, and Devil's Choir is #2. I am unsure why a publisher would choose to start translating a series with the third book. I know that some series are easy to pick up part way through. This isn't one of them. And it is all the more confusing when #2 is translated and published after #3 . . .

The plot is complex. The characters are complex, and there are a lot of them. I enjoyed the beginning of this book, and settled into it quite quickly, but then I became unsettled and managed to lose my way numerous times and had to go back and reread things. I became confused by the disjointed style of writing and the almost nightmarish ambiance. There are simply too many threads to this story, tangled and knotted and difficult to unravel. The confusion kills the suspense.

Victor Lessard is an alcoholic (not drinking, but once an alcoholic...) suffers from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and tends to vomit at the sight of a body. He is not currently in a relationship but has become enamoured by one of his team, Nadja Fernandez. His constant agonizing over her quickly became wearing and added nothing to the story - e.g. 'Lessard thinks of Fernandez. Will he ever find the courage to tell her how he feels? To take the first step?'

It is not often that I am disturbed by an author's portrayal of women, but I really disliked the way Michaud fixated on the women's bodies. He appears to have a fixation with women's breasts.

I believe it is time for this author and I to part ways. I would like to say that I have enjoyed our relationship but, in truth, I have not.

Reading is a personal and subjective experience, and what appeals to one may not please another. So if you enjoyed the excerpt from The Devil's Choir, and the plot outline appeals, please do go ahead and read it. Just because this wasn't for me, doesn't mean that you won't enjoy it.

⭐⭐.4

#VictorLessardThriller #NetGalley

I: #martinmichaudauteur #dundurnpress

T: #VictorLessardThriller @DundurnPress

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THE AUTHOR: Born in 1970, Martin Michaud is a musician, novelist and screenwriter. He worked as a business lawyer for twenty years before devoting himself to writing full-time in 2012.

His novels have gained a wide readership in Quebec and Europe, winning numerous literary prizes. He is hailed by critics as “the master of the Quebec thriller.”

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Dundurn Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Devil's Choir by Martin Michaud for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

The devil's choir by Martin Michaud.
A Victor Lessard Thriller.
While investigating a domestic murder-suicide, Montreal detective Victor Lessard begins to suspect that shadowy outsiders were involved.
This was a good read. Good story and characters. 4*.

When Inspector Victor Lessard was called to a murder scene, he was not prepared for the carnage that he confronted or the effect it would have on him. John Cook murdered his family and then committed suicide, but Lessard is not happy with that conclusion and does not want to close the case. The scene brings back memories of the murder of his own mother and brother Raymond by his father, who then committed suicide. Now he is having visions of and conversations with Raymond and has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Martin Michaud’s The Devil’s Choir is a complex mystery. A child witnessed a priest leaving the Cook house around the time of the murder. As Lessard looks into John Cook’s connection to the church he also has his team researching other unexplained suicides. One provides the connection that he needs. Both men were in the same church choir along with another man who recently died. When Lessard is followed and attacked, he knows that he is on to something, but each revelation changes the direction of his investigation.

Michaud’s story is an exploration of evil. Victor is opposed by Noah, an officer in the Vatican’s intelligence service who is studying the presence of Satan and his influence. Dealing with the presence of Raymond and attempting to prevent further deaths increases the pressure on Lessard and the tension mounts. Lessard is a character who is willing to bypass regulations and has a drive and the determination to find justice for victims. There are scenes in Michaud’s story that deal with assault and pedophiles that are disturbing and the murder scene is rather graphic, but there are also scenes of forgiveness and teamwork that make this story well worth reading. I would like to thank NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing this book or my review.

Wow what a great read.
Completely gripped me from start to finish.
I could not put it down so eager was I to read the next chapter.Totally absorbing and fascinating too.
A new author for me and I will definately lookout for more of this authors books.

A dark gritty tale of murder, abuse, and secrets. Montreal Police DS Victor Lessard is certain that the easy explanation for the butchery of a family is not the truth- this was not a murder suicide but a murder by someone who has gotten away. Unfortunately, it brings up bad memories from his own past and he finds himself sidelined. In true troubled detective fashion, however, he perseveres to find the truth, taking the reader down dark paths into one of those vaguely familiar (to readers of this genre) conspiracies. I'd not read any of the books in this series, which I think actually hampered me a bit- there were threads that I'm sure meant more to those who had. That said, he's an interesting character as is Jacinthe Taillon who is working a case that will be important to the overall plot. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

The Devil’s Choir is a translation of one of Martin Michaud’s thrillers with Detective Victor Lessard. The story begins in Montreal where Lessard is called to investigate an apparent murder-suicide of parents and their two children. However, the detective finds it difficult to believe that this was caused but the father and will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of this mystery. There are a few areas of the book that prevented me from rating this book higher. There are a few too many side-storylines which confuse more than inform the reader. This being a work of fiction, I understand that the truth can be stretched but some instances were too implausible. I found it irksome that the female police officers are described in terms of their sexual attributes instead of their capabilities, this done by a detective who is supposedly in the throes of a failed love affair. In the era of me-too, this adds nothing to the story. I have read and enjoyed previous Martin Michaud books and I expect that this is a one-off and that mysteries to follow will be great. Thank you to Dundurn Press, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A young boy tries to stab himself to death, mysterious priests are spying on children, a young escapee from an abusive cult is earning a living performing sex acts on webcams. These events open the story but it is not clear what their connection is and how they will relate to the main arc of the plot as it initially unfolds. They imply a possible paedophilia slant which certainly colours the rest but feels a bit like deliberate confusion; plot mechanics rather than plot dynamics. Their relevance does become clear during later expositions, but I wasn’t sold on this approach.
Detective Sergeant Victor Lessard, of the Montreal Police, has been demoted from the Major Crimes Unit because of the chaotic resolution to a previous case. He is something of a loose cannon, a maverick. It is inevitable that he will be drawn into any complex case, but to begin with he is simply looking at a clear cut Murder-suicide of a Father who has killed his wife and children with an axe. Victor decides there is some evidence that this was carried out by someone else, possibly a priest, and starts to investigate on this basis (against the order of his boss, of course.) The book has been described as a police procedural but actually there is no real attempt by anyone to follow procedure.
Victor is ‘haunted’ by the spirit of his younger brother, Raymond, who had been killed in a murder suicide by their father. He had been delayed that day so survived but carries the inevitable guilt. Raymond provides a means to clarify some of Victor’s thoughts and actions, but these are also provided by the descriptions of events and occasional direct statements. As he proceeds with the investigation it becomes clear that there is a mass murderer at work, linked to a secret militant group within the local Roman Catholic hierarchy. This feels very much like a Dan Brown plot (Angels and Demons rather than DaVinci Code). Violence and violent death follow him throughout and these scenes are well-written, if rather overwrought. The ending does resolve all of the plots and sub-plots but takes a long time doing it, with more rehearsals of the facts than are really necessary; and the epilogues also feel excessive.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Thank you to the author, Dundurn Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is another in a series focussing on the policeman Victor Lessard - over the last 18 months, I read the third and the first book of the series, which confusingly was the order in which they were translated into English. This book is actually the second in the series. I tend to favor thrillers and crime novels where the private life of the investigator/police plays a role and the character develops over time, so this was definitely a book I was excited to read. The story is set in Montreal, and is obviously influenced by a love for this wonderful city (although given the dark subject matter, we do see much more of the seedy side). I did find it a bit hard going to get into the flow of the story, as there were various threads that didn't always seem to belong to the same overall story. However, once they began to mesh, I was hooked. It's gripping, but should come with some CWs such as extreme violence and sexual abuse.

Detective Sergeant Victor Lessard is called out to the apparent murder/suicide of a young family. The more questions he asks, the more he believes the deaths are linked to other murders with sinister connections.

THE DEVILS CHOIR is the second Victor Lessard novel I’ve read. Set in Montreal, it’s a dark, intriguing thriller involving addiction, religion, satanism and paedophilia. Lessard is deeply troubled by his own past trauma which is revisited as a result of the case. His personal life is a shambles and he’s barely existing. His colleagues are worried and his boss is looking for any opportunity to make an example of him requesting he have a psychological evaluation. Probably timely given Lessard is having flashbacks and visions preventing him from focusing objectively on the investigation at hand.

Rich in setting, THE DEVILS CHOIR provides a deeper dive into Lessard’s character and depicts his personal struggle with his traumatic past. With dogged determination and a large dose of total disregard for his own physical and emotional well-being Lessard hurtles towards the darkness.

Pick this one up if you can stomach violence and dark themes in your crime thrillers, and loads of twists and turns. There’s a hint of the supernatural in this one, or at least the premise ghosts from the past keep company until the living find their resolution. .

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy of this book.

The Devil’s Choir is the second book in the Victor Lessard series. However it is possible that it can be read as a stand alone novel without getting too lost among the characters and storyline.

The characters were probably established in the author’s first novel, Without Blood. But that really didn’t affect the story since it appears that the characters are still being developed and fleshed out. It was easy to get a flavor of the main protagonist, Victor Lessard, and his team of investigators.

The storyline is complex with multiple mini stories within the main framework. The plot is more than a simple whodunnit since there are many scenarios at play and all of them are intertwined somehow. That being said, the narrative is a little long and drawn out with some rough transitions. But in the end, everything comes together and any and/or all questions get answered in a somewhat predictable finale.

The targeted audience are those readers that enjoy whodunnit mysteries, and who don’t mind a slow burn plot line. Would I read more from this author? Maybe. I’ll need to read Michaud’s first novel in this series before I pass judgement. Right now, The Devil’s Choi is a fabulous four star read for me.

I received a digital ARC from Dundurn Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

I liked Victor Lessard the lead character but not so much the rest of the book. It’s probably best described as a dark, complicated thriller and unfortunately there are too many passages that really don’t add anything. So you end up thinking you’ve read a lot you didn’t need to