All the Devils Are Here: A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel #16) (Hardcover)
Staff Reviews
On the few occasions where Penny set an Armand Gamache novel somewhere other than Three Pines in Quebec, my first thought was, "NO! Where are Gabri and Ruth? And Rosa the duck (*uck *uck)?" Even though each crime plot is stellar, I thought the humor (humour?) would be lacking. Not at all. In her new novel, the Gamaches go to Paris and Penny’s funny-bone has become even more subtly devastatingly brilliant. You have to read closely at times to pick up the nuanced exchanges between Armand and his former second-in-command, Jean-Guy, but it’s there. Maybe just more French? Speaking of which, apparently there is much condescension by the French for their Québécois counterparts! (Was I the only one who did not know this?)
The family has come together for the birth of another Gamache grandchild in Paris. After a reunion dinner, Armand’s godfather, Stephen, is struck down by a vehicle in an attempted murder, poorly disguised as a random hit-and-run. Stephen remains in a coma, not expected to live. Another meticulously-plotted mystery ensues that pits mentors against mentees, sons against fathers, and casts doubts on everyones’ perceptions of their previously-held beliefs and prior relationships. While the entire family races to identify the crime and solve its intricate components, the novel showcases hidden talents of characters we thought we knew so well: Armand’s wife, Reine-Marie, is an extraordinary researchist, though because of her work at the Bibliothèque et Archives in Montreal, we shouldn’t be surprised; and Daniel, Armand’s son, is a banker, but also a gifted analyst and contributes much to the outcome of the case, when he isn’t fighting his father.
A few poignant reveals took me completely by surprise (tears!). The book ends with everyone coming back to Three Pines, and I mean everyone… I wonder what’s next? All in all, another big win for Louise Penny.
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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.
Praise for All the Devils Are Here
“Although Penny touches on a wide range of subjects in this expansive story, her main concern is with the sacrifices we make for those we love. Here, even the loving relationship between Gamache and his son, Daniel, is challenged. If you think about it, the underlying theme of all of Penny’s books is Honor Thy Family — the one you were born with, the one you’ve acquired during your lifetime and the Family of Man.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Penny excels at capturing the inner life, whether it’s a criminal’s or a resentful child’s. Series novices and die-hard fans alike will be left breathless—and moved.”
—People Magazine (Book of the Week)
“Armand Gamache seems as much a spiritual warrior as a homicide detective… What stays with the reader are the tender passages, the human insights, the reminders of what makes life worth living.”
—Wall Street Journal
“You don't need to have read the previous books to enjoy the mystery (whose apt title refers to a line from Shakespeare's The Tempest: ‘Hell is empty and all the devils are here’), but knowing a bit about the characters’ backgrounds helps you follow the subtle tensions between them."
—AARP The Magazine
“Penny excels at creating a sense of place, and she brings Paris to life with scenes small (a favorite garden at the Rodin museum) and big (the top of the Eiffel Tower). We walk — or, when necessary, run — through the streets of Paris, taste lemon tarts and mourn the fire damage to Notre Dame.”
—St. Louis Post Dispatch
“Penny’s books are always a cause for celebration, and this one is superb in every regard.”
—Booklist (Top Review)
“Penny's series has always been about the complexities and sustaining glories of family, and here she takes that theme even further, revealing fissures in the Gamache clan, but also showing the resilience and love at its root. Series devotees will revel in both Penny's evocation of Paris—every bit as sumptuous as her rendering of Three Pines—and in the increased role she allots to librarian Reine-Marie, whose research skills are crucial to untying the Gordian knot at the mystery's core.”
—Booklist (starred)
“Exceptional… Penny’s nuanced exploration of the human spirit continues to distinguish this brilliant series.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
“As always, Penny's mystery is meticulously constructed and reveals hard truths about the hidden workings of the world—as well as the workings of the Gamache family. But there's plenty of local color, too, with a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower to escape surveillance and a luxurious suite at the Hotel George V for good measure. If you're new to Penny's world, this would be a great place to jump in. Then go back and start the series from the beginning.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"The strengths of this latest procedural from the inimitable Penny will attract her longtime fans and also draw in new admirers. A deft touch with plotting, sensitive characterization, and the author’s warmth and humanity make this a must-have mystery, especially for collections owning the rest of series.”
—Library Journal (starred)