I have read every book Louise Penny has written. So was thrilled to be allowed this. It is better than the previous two. Actually it is amazing not least because Paris is also a character.
I ended up reading late last night and again early this morning. This doesn’t happen often.

I have been a fan of Louise Penny novels for many years. Always beautifully and stylishly written, I think they are among the best in the genre. The latest is set in Paris, and while I missed the usual setting of Three Pines, I found this to be very special. It is intelligent, it has heart, and while as always the plot is suspenseful and engrossing, it is also sometimes moving and has touches of humour. Also, family take centre stage and relationships explored, as in estranged father and son, which is a new departure. A whole satisfying package. There is also the bonus of exploring Paris as well! Highly recommended. I have been recommending the Armand Gamache series on my book sites for a long time.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown for an early reading copy in return for an honest review.

This is the latest in the Armand Gamache series and it’s one I had yet to read, but I’d be interested in seeking out other books. The Chief Inspector and his wife are visiting family when his godfather, a ninety-something billionaire, Stephen Horowitz, is hit by a delivery van. This is no accident, it was deliberate and cruel. Through a series of events, Armand must lead an investigation when a body is found in an apartment (he has reasons not to trust the Parisian police force). Which should be fine, but all the while Armand is concerned of the serious threat to his family. There’s corruption and deceit and it’s up to Armand – with a little help, of course – to figure out what’s going on. While it’s a thrilling read, Louise also deals with the complications that come from families.

Paris Calling....
A new entry in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series is always a treat. The Inspector goes in search of secrets, a search which takes him to Paris. Ever suspenseful, clever sharp dialogue with a snappy and unpredictable plot and twists and turns aplenty. The ever empathetic, upstanding and knowing Inspector is the ideal protagonist. A worthy addition to this long running series - if you have read this series then you may have your favourites but each mystery is always hugely satisfying, stylishly written and never, ever disappoints. Consistently superb.

I feel lucky to have had this book early from NetGalley, and it's the 5th one in the series I have read and I am hooked!!!

Some great characters in this book, Inspector Gameche, his family and extended family.

The book is suspenseful, full of historical facts and has a twist at the end. Will recommend and can't wait for the next book in the series, but, I must read the rest of the series first.

I’m surprised and very sorry to say that I didn’t like All The Devils Are Here. I am still in the fairly early stages of making my way gradually (and with great enjoyment) through this series but was very happy to read this latest one out of order. I was very disappointed.

Part of the problem is that Gamache is not in Quebec and Three Pines but in Paris, and taking him and Reine-Marie out of where they really belong doesn’t work well for me. I understand Louise Penny’s profound personal reasons for doing this, but I’m afraid it doesn’t make for a good read for me. I also found that the persistent, almost hagiographic admiration of Armand by almost everyone he has ever known became very cloying.

What I found hardest to take, though, was the style. Penny makes incessant use of not writing in full sentences with clauses, but making those clauses sentences themselves.

Or sometimes even a paragraph.

It became almost unreadable for me. In the first chapter, for example, we get dozens of examples like:
“But this time was different. This time Stephen had added something. Something Armand had never heard from him before.
A specificity.”
And this, just a few pages later:
“Son. Stephen had never called him that. Not once in fifty years. Garçon, yes. Boy. It was said with great affection. But it wasn’t the same. As son.”

Seriously? “But it wasn’t the same. As son.”? Come on – Louise Penny is much, much better than that; she’s a really fine writer and cheap, irritating tricks like that demean her. I found myself wincing regularly and skimming from quite early on.

So, a serious disappointment for me. I can’t bring myself to give a Louise Penny book one star, but I really didn’t like it and I hope she returns to form with her next.

(My thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I need to preface this review by saying that I *love* this series - hence it's even more of a disappointment that it's a bit of an anomaly within Penny's work.

Firstly, it's set in Paris rather than the usual Quebec and Three Pines which also means that Gamache and Beauvoir are unofficial investigators (like the amateur detectives of Golden Age detective fiction), never my favourite set-up. Secondly, the entire Gamache family are there and all play their part in the case as investigators or as hostages to fortune - this gives the book a slightly Famous Five/Scooby Doo air, as the plucky family throw themselves up against the Parisian police and the dastardly criminals. Thirdly, *everyone* whom Gamache has ever met in Paris seems to make an appearance, is filled with love and admiration for him and his family and fall over themselves to help the investigation. Fourthly, the case itself is very insular, revolving around the private company that Jean-Guy now works for and Daniel's (Gamache's son) bank. As well as all that, people are constantly telling each other how much they love them which starts of being lovely and warm but after declaration after declaration starts to feel cloyingly schmaltzy. Add to all that, endless reminiscences from Armand's childhood and past including a Holocaust history (has there ever been a reference to Jewishness earlier in the series?) and I started feeling that I was wading through an awful lot of treacle to get to the 'meat' of the story. There is an interesting story here though it's revealed rather too early to be much of a mystery.

Now, I completely understand the genesis of this book and Penny's desire to honour her own distressing past (the death of her husband) and the importance, therefore, to her of memories, love, Paris - I get all that, really I do - and if this book helped her face up to her own grief and ability to move forward, then that's wonderful. But personal catharsis doesn't always make for the best read: for me, this was messy structurally and in tone, and I missed the wonderful coterie of Three Pines characters who always gave some robustness to the whimsy.

So probably my least favourite of a deservedly well-loved series; I'll be interested to see where it goes next.

This was a book that I feel could be one of your must reads of the year. I was so glad l have had the opportunity to find my first experience of a Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. You feel you want to belong to this Gamache family straight away. Before the end Armand will come to know the heartbreaking choice of family or duty. You will particularly fall in love with Armand head of the Gamache family. The mystery starts when his godfather the billionaire Steven Horowitz is run down after a family night out in Paris. Armand realises immediately that this was deliberate and asks for help from his friend the head of the Paris police. Armand and members of his family will find that Steven has left them a trail of bread crumbs if only they could decipher it but will not find it easy to tell who are their real friends. You will be taken through the atmosphere of Paris’s many attractions the hidden courtyard gardens and the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. The Hotel Lutetia and its infamous past will play a big part in Armand questioning what he really knows about his godfathers youth in the resistance. The story gives you many heart stopping moments and really grips you till the very last page. I hope to revisit this series again soon. I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

All the Devils Are Here is a captivating page-turner, full of mystery, The description of real-life settings and events weaved into the plot adds to the suspense and makes it an even more compelling read.

I chose this book for a sense of escapism. The cover image is engaging, and I love anything with a Paris theme! I haven't read any of the author's previous work, but that isn't needed in reading this book. Being new to the characters didn't matter as I felt that their back story was explained well.
It was a really good story, a definite 'page turner'. The way in which it was written made sure I kept reading on - late into the evening! The main character, Armand Gamache was likeable, and the fact that the story centred around his family made it more intriguing as the story line is revealed.
The details around the locations and places used as settings were well written, and added to the reality of the situations in the book. The use of factual happenings, such as the use of the Hotel Lutetia in WWII added to the mystery of the story. I have already recommended to family members who also have a love of Paris and a good detective story!

The title of Louise Penny's latest in the Armand Gamache series is part of a quote from Ariel in Shakespeare's The Tempest, 'Hell is empty and all the devils are here', dimming considerably the city of light, Paris, where the Gamache family are to find themselves locked into a nightmare that threatens all and everyone they hold dear. Armand and his wife, Reine-Marie are visiting their children, heavily pregnant Annie and banker, Daniel, and their families living here. Former homicide detective, Jean-Guy Beauvoir quit the Surete du Quebec and is now working for a private engineering corporation, facing resentment from a colleague who feels his job should have been hers. After a bistro family dinner, Armand's beloved godfather, the 93 year old billionaire, Stephen Horowitz, is hit deliberately by a delivery van, his life left hanging by the most tenuous of threads.

Armand calls Paris police chief, Claude Dussault, and his second in command, Irena Fontaine, leads the investigation, but when a body is found in Stephen's apartment, Armand is not certain the police can be trusted. The means Armand is pushed into investigating himself, aided by Jean-Guy who returns to his role as homicide detective like a duck to water, and Reine-Marie, using her extensive skills as an archivist. The impetus to get to the truth is increased mightily knowing the entire family is in extreme danger, pushing Armand to try and overcome the schism that had grown between him and Daniel through the years. Connections between Daniel's bank, Jean-Guy's employer emerge as they delve into Stephen's background, as powerful, ruthless and murderous forces run rampant in Paris.

Penny's writing and plotting make this long running series as exciting, thrilling and riveting as it has ever been, despite the fact she has shifted the location of the beautiful village of Three Pines to Europe and Paris. She makes Paris one of the chief characters in the novel, with its turbulent past history, making me feel as if I was right there amongst the famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the fire hit Notre Dame and the Hotel Lutetia. Whilst there is murder and mayhem, this is essentially a story of the bonds of family, love, our inner need to belong and friendship as we learn more about the characters, their past history and relationships. I have watched the characters develop through much of this series, coming to love and adore them, and it is always with a sense of joy that I look forward to reacquainting myself with them when a new book comes out. A fantastic addition to a superb series. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for this E-arc.

Louise Penny has done it again. A captivating Mystery Which is a gripping page turner. I loved that the reader gets to find out about the Gamache family. Finally learning more about Daniel Gamache. The one negative to this instalment is that it wasn’t set in three pines and therefore lots of the beloved characters are missing.

This was my first Penny book,and also,obviously my first Gamache book.
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to pick up on who was who,and what their relationship was to each other.
I enjoyed the story,and the characters,and definitely think I'm going to need to explore their back history some more.