This is the 16th Inspector Gamache mystery, and I’m honestly impressed with how consistent these books are. There’s been a couple that I didn’t care for much or had trouble getting into, but on the whole these books always work for me. All the Devils are Here was no different–in fact, I think it was one of my favorites thus far.
Armand Gamache, his wife Reine-Marie, and his godfather Stephen are in Paris visiting Armand and Reine-Marie’s children and their families–including Jean-Guy Beauvoir, Armand’s former second in command at the Surete who is married to Armand’s daughter and recently took a job in the private sector (a job that, unbeknownst to him, Armand and Stephen helped arrange for him). While there, Stephen is hit by a hit-and-run driver and, this being a mystery series, of course the accident was no accident. They soon discover a dead body in Stephen’s Paris apartment, and Armand and Jean-Guy are off and running to solve this new mystery, this time assisting the Paris police.
Like I said, I really enjoyed this book. This series always benefits when the mystery is set outside of Three Pines, in my opinion, and I also liked the exploration of Armand’s relationship with his son Daniel, which hasn’t gotten very much attention in past books, as far as I can recall. I was interested in the mystery and there were several tense, exciting parts. But what I liked best about this book was the hopeful ending. That hopefulness was very helpful this week.