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 LightOn 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 … 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.
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family-dynamics, friendship, Paris, law-enforcement, intrigue, trust-issues, international-crime-and-mystery*****
Secrets, lies, and deceit in the City of Light. Inspector Gamache and wife have come to Paris to celebrate with part of their family and with his elderly mentor from childhood and beyond. But the joyous reunion is marred by a serious attempt on Steven’s life and spirals downward as things are uncovered. Then the plot “thickens” and intensifies even if it seems to meander at times. All in all it was very well worth the nearly 14 hours as I went about the mundane things.
I was impressed with the audio performance by Robert Bathurst and his ability to bring the characters and their personalities to life.
I requested and received a free audio copy from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley. Thank you!
I’m always impatient waiting for the next title in this wonderfully interesting series revolving around Inspector Gamache and his group of family, friends and co-workers. The author always is able to make each new title sparkle in its own way keeping the story fresh and interesting. I love the village of Three Pines and wish I could visit/live there. I’m so very glad that a friend recommended Louise Penney to me some years ago.
I love the Inspector Gamache stories and look forward to the new one every year.
Best yet!!!!!
A fast paced thriller that has many twists. The book provides insights of the feud between son and father while highlighting the importance of the relationship. Well laid out and exciting book through the city of lights.
I listened to this on audible and really enjoyed it. I normally listen to books at a faster pace which was not necessary with this narrator. He was fantastic. I loved his cadence and his accents as well as the different voices for the many characters. Top notch performance.
The only minor issue is that this is a complicated mystery with a lot of characters and a story that builds and builds so I had to really pay attention. I had not read the previous books which might have helped with my understanding all of the different dynamics, characters and relationships even if its not 100% necessary to this story. The last 2 1/2 hours of the audible were so exciting. I was putting all the pieces together as it was unfolding and it was quite honestly fun to experience. I recommend it and I recommend that you pay attention right from the start if you have any hope of not getting lost in the middle.
I got an early copy of this book and like I always do with a new Louise Penny book, I read like a maniac until the end. What an amazing book!
The majority of the book takes place in Paris. Gamache’s right hand man, Jean Guy, has moved his family there and started a new job at a multinational company. He is finding his new work somewhat perplexing working with engineers and really not knowing what is going on most of the time. His stress is not alleviated by his second in command who seems resentful of Jean Guy. Add in that his wife Annie is ready to pop with their new baby and life is somewhat difficult. One positive thing is that Annie’s brother Daniel and his family are also living in Paris.
When the senior Gamaches come to visit both of their children, tensions arise. Armand and Daniel have a very strained relationship and nothing Armand does seems to make it better. When the whole family has an opportunity to meet Armand’s godfather, Stephen, for dinner, it seems like an opportunity for some family bonding. However, Stephen seems preoccupied during dinner and when they are all leaving the restaurant he is run down in the street and nearly killed. Thus begins the meat of the story.
This book is a complicated mix of financial, industrial, and familial conflicts. As events fall in place Armand and Jean Guy find themselves in the middle of a deadly situation. They have no way of knowing who to trust but yet they have to unravel the truth or face threats to everything they love. Every time I read a new Book in the series I think that it can’t be as good as the ones before and I’m always wrong. This book was so fast paced that I was literally on the edge of my seat reading it. Parts of it were heartbreaking and other parts were so suspenseful that I couldn’t stop until I finished and knew the outcome.
Just when I thought I was going to have to read it again to absorb it all, I got an early copy of the audiobook. That version, read by Robert Bathurst, was excellent. Listening to the book all over again gave me the opportunity to absorb some details I had skimmed over in my first marathon reading of the book. Bathurst did such a skillful job that I was on the edge of my seat all over again even though I knew what happened!
Louise Penny is an absolute must buy for me and one author that I recommend to all my reader friends. This book is a perfect addition to her excellent series.
Louise Penny wrote that “[t]his book is about love, about belonging. About family and friendship. It’s about how lives are shaped by our perceptions, by not just our memories, but how we remember things. It’s about choices. And courage.” It is about all this and so much more.
In this sixteenth novel in the Armand Gamache series, Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, travel to Paris to be present when their fourth grandchild is born. Gamache welcomes the opportunity to spend time with his ninety-something godfather, Stephen. When Stephen is severely injured by a hit-and-run truck driver, Gamache and his family’s lives careen into a darkness so complex, so awful they might not survive their trip to hell.
If you are a fan of the Gamache series be prepared for something much darker than the previous fifteen books. Under no circumstance can you give up on this book because by the time you get to the final pages, you will have to pause to whisper, “I did not see that coming” more than once.
If you’re new to the Gamache series, you will undoubtedly enjoy this book, and by the end, you’ll be looking for the previous books in the series to binge read before the next book is published.
My thanks to Minotaur and Edelweiss for an eARC.