Unraveling a Tangled Mess

 Here is the book that was the inspiration for my posts on the Burghers of Calais.  In the beginning of the book, Gamache meets his godfather under the statue of The Burghers.  They explained enough to wet my appetite, so I googled to learn more. Going further down the rabbit hole, I imagined my own story.  Both posts were gleaned from Louise Penny's All the Devils are Here.

This is my first Inspector Gamache novel and I know for sure I'm going to read the whole story.  In the beginning, I didn't know who was who and I had to write the characters down.  The story is about a family.  Inspector Gamache is from Montreal but he is visiting family in Paris, namely his son and daughter who live in Paris.  Daniel Gamache, the son, and his father, Inspector Armand Gamache have a difficult relationship. We eventually find out the cause.  Anne, is the Gamache daughter who is expecting a baby, any time soon.

Inspector Gamache also visits his godfather, who raised him.  Right before his eyes, the godfather is run down by a car.  Gamache, being a cop, knew instinctly that it was a deliberate hit and run.  The car actually accelerated to hit Stephen, the godfather. And when the Gamaches went to Stephen's apartment, they found a dead man.  The mystery evolves and eventually all are involved in solving the crime.

Armand Gamache's wife, Reine-Marie, is a research librarian and works in Paris' archives to trace business permits and newspaper reports, to figure out what was going on.  Daniel Gamache uses his bank connections to trace dealings.

Inspector Gamache's friend Dussault, the prefect of police in Paris is a friend, or is he?  And Dussault isn't the only person and relationship that is suspicious.

I won't give out spoilers except to tell you that I loved the ending.  Anne's baby has Downs Syndrome and she is welcomed into the family.  Yay!  I love it.  Everything else is tied up nicely, too.

Near the end, the Gamaches return to their home, Three Pines.  It sounds idyllic.  The neighbors are characters and often involved in the stories, I gather.  But I'll have to start with the first in the series, to appreciate and read more of the Gamache Family.