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A review by littlemiao
All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I skipped a bunch of books in the series and read this one, for random reasons. I still think the series is worth reading. There’s plenty of heart and compassion in the writing. Occasionally cringey, depending on my mood, but more thoughtfully conceived than a lot of mysteries and cozies I read.
Spoiler ahead: I could have done without the Schrödinger’s Nazi storyline. In the end it seemed the character was vindicated, but I find it emotionally manipulative - either we are being asked on faith to believe that a good character couldn’t have a Nazi past, or to believe that a Nazi could achieve redemption through a lifetime of goodness (and no accountability for his crimes). The author didn’t go down that path, but the question was hanging in the air for a while. Also, there was a strange parallel drawn between collaborators during the war and collaborators in corporate crimes.
Spoiler ahead: I could have done without the Schrödinger’s Nazi storyline. In the end it seemed the character was vindicated, but I find it emotionally manipulative - either we are being asked on faith to believe that a good character couldn’t have a Nazi past, or to believe that a Nazi could achieve redemption through a lifetime of goodness (and no accountability for his crimes). The author didn’t go down that path, but the question was hanging in the air for a while. Also, there was a strange parallel drawn between collaborators during the war and collaborators in corporate crimes.