Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Victor who is a detective is called to a crime scene where it looks like the father killed himself and his family. He doesn't think so. This book captured my attention from the beginning.

Thank you Netgalley and Dundurn Press for the eARC.
This was my third Victor Lessard book and unfortunately my least favorite.
Victor is in a bad place: he's investigating a horrific scene of domestic violence. It seems that the father took an axe to his wife and children, killing them, then cut his tongue out, stabbing himself and bled to death. It brings back Victor's terrible childhood memories and he's haunted by his murdered little brother...literally.
He ends up being put on paid leave, because his team are worried about him, but he's determined to still be involved, especially when there's a public attempt on his life.
It's a dire case, involving the Catholic church, pedophiles, assassins and very bloody murders by seemingly normal family men.
I found it hard to put down, but also quite depressing. I love Victor and the Montreal setting and would like to see the TV series on Netflix or Amazon, but I hope the next in the book series will be as gripping, but a bit more uplifting!
Recommended, but it's not for the faint of heart.

What a wild ride! Third in the series and definitely the best yet. Don't want to give any spoilers here, strong characters that you definitely get engaged with and more conspiracies and twists than you would think possible - keeps you turning the page wondering what's going to happen next and to whom! Even if you haven't read the first two, enough detail here to read this one - although why not read them all!

4.5 stars I want to extend my sincere thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for this dark, grim, spine-tingling ebook in return for an honest review. I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of the Devil's Choir by Martin Michaud, having been mesmerized by the two books in the series previously and masterfully translated from French to English. I hope the remaining books will be translated as I want to follow Detective Victor Lessard's further cases. They have also been adapted into a popular French TV series in Quebec, and one of our streaming services needs to show them.

The city of Montreal becomes a predominant character, its good, bad, and beautiful, richly described in atmospheric detail. There are murder and torture scenes that are ghastly and gory, so the story might not be for everyone but is part of this twisty, convoluted and complex plot. There were sex scenes I felt were unnecessary to the story.

The mystery and police investigation begins with a horrifying, shocking murder/suicide. An entire family has been found slaughtered in their home. The father, mother, and three children are dead. The weapon was a bloody axe, and also there were some knife wounds. Forensic evidence points to murder by the father, who committed suicide after slicing out his own tongue. The murder scene was littered with swarms of flies. The Montreal police department considers the case closed.

Detective Victor Lessard is not so certain. He believes there was a third party involved. Lessard is in an emotionally fragile state. He is a brilliant detective, but is suffering from periods of depression, fits of anxiety, and even hallucinating a ghost from his troubled past. He is gruff, lashing out at even those who are sympathetic. Finally, he is ordered to take time off work and receive psychiatric help. Reluctant to do so, he carries on unofficially after discovering some clues that reinforce his belief that the deaths were not as they seem. The case is connected to one in the past. A husband brutally killed his wife and gouged out his eyes before committing suicide. Similarly, there was a swarm of flies present that could not be explained by science. Helping Lessard in his investigation and secretly going against rules are eventually two of the department's policewomen. Lessard experiences physical injuries to add to his mental anguish.

The complicated investigation has many factors, leading the detectives down the wrong paths. The case involves a suspected pedophile ring and a young sex worker who ran away from her abusive father. She has a strange, charismatic male friend whom she has unsuccessfully tried to seduce. Her father is now a pastor and leader of a cult. Lessard's investigation includes possible Satan worshippers, an entomologist, good and bad priests, exorcist priests, an enigmatic Chinese man, a young homeless boy who was a street hustler and too traumatized to speak, a Mafia thug, an observant sickly child, a church choir, a pimp, gang members, and adults discovered in underground cells. Adding to this almost impossible case is a secret, separate, fundamentalist and radical arm of the Vatican whose purpose is to consolidate the faith of those leaving the Church. They have sent a member of the Vatican Secret Service to Montreal for an unknown purpose.

With inexplicable associations, puzzles, and motives, it is no surprise the reader cannot connect what is going on, but neither can the investigators who frequently follow wrong paths and mistaken clues and hunches on their way to a solution. As a result, they will encounter danger, injury, and mayhem before the case is brought to a close.

Recommended for readers who don't mind some dark, disturbing content within an intense, thrilling, and complicated mystery containing well-written and complex characters.