Another re-read. For the most part, the Gamache series do stand alone, but here, Ms. Penny does reference some things in the past (although she will admit she changed some things about Stephen).

So, the Gamaches are all in Paris. Annie is about to give birth, Jean-Guy and she live in Paris now and have joined Daniel and Roslyn (Annie's brother and sister-in-law, respectively). Armand and Rein-Marie are in Paris for the birth and to be with family. Stephen is going to join them and they are all waiting for the new baby. How wonderful! What could go wrong? Well, after their nice big family dinner, Stephen gets run down in a hit and run. The whole family was in the street at the time, but Stephen was the only one hit and hurt. Armand, of course, is traumatized and shocked because of the lost of his parents (Stephen is the only parental figure left). Then, stuff gets weird and I don't want to spoil anything. It looks like it was not a car "accident" but a hit. Who is going after Stephen? What was Stephen up to? Is the rest of the family safe?

Armand, along with Jean-Guy, Rein-Marie and others investigate.

I really enjoyed this book because it has a LOT. Good mystery, family, friends, it builds upon characters and themes that has been mentioned in previous books in the series.

Lots of intrigue. Three Pines is not a big character in this book. It's mentioned, but the focus is on Armand, his past, his family and what it all means to him.

One of my favorites of the series!