Mystery

The Madness of Crowds

The Madness of Crowds

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-31 09:52:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Louise Penny
  • ISBN：1250847265
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Summary

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns to Three Pines in #1 New York Times bestseller Louise Penny's latest spellbinding novel， The Madness of Crowds。

You’re a coward。

Time and again， as the New Year approaches， that charge is leveled against Armand Gamache。

It starts innocently enough。

While the residents of the Québec village of Three Pines take advantage of the deep snow to ski and toboggan， to drink hot chocolate in the bistro and share meals together， the Chief Inspector finds his holiday with his family interrupted by a simple request。

He’s asked to provide security for what promises to be a non-event。 A visiting Professor of Statistics will be giving a lecture at the nearby university。

While he is perplexed as to why the head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec would be assigned this task， it sounds easy enough。 That is until Gamache starts looking into Professor Abigail Robinson and discovers an agenda so repulsive he begs the university to cancel the lecture。

They refuse， citing academic freedom， and accuse Gamache of censorship and intellectual cowardice。 Before long， Professor Robinson’s views start seeping into conversations。 Spreading and infecting。 So that truth and fact， reality and delusion are so confused it’s near impossible to tell them apart。

Discussions become debates， debates become arguments， which turn into fights。 As sides are declared， a madness takes hold。

Abigail Robinson promises that， if they follow her， ça va bien aller。 All will be well。 But not， Gamache and his team know， for everyone。

When a murder is committed it falls to Armand Gamache， his second-in-command Jean-Guy Beauvoir， and their team to investigate the crime as well as this extraordinary popular delusion。

And the madness of crowds。

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Reviews

Anne ，

I'm starting to think Louise Penny was suffering from long Covid when she penned this book。 Set post pandemic with the whole gang back in Three Pines， the 17th book is tedious， poorly plotted， too long and Gamache has practically achieved God status。 It's really a polemic on euthanasia and not particularly well done as Penny tries to knit some major ideas together in the shape of two murders forty years apart， one of them happening （incredibly） in Nanaimo， BC。 Penny manages to pull a lot of thre I'm starting to think Louise Penny was suffering from long Covid when she penned this book。 Set post pandemic with the whole gang back in Three Pines， the 17th book is tedious， poorly plotted， too long and Gamache has practically achieved God status。 It's really a polemic on euthanasia and not particularly well done as Penny tries to knit some major ideas together in the shape of two murders forty years apart， one of them happening （incredibly） in Nanaimo， BC。 Penny manages to pull a lot of threads together but not very successfully， although the book is timely。 But how in the heck does a female Muslim Sudanese Nobel Peace Prize winner end up in this Eastern Townships tiny village on New Year's Eve with a sparkler in her fingers？ Oh， and everybody drinks a lot of hot chocolate！ 。。。more

Lana Gillis ，

Excellent。。。I enjoyed the pandemic views interlacing with the mystery。 As usual， I love all of the characters & I like the humor interspersed through out the story。 Thanks for such creative detail that I want to visit Three Pines， if only it existed。

Rajeev Gupta ，

After enjoying All the Devils are Here， I was excited to pick up this latest book from Penny， but was sorely disappointed。 The previous book must have been a deviation from normal for her because it was full of interesting plot twists， and being set in Paris， it avoided the endless banter between extraneous characters in Three Pines village。 Now， it seems， Penny has returned to that familiar milieu with force to the extent that nothing happens outside it at all this time！ And the mindless rambli After enjoying All the Devils are Here， I was excited to pick up this latest book from Penny， but was sorely disappointed。 The previous book must have been a deviation from normal for her because it was full of interesting plot twists， and being set in Paris， it avoided the endless banter between extraneous characters in Three Pines village。 Now， it seems， Penny has returned to that familiar milieu with force to the extent that nothing happens outside it at all this time！ And the mindless ramblings are turned to full volume， so there is filler material ad nauseam。The plot， as it were， is very stagnant。 There are broadly three narratives here:1） Abbie is a famed statistician who has deduced from her pandemic studies that it is economically best for the older， infirm people to be "mercy killed"， extended that thesis to pregnancies with birth defects and is on a campaign to make that a national policy2） The historically accurate recounting of Ewen Cameron， a famed psychiatrist， who conducted inhuman torture experiments on unsuspecting patients at McGill University on behalf of the CIA3） Abbie's family history of a mother who committed suicide， a sister with Down's Syndrome who was killed accidentally by her father， who then also committed suicide; along with a childhood friend， Debbie， who has become her assistant-cum-manager in her new crusadeProblem is there is not much movement in this plot。 The stagnant narrative loops around itself repeatedly， trying to cast off red herrings here and there， and trying to show how everyone can have motive for misdeeds。 But most aren't convincing。 Not the Sudanese import， Haniya， who， for some reason， is shown as one-dimensional （sad） caricature。 And least of all， Collette， the chancellor of the local university， whose every action is unbelievable and whose every dialog induces eye rolls。 For that matter， most of the dialog is cringe inducing as no one really talks like that in real life。（view spoiler）[Worse， the plot rests on a few actions that are barely credible:- why does Vincent Gilbert sign the letters demanding payment for Cameron's treatments when， as he insists， he was not involved with the experiments and merely taking care of lab animals as an intern？ And now that he has been revealed to have this nefarious connection， why is still not being excoriated or excommunicated from the village society？- why would Abbie's father kill himself if he suspected Abbie was the one who killed her sister？ The so-called "last" picture just the day before showed him as a happy person， in love with Collette， and full of life。 Sure， Maria's death would have depressed him， but if he didn't actually kill her， then his motivation for suicide becomes more obscure。- why does Debbie keep calling Abbie "Abby Maria"， creepily reminding her of the dead sister， especially after finding out that Abbie killed Maria？ Puzzlingly， Debbie remains a devoted follower of a murderer and vows to keep her secret， yet babbles on to remind everyone of the dead sister in public。- why would Abbie premeditate Debbie's murder by picking up a log from the library （conveniently between the precious few minutes she would be unnoticed） and bludgeoning her in the woods？ Yes， Debbie irritated her with "Abby Maria" in front of Vincent， but that hardly seemed like the final straw， especially given her initial reaction was to go chat with other party guests！ This did not feel like a crime in the heat of the moment， and certainly did not explain why she would kill the only person who apparently adored her， despite her cruel crusade and knowledge of her past misdeed。 If Abbie wanted to remove any link to her past， then Collette was equally in the know， yet escaped any dire consequences！ And for someone who so cruelly killed her sister to follow her own ambitions， she has been portrayed， not as an unfeeling psychopath （which she likely is） but as an empathetic， likable character！（hide spoiler）]Beyond the obvious plot holes， it was disappointing that the first narrative was given short shrift。 There was so much potential to delve into its nuances， give weight to both sides， create a real moral conundrum， even give a bit more substance to the "assassination" angle。 But all of that was glossed over。This felt like a filler book， something Penny has to do every year or so， and has run out of good ideas， so just cooks something up in the familiar village with familiar characters droning on about nothing， taking a light plot and repeating it endlessly with a lot of "what if" red herrings thrown in for good measure。 It might have been more palatable had it not gone on for 430+ pages！！ 。。。more

Carol ，

ConfusingSo many new characters in this book， not just the people of Three Pines， but many more， each somehow tied to the death of one or more people。 I had difficulty wandering through the maze of characters， was confused by the many possible scenarios， and motives of everyone。 I'm at the end of the book but still not sure what happened！ ConfusingSo many new characters in this book， not just the people of Three Pines， but many more， each somehow tied to the death of one or more people。 I had difficulty wandering through the maze of characters， was confused by the many possible scenarios， and motives of everyone。 I'm at the end of the book but still not sure what happened！ 。。。more

Andrea Grimes ，

Genius Yet again， a thought provoking theme running through a thoroughly enjoyable read。 Well done Louise Penny。 My favourite author， as always x

Sarah ，

*As someone completely new to Louise Penny/Inspector Armand*There were some intriguing characters and interpersonal dynamics in this book， including some excellent conversations/scenes in what I would call “Act 2” of this novel that I could imagine as scenes in a tv or movie version that I would look forward to。 Those aspects were my favorite parts， as well as the overall examination of a strict utilitarian moral take。However， I’m disappointed to say this book was a bit of a struggle in Acts 1 a *As someone completely new to Louise Penny/Inspector Armand*There were some intriguing characters and interpersonal dynamics in this book， including some excellent conversations/scenes in what I would call “Act 2” of this novel that I could imagine as scenes in a tv or movie version that I would look forward to。 Those aspects were my favorite parts， as well as the overall examination of a strict utilitarian moral take。However， I’m disappointed to say this book was a bit of a struggle in Acts 1 and 3。 Act 1， as others have noted， kept the mystery of the controversy going far longer than necessary。 I had guessed what it was， but when it continued to not be stated， I almost began to wonder if it was the exact opposite。 Overall， it made the final “reveal” a little underwhelming as we were already 50 pages in。Act 3 I was a bit exhausted of the repetition of the pattern: separate investigations of Armand， Jean-Guy， and Isabelle， then regroup and discuss theory。 This pattern in general is to be expected， but by 350 pages in it felt they had interviewed all people of interest 2-4 times and were just masticating the same 6 theories， 3-4 suspects juggling what appeared to be 10 possible motives。 I enjoy when there are good possible options in mystery stories， but this was just too many that I felt the time reading their discussions took away from moving the plot or the major themes forward。 Was more than ready for the conclusion， which I feel bummed by considering how intrigued I was by some of the characters。Bests:- Asshole Saints- Philosophical debate- Some of the 1-on-1 conversationsWorsts:- Way too many family members/characters （probably less of an issue if you’re a long time fan， but I thought the dogs’ names were grandchildren for much of the novel）- 1，000 motives and emotion-based chain reactions- Armand quoting poetry/literature every other chapter 。。。more

Sandy ，

Once again， Louise Penny authored a murder mystery that drew me in and ended with a nod to the goodness of humankind。

NancyàGoslee ，

Penny has done it again！Another amazing Book！ At first I wasn’t sure where it was going but I trusted that it would be great。 Sad it ended and look forward to the next。

Camille Laplaca-Post ，

I’ve loved all the 16 books of this series but I wasn’t drawn in as much to this one， #17。 3。5 stars but I’m still looking forward to book 18。

Gpkarr ，

Great story。 A really good "who dune it'。 Great story。 A really good "who dune it'。 。。。more

Katie Proctor ，

Oooof the subject matter of this one was TOUGH and dark。 But I was happy to be back in 3 Pines for the setting。

Tomi ，

An excellent story dealing with the pandemic and the idiocy that came with it。

Ella Schott ，

3。5。 Good book & it was well written but it took too long to get to the conclusion。 It was dragged on and I got impatient; the book could have been much shorter while still telling the whole story。

Karen Radell ，

I thought it was interesting， but not as good as previous novels。 Having just retired from academia， I can say that the book rings true。 I can’t put my finger on it， but the book is not as satisfying as her previous ones。

Victoria Watson ，

The Gang Does It AgainThe plot was unbelievably a too close to reality。 A reality， I hope to never or anyone ever experience。Penny is a great storyteller， I love the sarcasm embedded， the strong sense of community， and the love the characters have for one another。

Brenda ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I honestly can't decide how I feel about this book。 It seemed like a pretty complicated mystery and I felt it was a little too long。 I ended up listening to about half of it。 I rarely have difficulty keeping track of characters， but in this book I did。 They were sometimes referred to by their first names and sometimes their last。 I honestly can't decide how I feel about this book。 It seemed like a pretty complicated mystery and I felt it was a little too long。 I ended up listening to about half of it。 I rarely have difficulty keeping track of characters， but in this book I did。 They were sometimes referred to by their first names and sometimes their last。 。。。more

Karen ，

In a post-pandemic Canada， a statistician’s conclusions about what must be done for the country to move forward economically pits neighbor against neighbor as some are convinced and others disgusted by her theories。 Naturally （this IS a Gamache book after all） there’s a murder to solve。 Is its roots in the past or the present？

Dolores Lompa ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ladin armadgbthe

Elyse ，

I discovered Louise Penny when I read the novel "State of Terror，" her recent collaboration with Hillary Clinton。 Decided to try one in her standalone series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and this recent one happened to be available at our library。Marveous！！ Excellent attention to detail without being tedious。 Wonderful character-building and suspense development。 A timely story that centers around how a kernel of insight or truth can become twisted to an extreme 。。。 and how that extr I discovered Louise Penny when I read the novel "State of Terror，" her recent collaboration with Hillary Clinton。 Decided to try one in her standalone series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and this recent one happened to be available at our library。Marveous！！ Excellent attention to detail without being tedious。 Wonderful character-building and suspense development。 A timely story that centers around how a kernel of insight or truth can become twisted to an extreme 。。。 and how that extreme becomes contagious in a culture。Loved this book。 Now starting the series from the beginning！ 。。。more

Ann ，

I wasn't as thrilled with this book as I have been with all her others。 I just feel she fell short in her character development and relationships， they just didn't ring true。 There were gaps in connections of storyline and characters and I feel Penny got a little on a soapbox about the Covid pandemic and the vaccination hype。I expected better I wasn't as thrilled with this book as I have been with all her others。 I just feel she fell short in her character development and relationships， they just didn't ring true。 There were gaps in connections of storyline and characters and I feel Penny got a little on a soapbox about the Covid pandemic and the vaccination hype。I expected better 。。。more

Rob Melich ，

Very thoughtful。

Rita ，

Though I have read all of Louise Penny's previous books， because I enjoyed the personality of Armand Gamache as chief detective in the Canadian city of Three Pines， this is my last！ I hope the author feels my disdain！🤬 Though I have read all of Louise Penny's previous books， because I enjoyed the personality of Armand Gamache as chief detective in the Canadian city of Three Pines， this is my last！ I hope the author feels my disdain！🤬 。。。more

Barb ，

A complex plot with many characters so a demanding read。 But well worth the effort！！

Hilary Ryder ，

Sigh。 For me， I think Louise Penny has jumped the shark。 Not enough plot， too much bizarre and completely unrealistic character development， too much random ideology drivel， and what's up with ' hey yeay covids over？！？' I'll give her one more book。。。 but if she can't give me an interesting mystery I'll be done。 Sigh。 For me， I think Louise Penny has jumped the shark。 Not enough plot， too much bizarre and completely unrealistic character development， too much random ideology drivel， and what's up with ' hey yeay covids over？！？' I'll give her one more book。。。 but if she can't give me an interesting mystery I'll be done。 。。。more

Annmarie ，

This story was great and just a little scary。 I can totally see the premise of this book happening in the world we now live in。 This is another great addition to the series and I can’t wait to see what happens to Gamache and gang next！

Molly ，

Complicated murder investigation， with lots of people and characters。 Includes post pandemic feelings。 Enjoyable book and good for Amy mystery buff。

Cecilia ，

This is the second book in the Gamache series that I have read and it is the most recent。 I did not start at the beginning of the series and I may have to correct that oversight。 This story includes all the usual characters， his two primary team members and others， and is set in a small rural Québec village。 A young woman is brutally murdered and discovered in the snow but the evidence leads the inspector and his team （not to mention the several townies） to the belief that it was a case of mista This is the second book in the Gamache series that I have read and it is the most recent。 I did not start at the beginning of the series and I may have to correct that oversight。 This story includes all the usual characters， his two primary team members and others， and is set in a small rural Québec village。 A young woman is brutally murdered and discovered in the snow but the evidence leads the inspector and his team （not to mention the several townies） to the belief that it was a case of mistaken identity。 There are several intriguing suspects all with deep and tragic secrets and apparent motives。I enjoyed the book up to about the point where the team gets deeply and personally involved and the author began to posit a number of possible solutions。 It became bogged down in which detective was proving which suspect committed the crime and for what reason。 It wandered and confused me-disappointing。This is the most current book in the series and incorporates the Covid environment as a disturbing focus of several of the prime suspects。 The author weaves the plot skillfully to what some might consider a logical outcome。 。。。more

Lorna ，

It takes me forever to get through my “to read” stacks of books because of the avenues my current book takes me down。Louise Penny offered up another murder but took me down another avenue。Ewan Cameron was deep into his “ psychic driving” experiments when he was recruited by CIA director Sidney Gottlieb for MK-ULTRA。 The ability of these researchers to ignore human suffering and destruction for the sake of their goals is truly frightening。 Stephen Kinzer’s Poisoner in Chief follows Gottlieb and h It takes me forever to get through my “to read” stacks of books because of the avenues my current book takes me down。Louise Penny offered up another murder but took me down another avenue。Ewan Cameron was deep into his “ psychic driving” experiments when he was recruited by CIA director Sidney Gottlieb for MK-ULTRA。 The ability of these researchers to ignore human suffering and destruction for the sake of their goals is truly frightening。 Stephen Kinzer’s Poisoner in Chief follows Gottlieb and how slippery that slope can be。Thanks Louise。 。。。more

Dacia ，

I would have given it 4 but I didn’t care for the covid references in the book。 I read to escape life not to relive it。

Robin Eschliman ，

Profound。 Explores ethical issues such as assisted suicide， abortion， murder in self-defense。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Madness of Crowds

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Madness of Crowds&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Madness of Crowds&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0