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The Madness of Crowds

thrilling and page-turning crime fiction from the author of the bestselling Inspector Gamache novels
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( 76,816 ratings, 6,996 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny is a gripping crime thriller set in the peaceful village of Three Pines. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache faces a challenging investigation during a winter retreat as the town grapples with the ripple effects of controversial ideas. As tensions rise, Gamache unravels a complex web of motives and secrets, testing the community's resilience and understanding of truth.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy intricately woven crime tales filled with psychological intrigue. Set in a picturesque Canadian village, it brings complex characters and moral dilemmas to life through a masterfully suspenseful plot. Perfect for those who appreciate nuanced explorations of human nature within a gripping thriller.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Gripping, complex and beautifully written, and featuring the beloved Chief Inspector Gamache, THE MADNESS OF CROWDS is the acclaimed novel from number one New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

THE NEW YORK TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

'Enthralling ... this is crime writing of the highest order' DAILY MAIL

'A satisfying and multi-layered mystery' IRISH INDEPENDENT

'Louise Penny is on peak form' THE TIMES

When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is asked to provide crowd control at a statistics lecture given at the University, he is dubious. Why ask the head of homicide to provide security for what sounds like a minor, even mundane lecture?

But dangerous ideas about who deserves to live in order for society to thrive are rapidly gaining popularity, fuelled by the research of the eminent Professor Abigail Robinson. Yet for every person seduced by her theories there is another who is horrified by them. When a murder is committed days after the lecture, it's clear that within crowds can lie madness.

To uncover the truth, Gamache must put his own feelings about the divisive Professor to one side. But with her ideas gaining ground, the line separating good and evil, right and wrong, is quickly blurring - especially when the case leads unexpectedly close to home ...

PRAISE FOR LOUISE PENNY AND THE INSPECTOR GAMACHE SERIES:

'Louise Penny is one of the greatest crime writers of our times' DENISE MINA

'She makes most of her competitors seem like wannabes' THE TIMES

'Louise Penny twists and turns the plot expertly, tripping the reader up just at the moment you think you might have solved the mystery' DAILY EXPRESS

'No one does atmospheric quite like Louise Penny.' ELLY GRIFFITHS

'An absolute joy' IRISH TIMES

Series: Chief Inspector Gamache

View all
  • The Long Way Home
    Compelling . . . An original voice PETER JAMES Penny twists and turns the plot, expertly tripping the reader up just at the moment you think you might have solved the mystery DAILY EXPRESS There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. Clara Morrow's husband is missing....
    Paperback
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Black Wolf
    The brand new thriller from international bestseller Louise Penny, coming October 2025. Pre-order now! Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding. Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the SΓ»retΓ© du QuΓ©bec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montreal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A World of Curiosities
    Book 18 in the acclaimed and number one-bestselling Three Pines series featuring the beloved Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. It's spring, and Three Pines is re-emerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should return. But something has. As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Madness of Crowds
    The incredible new book in Louise Penny's #1 bestselling Chief Inspector Gamache series. When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is asked to provide crowd control at a statistics lecture given at the UniversitΓ© de l'Estrie in Quebec, he is dubious. Why ask the head of homicide to provide security for what sounds like a minor, even mundane lecture? But dangerous ideas...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Grey Wolf
    Electrifying drama ... Gamache is a fascinatingly complex protagonist THE TIMES Nobody does evil quite as scarily as Louise Penny ANN CLEEVES This is crime writing of the highest order DAILY MAIL Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in the small village of Three Pines in Quebec. Someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache,...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Miss Wolcott's Ghost
    Pre-order
    Miss Wolcott's Ghost
    β€˜There's a body in Lost Nation.’ But the line goes dead before Chief Inspector Armand Gamache can question the caller. The head of homicide for the SΓ»retΓ© du QuΓ©bec has no idea where Lost Nation is, or who woke him in the small hours of the morning at his home in Three Pines. What he does know is that the...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    Pre-order
    Out 20 Oct 2026
  • All the Devils Are Here
    WINNER OF THE AGATHA AWARD FOR BEST MYSTERY NOVEL 2021 Makes most of her competitors seem like wannabes – The Times Altogether extraordinary – Washington Post There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather for a family dinner...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Still Life
    'A cracking storyteller, who can create fascinating characters, a twisty plot and wonderful surprise endings' ANN CLEEVES 'One of the most interesting detectives in crime fiction' THE TIMES There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. The discovery of a dead body in the woods on Thanksgiving...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Black Wolf
    Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the SΓ»retΓ© du QuΓ©bec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montreal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf. But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realised that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Madness of Crowds
    THE NEW YORK TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER 'Enthralling ... this is crime writing of the highest order' DAILY MAIL 'A satisfying and multi-layered mystery' IRISH INDEPENDENT 'Louise Penny is on peak form' THE TIMES When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is asked to provide crowd control at a statistics lecture given at the University, he is dubious. Why ask the head...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Grey Wolf
    'SUPERB' WILL DEAN 'Highly entertaining' THE TIMES 'Subtle, compelling storytelling at its elegant best' DAILY MAIL Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in the small village of Three Pines in Quebec. Someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. When he finally...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny has been praised for being a timely and thought-provoking thriller. It's noted for its complex, multi-layered mystery and considered a standout in Penny's impressive series. Reviewers highlight the book's atmospheric style, engaging characters, and the author’s skill in weaving intricate plots with surprising endings.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529379396

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 24 August 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 34.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 232.0mm

Weight: 560g

Pages: 448

About the Author

Louise Penny is the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Gamache series, including Still Life, which won the CWA John Creasey Dagger in 2006. Recipient of virtually every existing award for crime fiction, Louise was also granted the Order of Canada in 2014 and received an honorary doctorate of literature from Carleton University and the Ordre Nationale du Quebec in 2017. She lives in a small village south of Montreal.

Also by Louise Penny

View all
  • The Long Way Home
    Compelling . . . An original voice PETER JAMES Penny twists and turns the plot, expertly tripping the reader up just at the moment you think you might have solved the mystery DAILY EXPRESS There is more to solving a crime than following the clues. Welcome to Chief Inspector Gamache's world of facts and feelings. Clara Morrow's husband is missing....
    Paperback
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Black Wolf
    The brand new thriller from international bestseller Louise Penny, coming October 2025. Pre-order now! Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding. Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the SΓ»retΓ© du QuΓ©bec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montreal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A World of Curiosities
    Book 18 in the acclaimed and number one-bestselling Three Pines series featuring the beloved Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. It's spring, and Three Pines is re-emerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should return. But something has. As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • State of Terror
    After a tumultuous period in American politics, a new administration has just been sworn in, and to everyone's surprise, the president chooses a political enemy for the vital position of Secretary of State. As the new president addresses Congress for the first time, with Secretary Ellen Adams in attendance, Anahita Dahir, a young foreign service officer on the Pakistan desk...
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  • The Last Mandarin
    The Last Mandarin is a standalone thriller co-written by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Gamache series and an award-winning journalist. In a fast-paced, all-too-real thriller co-written by #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny and award-winning journalist Mellissa Fung, global politics become personal for two unlikely heroines. Alice Li, a first-generation Chinese-American, is an erstwhile...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Madness of Crowds
    The incredible new book in Louise Penny's #1 bestselling Chief Inspector Gamache series. When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is asked to provide crowd control at a statistics lecture given at the UniversitΓ© de l'Estrie in Quebec, he is dubious. Why ask the head of homicide to provide security for what sounds like a minor, even mundane lecture? But dangerous ideas...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Grey Wolf
    Electrifying drama ... Gamache is a fascinatingly complex protagonist THE TIMES Nobody does evil quite as scarily as Louise Penny ANN CLEEVES This is crime writing of the highest order DAILY MAIL Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in the small village of Three Pines in Quebec. Someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache,...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Fatal Grace
    Read the series that inspired Three Pines on Prime Video. From the #1 New York Times bestseller Louise Penny comes the second Armand Gamache mystery set in the stunning countryside of Quebec. Winner of the 2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel! Welcome to winter in Three Pines, a picturesque village in Quebec, where the villagers are preparing for a traditional...
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    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Cruelest Month
    Read the series that inspired Three Pines on Prime Video. The Cruelest Month is the third book in Louise Penny's award-winning Three Pines mystery series featuring the wise and beleaguered Inspector Armand Gamache. "Many mystery buffs have credited Louise Penny with the revival of the type of traditional murder mystery made famous by Agatha Christie ... " - Sarah Weinman...
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  • All the Devils Are Here
    INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER PARADE MAGAZINE - ONE OF FALL'S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS AARP'S MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF FALL CRIMEREADS - ONE OF THE BEST TRADITIONAL MYSTERIES OF THE YEAR GLOBE AND MAIL - TOP 100 BOOKS OF THE YEAR CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR - ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS OF THE YEAR KIRKUS REVIEWS - ONE OF THE...
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  • A Rule Against Murder
    Read the series that inspired Three Pines on Prime Video. A Rule Against Murder, the fourth book in Louise Penny's award-winning and critically revered mystery series, features the wise and beleaguered Inspector Armand Gamache. It is the height of summer, and Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache are celebrating their wedding anniversary at Manoir Bellechasse, an isolated, luxurious inn not far from...
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  • A Trick of the Light
    A New York Times Notable Crime Book and Favourite Cozy for 2011 A Publishers Weekly Best Mystery/Thriller book for 2011 With A Trick of the Light, Louise Penny takes us back to the deceptively peaceful village of Three Pines in this brilliant novel in her award-winning, New York Times bestselling series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. "Hearts are broken," Lillian...
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