Ayo Onatade is an avid reader of crime and mystery fiction. She has been writing reviews, interviews and articles on the subject for the last 12 years; with an eclectic taste from historical to hardboiled, short stories and noir films
The Madness of Crowds sees the return of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache where he is for some reason asked to provide security at a lecture being given by Professor Abigail Robinson at the Universite de l’Estrie at what would normally be a rather routine event. The disruption to his family holiday by this simple request is perplexing.
As Gamache begins to look into the background of the visiting professor who is giving the lecture he comes to realise that the University would be better off cancelling the lecture. Of course, they refuse and with allegations of attempts to curtail freedom of speech and censorship being made it is down to Gamache and his team hoping that all will run smoothly despite the debates and arguments turning into fights. When a murder takes place Armand Gamache along with his deputy Jean-Guy Beauvoir and the rest of the team investigate (not only the crime) but also the threat of a new contagion. Returning to Three Pines and all the characters though is always welcome and you feel that you have come home. She has created a series that invokes a great sense of place and characterisation. With Armand, Jean-Guy and Isabelle who have the ability to dig into the lives of those involved in the crime, caring not only very much about the why but also about the who.
The Madness of Crowds is very much a book that will make you think. The way in which Louise Penny interweaves ideas that are not only current to our time but challenges our perceptions and beliefs is impressive and one of the standout features of her writing. She manages with a character such as Robinson, to show people just how normal the monsters in our society can appear to be and that the likes of Robinson are a expression of our everyday realities, especially in the age of social media being used to spread conflict through manipulated facts and outright lies, where people will do anything to acquire and maintain power.
Louise Penny doesn’t shy away from the darkness or hard realities of life and in this case - murder which always has a long reach into the past and in which of course it is truly a study of the human condition of the times and the madness of crowds.
