The Madness of Crowds

Hey! We’re back in the Three Pines! And after a run of two books in the series that I didn’t care for, I actually enjoyed this one! Or maybe my feelings about the previous two books made this one feel not as bad. Unclear. I will say that, despite us being back in the Three Pines, on familiar ground, and working a familiar case, things managed to feel just a bit sloppy. I think if I didn’t actively dislike the previous two books, I’d probably rate this one lower.

Gamache & Co. are called on to provide security at a rally being held over the holidays. The person holding the rally is the most inconspicuous, likeable person you’re liable to meet, and yet they’re there to present some incredibly distasteful facts and figures. Someone takes a few shots at her during the rally, and the plot is off to the races! Her aide turns up dead, fingers get pointed, and it’s up to Gamache to unearth the various long buried skeletons in closets to get at the purpose and the truth.

First off, full stars for being back in the Three Pines. I missed it here.

But I had some issues with the book. Namely, it felt like it tried to do and be too many things at once. Major plot spoilers: For instance, Penny buries the lede hard on what exactly it is Abigail is presenting on for so long that I was expecting everything from anti-vax sentiments to a full-blown Nazi rally. It’s actually eugenics, but it seemed like that didn’t even matter to the larger murder reveal so I’m not sure why it was played so coyly. It also felt vaguely forced, like the other social issue books Penny’s written in the past, which took me a bit out of the story. It also felt rather repetitive in places, with Gamache & Co. rehashing the same points, the same strong feelings, the same sentiments in different locations frequently during the book. Penny is great at creating interpersonal drama over many different facets in a murder mystery, so when I was reading the same points rehashed several times throughout the book, I started to get a little bored.

I still am giving this a cautious 4 stars though, if only to keep myself in the game and happy to read the next book in the series. It’s an improvement on All the Devils are Here, but it’s definitely not the same caliber as the early books in the series.