The Madness of Crowds

Canadian author Louise Penny published the first novel featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (Still Life) in 2005. As of 2025, the series includes 18 novels, with more scheduled for publication. In each novel, Gamache solves a different murder, and most of the action centers around the small, close-knit, fictional Quebec town of Three Pines. Alongside Gamache, the series features a cast of recurring characters, such as Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his second-in-command.

The plot of The Madness of Crowds alludes to dynamics established earlier in the series; for example, the deep bond between Gamache and Beauvoir developed over time, and Beauvoir eventually married Gamache’s daughter and started a family with her. Notably, Vincent Gilbert (an important character in The Madness of Crowds) appeared in The Brutal Telling and Bury Your Dead. These earlier novels established Gilbert’s identity as the “asshole saint”—an individual who is renowned for his humanitarian work but is gruff and misanthropic. Due to these characteristics, Vincent Gilbert has been a suspect in other criminal investigations.

Stephen Horowitz, who is a minor character in The Madness of Crowds, is also a recurring character.