The Madness of Crowds

Inspector Armand Gamache is the novel’s protagonist and the key detective in the mystery. As a highly skilled and experienced homicide investigator, Gamache is intelligent, observant, dispassionate, and able to look at a situation from many different angles. He has an acute understanding of human nature and can notice small details that would go unobserved by many. These character traits are especially important in the context of the novel’s central mystery because Gamache ultimately solves the case without any sophisticated technology or any particularly incriminating evidence. While he does rely on clues such as details about Paul Robinson’s history, Gamache arrives at his conclusion that Abigail killed her beloved friend because he is able to notice behavior and patterns and connect seemingly unrelated events.

In addition to his professional skill as a detective, Gamache is warm, loyal, protective, and caring; he is depicted as lovingly embedded in multiple communities. Because of the novel’s Christmastime setting, many members of Gamache’s extended family are gathered at the home he shares with his wife. This context creates the opportunity for character development and shows that he is a loving spouse, father, and grandfather.