Reviews

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny

madeleineg's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

katdirks's review

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3.0

I had a harder time with this one. Some of it is that I've had a hard time focusing on anything but especially at the end, everything was so chaotic! Gamache trying to get the murderer to confess by coming up with a million scenarios that could have happened. Still a solid addition but I may need to relisten when I'm in a better headspace.

lor__aaaine's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

alidottie's review

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4.0

4 and 1/2 stars
Louise Penny has delivered another relevant and thoughtful mystery with depth and breadth like so few others. She is a master.

kimew2023's review

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dark emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No

1.5

Very straight line narrative.  The characters felt very unreal, written  versions of cardboard cut outs.
The storyline was very far fetched .

kathleenguthriewoods's review

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5.0

Louise Penny has done it again. You can read the synopsis to find out what this book is about and how timely it is. I'll just add that I read all 436 pages in one weekend and cried at the end. Thank you, Ms. Penny!

roseleaf24's review

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4.0

This was really good, but not one of my favorites of the series. They kept going around and around the same theories without breaking quite enough new ground. I was still in suspense the whole time, though, and I liked the character building a lot. The story around the murder and the real life horrors discussed were definitely worth reading about, and I will be thinking about them for a long time. I hope we see more of Haniya.

teresaalice's review

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4.0

Now what do I do with myself?

leahgustafson's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I always look forward to returning to Three Pines. This series is such a comfort read for me. Unfortunately though, this was not my favorite Louise Penny.

It takes a really long time for the reader to figure out what exactly is going on in this one. I know this is intentional, and some element of confusion/suspense is exciting but, this took a little too long to get to the point. 

Once I finally figured out what was going on, it felt like we were turning in circles. Gamache and the other investigators kept having the same conversations, the same speculations, and asking the same questions without really getting anywhere. Even the ending didn’t feel satisfying or “resolved” to me. I also question the inclusion or purpose of some of the characters in this one. However, I trust that Penny may have a plan for them in future books. 

This one does have some trigger warnings that I was not aware of, and this caught me a little off guard. Definitely check into those so you go in knowing what to expect! 

Even though this was not one of my favorites in the series, I still look forward to jumping back into Three Pines again in the future. If you’ve read this series, I’m curious which books are your favorites and which ones didn’t work as well for you?

Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ritajuanita's review against another edition

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inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0