When Louise Penny decided to write a sequel to ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE, she knew that THE MADNESS OF CROWDS would take place “post-pandemic. As the world returned to ‘normal.’ But the bruising remained. The sorrow, the tragedies, but also the oddly rich blessings.” She felt that readers had had enough and needed a break.

In ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, visit Paris for the birth of their first grandchild, Isolde, who has Down syndrome. Gamache has reunited with his 94-year-old godfather, Stephen Horowitz, who is recovering from an attempted assassination. They convince Stephen and their expanded family to return with them to Three Pines. Both Stephen and Isolde play an indirect role in the underlying theme of Penny’s latest and most profound character-driven novel.

"This is perhaps Penny’s most powerful novel as it explores the psychological and emotionally charged national and international conundrums of the post-pandemic world."

It is the holiday season in Three Pines, and public gatherings are joyfully embraced. Free from fear of infection and ready for entertainment, people turn out for any occasion. A gymnasium at the nearby university plans to open its doors to a stream of spectators who will hear a lecture by Abigail Robinson, a visiting Professor of Statistics. Her saying “All will be well” has caught on. It will be the largest crowd since before the pandemic, and Gamache’s law enforcement team is put on alert.

Concerned about possible disorder, Gamache meets with Professor Robinson and Collette Roberge, chancellor of the university, to persuade them to cancel the address. The two ladies, who are childhood friends, refuse. This obscure professor has become a prophet, leading a growing movement, and Gamache prepares his team for the event.

Professor Robinson is a statistician whose figures seem to prove that better times are ahead, emphasizing economic recovery and an all-needs-met health care system. Crowds --- worn down from grief and endless months of social distancing and masks, or simply tired of being afraid --- flock in growing numbers to hear her emotionally charged message.

Now, instead of being asked to make a hundred sacrifices, the population would be asked to make just one. But what would that be? And who is this Abigail Robinson? The Royal Commission had requested statistical data on the pandemic, and Robinson came up with one simple solution. Upon reading her findings, the Royal Commission refused to publicize the information. So Robinson decides to do it herself and has taken it to the road, speaking to ever-growing audiences and streaming her speeches online so others can hear. And see. When Robinson says, “All will be well,” she does not mean everyone. Her message has now played across social media. Ratings are up, and sides are being drawn.

A lobby entry offers an array of T-shirts, caps and buttons, ordained with her catchy phrase. What had begun as a dry research project headed for the government files has slipped its moorings. The chant “All will be well! All will be well!” can be heard in French and English in the auditorium. Stomping and clapping grow louder. Then come shouts of “Shame!” and howls of derision. When someone throws a chain of firecrackers at the group, chaos breaks out. And a single gunshot is heard.

Of course there is a murder, which is expected from a Louise Penny novel. But nobody does it like her. She offers a lineup of multiple suspects for us and Gamache to consider. It is a true whodunit until the very end.

THE MADNESS OF CROWDS is not political, though American audiences may think it is. This is perhaps Penny’s most powerful novel as it explores the psychological and emotionally charged national and international conundrums of the post-pandemic world. It is the lies we tell ourselves and the truths we hide that smolder like coals beneath an untended fire. And it continues to hover from our rear view mirror.

Is it prescient that Louise Penny invites Haniya Daoud to her cast of characters? A potential nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, she champions rights for Muslim women and world peace, and has a tiny role in the plot as the horrors in Afghanistan play out on the evening news.