Synopses & Reviews
A # 1 French and Italian bestseller from the three-time winner of the CWA’s International Dagger Award More than ten million copies of Fred Vargas’s Commissaire Adamsberg mysteries have been sold worldwide. Now, American readers are getting hooked on the internationally bestselling author’s unsettling blend of crime and the supernatural. As the chief of police in Paris’s seventh arrondissement, Commissaire Adamsberg has no jurisdiction in Ordebec. Yet, he cannot ignore a widow’s plea. Her daughter Lina has seen a vision of the Ghost Riders with four nefarious men. According to the thousand-year-old legend, the vision means that the men will soon die a grisly death. When one of them disappears, Adamsberg races to Ordebec, where he becomes entranced by the gorgeous Lina—and embroiled in the small Normandy town’s ancient feud.
Review
Praise for
Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand: Vargas pulls you . . . into the mystery with a cast of beguiling eccentrics and a plot of escalating intrigue.
Entertainment Weekly
Insanely imaginative . . . One reads to be amazed by the fantastic twists in the bizarre plot. . . . One reads as well to be delighted by the literary grace notes.
Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
Review
Advance Praise for The Ghost Riders of Ordebec
“Exquisite… only Christopher Fowler's Peculiar Crimes Unit can compare with the Paris policeman's eccentric colleagues in the Serious Crime Squad, who include a narcoleptic, a walking encyclopedia, and a naturalist…Vargas's combination of humor and fair-play plotting, reminiscent of John Dickson Carr, has never been better.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[Vargass] mysteries are darkly whimsical—magical realism with its feet on the ground in a highly entertaining French way.”—Washington Post
“Prodigious”—Philly.com
Praise for Fred Vargas and her Commissaire Adamsberg Mysteries
“A wildly imaginative series.”—The New York Times
“Spry, ironic, yet fully engaged with the horror of contemporary reality”—Los Angeles Times
“It's a full, rich and strange plate.” — Seattle Times
“[A] high degree of intelligence, sophistication and perversity informs [Vargas] fiction…I continue to be delighted by the workings of [her] imagination. Its a tangled web she weaves, and a hard one to escape.”—Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post
“Bizarre crimes drive Vargas…whos won the CWA International Dagger three times, [and] keeps her zany plot under tight control all the way to the surprising finish.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Few crime stories are as apt to leave a reader wondering so ardently: Who dunnit?...Vargas characters are like something out of a fairy tale - eternal opposites, ever-renewing archetypes despite their fresh adventures each time. Thats why each novels opening feels new.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Vargas writes with the startling imagery and absurdist wit of a latter-day Anouilh, about fey characters who live in a wonderful bohemian world that never was but should have been.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Anyone who enjoys kooky characters and intricate detail will happily follow Vargas along.” - Entertainment Weekly
“Readers should settle in to be unsettled. Delight is found not so much in the details of plot as in the oddities of character. The crime, the suspects, and the commissaire are all pleasantly off-kilter and equally baffling. A definite pick for Francophile mystery buffs who also enjoy Georges Simenon's Maigret series and Pierre Magnan (Death in the Truffle Wood).”—Library Journal
“As droll and fascinating as la ville lumière itself.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Adamsberg, always an intuitive sleuth rather than a rational one, is the perfect hero for a series where reality is always a moving target.”—Booklist
"Worlds that closely resemble the real one, except that beliefs, tales, apparitions, even professions, from the Middle Ages fit in seamlessly."—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Vargas is, by some distance, the hottest property in contemporary crime fiction.” - The Guardian (London)
“Vargas characters inhabit a world where reason and myth collide, and the result is a thrilling read.”—Sunday Times (London)
“Vargas [is] beyond doubt a cool, clever, original and deeply humane crime writer.” - The Times Literary Supplement (London)
“It is enthralling and great fun from start to finish…all done with great nerve, wit and invention.” - The Scotsman (Scotland)
“Only ones dreams after a champagne-fuelled night at the Follies Bergere have quite the same nightmarish-but-entertaining quality as Vargass delightful crime novels.” - The Sunday Telegraph (London)
“[Vargas is] one of the most exciting, addictive and inventive purveyor of classy crime fiction currently pounding the publishing beat.”— Independent on Sunday
“Id recommend any and all of Fred Vargas detective stories…Vargas has a particular respect for misfits and failures. I admire her humour and her sense of pace.” -The Observer (London)
Review
Advance Praise for The Ghost Riders of Ordebec
“Exquisite… only Christopher Fowler's Peculiar Crimes Unit can compare with the Paris policeman's eccentric colleagues in the Serious Crime Squad, who include a narcoleptic, a walking encyclopedia, and a naturalist…Vargas's combination of humor and fair-play plotting, reminiscent of John Dickson Carr, has never been better.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Praise for Fred Vargas and her Commissaire Adamsberg Mysteries
“A wildly imaginative series.”—The New York Times
“Spry, ironic, yet fully engaged with the horror of contemporary reality”—Los Angeles Times
“It's a full, rich and strange plate.” — Seattle Times
“[A] high degree of intelligence, sophistication and perversity informs [Vargas] fiction…I continue to be delighted by the workings of [her] imagination. Its a tangled web she weaves, and a hard one to escape.”—Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post
“Bizarre crimes drive Vargas…whos won the CWA International Dagger three times, [and] keeps her zany plot under tight control all the way to the surprising finish.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Few crime stories are as apt to leave a reader wondering so ardently: Who dunnit?...Vargas characters are like something out of a fairy tale - eternal opposites, ever-renewing archetypes despite their fresh adventures each time. Thats why each novels opening feels new.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Vargas writes with the startling imagery and absurdist wit of a latter-day Anouilh, about fey characters who live in a wonderful bohemian world that never was but should have been.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Anyone who enjoys kooky characters and intricate detail will happily follow Vargas along.” - Entertainment Weekly
“Readers should settle in to be unsettled. Delight is found not so much in the details of plot as in the oddities of character. The crime, the suspects, and the commissaire are all pleasantly off-kilter and equally baffling. A definite pick for Francophile mystery buffs who also enjoy Georges Simenon's Maigret series and Pierre Magnan (Death in the Truffle Wood).”—Library Journal
“As droll and fascinating as la ville lumière itself.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Adamsberg, always an intuitive sleuth rather than a rational one, is the perfect hero for a series where reality is always a moving target.”—Booklist
“Vargas is, by some distance, the hottest property in contemporary crime fiction.” - The Guardian (London)
“Vargas characters inhabit a world where reason and myth collide, and the result is a thrilling read.”—Sunday Times (London)
“Vargas [is] beyond doubt a cool, clever, original and deeply humane crime writer.” - The Times Literary Supplement (London)
“It is enthralling and great fun from start to finish…all done with great nerve, wit and invention.” - The Scotsman (Scotland)
“Only ones dreams after a champagne-fuelled night at the Follies Bergere have quite the same nightmarish-but-entertaining quality as Vargass delightful crime novels.” - The Sunday Telegraph (London)
“[Vargas is] one of the most exciting, addictive and inventive purveyor of classy crime fiction currently pounding the publishing beat.”— Independent on Sunday
“Id recommend any and all of Fred Vargas detective stories…Vargas has a particular respect for misfits and failures. I admire her humour and her sense of pace.” -The Observer (London)
Synopsis
A phenomenal bestseller in France, This Night's Foul Work is another irresistible installment in the internationally acclaimed Commissaire Adamsberg series.
On the edge of Paris two small-time drug dealers have had their throats cut in a peculiar fashion. Setting out on the trail of the shadowy killer, Commissaire Adamsberg and his detectives travel between Paris and the Normandy countryside. Adamsberg's investigation into these horrible deaths brings him into contact with the attractive Ariane Lagarde -a pathologist who caused him professional grief some twenty-five years ago. There's also a new lieutenant on the scene, whose ties to Adamsberg's past create tension and hostility in his present. Vargas has given us another multi-layered, deliciously-paced and thrilling addition to her acclaimed series.
This Night's Foul Work is the finest novel yet from the wonderful Fred Vargas.
Synopsis
"Wry humor and offbeat plots blend with a subtly dangerous charm to make Fred Vargas the queen of French crime writers." --Martin Walker, author of the Bruno, Chief of Police Series
"A wildly imaginative series."--The New York Times
Awarded the International Dagger by the Crime Writers' Association four times, Fred Vargas has earned a reputation in Europe as a mystery author of the first order. In This Night's Foul Work, the intuitive Commissaire Adamsberg teams up with Dr. Ariane, a pathologist with whom he crossed paths twenty years ago, to unravel a beguiling mystery that begins with the discovery of two bodies in Paris's Porte de la Chapelle. Adamsberg believes it may be the work of a killer with split personalities, who is choosing his or her victims very carefully. As other murders begin to surface, Adamsberg must move quickly in order to stop the "Angel of Death" from killing again.
Synopsis
A chilling new mystery from France?s #1 bestselling writer Twice awarded the International Dagger by the Crime Writers? Association, Fred Vargas has earned a reputation in Europe as a mystery author of the first order. In This Night?s Foul Work, the intuitive Commissaire Adamsberg teams up with Dr. Ariane, a pathologist with whom he crossed paths twenty years ago, to unravel a beguiling mystery that begins with the discovery of two bodies in Paris?s Porte de la Chapelle. Adamsberg believes it may be the work of a killer with split personalities, who is choosing his or her victims very carefully. As other murders begin to surface, Adamsberg must move quickly in order to stop the ?Angel of Death? from killing again. Intricately plotted and featuring Vargas?s wry humor, This Night?s Foul Work will keep readers guessing up to the final page.
Synopsis
A # 1 French and Italian bestseller from the three-time winner of the CWA’s International Dagger Award More than ten million copies of Fred Vargas’s Commissaire Adamsberg mysteries have been sold worldwide. Now, American readers are getting hooked on the internationally bestselling author’s unsettling blend of crime and the supernatural. As the chief of police in Paris’s seventh arrondissement, Commissaire Adamsberg has no jurisdiction in Ordebec. Yet, he cannot ignore a widow’s plea. Her daughter Lina has seen a vision of the Ghost Riders with four nefarious men. According to the thousand-year-old legend, the vision means that the men will soon die a grisly death. When one of them disappears, Adamsberg races to Ordebec, where he becomes entranced by the gorgeous Lina—and embroiled in the small Normandy town’s ancient feud.
Synopsis
'In Porquerolles, things were hostile to him. He had tried in vain to tame them. Back there, all the time, he had felt as if there was a tremendous chaos around him, a kind of life that was too vivid, so that the slightest contact with it made his blood pulse more quickly, and prompted a rising fever inside him.'
During his first holiday on the island of Porquerolles Dr Mahe caught a glimpse of something irresistible. As the memory continues to haunt him, he falls prey to a delusion that may offer an escape from his conventional existence - or may destroy him. This is the first English translation of The Mahe Circle, a dark, malevolent depiction of an ordinary man trapped in mundanity and consumed by obsession.
One of Simenon's critically renowned and psychologically rich romans durs, The Mahé Circle will delight lifelong fans and new readers alike.
About the Author
Georges Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1903. Best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret books, his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories has made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.
Sian Reynolds was born in Cardiff, and taught at both Sussex University and Edinburgh University before serving as Chair of French at Stirling University from 1999-2004. She has translated numerous books from the French, both fiction and non-fiction, including works by crime writer Fred Vargas.