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From Booklist
It gets personal in the third Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg mystery to reach the U.S. Previously, the eccentric commissaire of the French national police has maintained a disconcerting detachment, solving cases "like a lone ranger or a Zen archer who went straight to the target." This time, though, Adamsberg faces his personal demon, a serial killer called the Trident who, 30 years previously, framed the commissaire's brother for a murder, successfully avoiding prosecution for that and numerous other slayings. Supposedly dead for more than 15 years, the Trident has risen from the grave—or so Adamsberg believes after encountering a new victim whose corpse bears the tell-tale signs of the Trident's work. Convincing anyone of this fact is impossible, of course, and—distracted by a trip to Ottawa to attend a forensics course—Adamsberg returns to Paris to find himself well and truly framed for the murder of a young woman. Vargas continues to mix styles effectively, combining the light, comic touch of the best Simenon with much darker themes. This time, too, with the hero forced to look deep into himself, the novel adds an extra pinch of Rendellian psychology to the stewpot. Ott, Bill
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Review
Praise for Fred Vargas:
“A Vargas novel is as good as a trip to Paris. The style has the same hyper-real quality as all her writing–the real world, but filtered through a strange prism–but it’s the plotting that really hits the spot: ingenious and eccentric.”
—Daily Express (UK)
From the Hardcover edition.
“A Vargas novel is as good as a trip to Paris. The style has the same hyper-real quality as all her writing–the real world, but filtered through a strange prism–but it’s the plotting that really hits the spot: ingenious and eccentric.”
—Daily Express (UK)
From the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful book by a compelling writer,
By
This review is from: Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand (Hardcover)
First Sentence: Leaning his shoulder against the dark basement wall, Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg stood contemplating the enormous central heating boiler which had suddenly stopped working, two days before.Comm. Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg and seven of his officers are getting ready for forensics training in Quebec, Canada. A few days before they are to leave, Adamsberg sees a news story about a murder where the victim received three stab wounds to the stomach and the accused has no memory of committing the crime. A number of similar crimes, including one where Adamberg's brother was accused, occurred 16 years ago. Adamsberg is certain the true killer is back, except that Adamsberg attended the man's funeral. Now in Canada, another murder occurs, but this time it appears Adamsberg is the killer. The most important element of a book, for me, is the characters. Vargas creates wonderful characters, although she does not provide as much background with each book as a reader coming into the middle of the series should have. However, once you do start to know the players, they become real and characters about whom you want to know more. What is appealing about Adamsberg is that is he a very unconventional policeman, yet he gets results and has the loyalty of his colleagues and friends. Vargas' voice is wonderfully effective. Originally written in French, I appreciate that the translation still has a Gallic undertone to the text. Her descriptions are vivid and her phrasing lush. She has an excellent ear for dialogue, and a delightful sense of humor. The plot is so well done. Yes, there are coincidences--it is rare to find a book without them'but it is also very cleaver with excellent twists and a soup'on of poignancy that adds dimension to Adamsberg's character. It is also the first time I recall that we see Adamsberg really lose his temper, which humanizes him even more. I've one criticism, which is that the fourth book has not yet been translated. This did cause a bit of confusion in terms of series plot continuity. This was an excellent read. I highly recommend both it and the series which must be read in order'frustrating as the English versions were not published in series order. WASH THIS BLOOD CLEAN FROM MY HAND (Pol. Proc-Comm Adamsberg-Paris/Canada-Cont) ' Ex Vargas, Fred ' 5th in series (4th translated into English) Knopf Canada, ©2004, Can. Hardcover ' ISBN: 9780676977981
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.6 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews) 21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maddeningly Addictive, Well Crafted,
By J. Avellanet "author of Get to Market Now!" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand (Paperback)
Vargas yet again proves why she is probably the #1 mystery writer in the world with this book, the 3rd of the Commissaire Adamsberg series.The book takes place in France and in Canada, but much of it explores the genius of a methodical killer who's mind clearly outmatches the protagonist Adamsberg - in fact, in many ways, that's the true brilliance of the book. How many mysteries can you recall where the main investigator was aware of how he simply could not get ahead of the killer no matter what he tried? Where each time the killer struck, the investigator was a day late and a dollar short? Where the clues began to add up, but were completely open to multiple interpretations? And, as the story goes on, you begin to even distrust some of the Commissaire's colleagues, wondering what's going on - you feel true empathy with Adamsberg, the protagonist. And that is the result of a master writer at work. Hopefully, as Vargas becomes more recognized in the US, her books will become easier to obtain. For now, the wait is more than worth it. J. Avellanet, Co-Founder of Cerulean Associates LLC 17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Poetry for insomniacs,
By Jim Coughenour - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand (Paperback)
Fred Vargas is in a league of her own when it comes to crafting a book of Continental crime. As attested by my manic list elsewhere, the wealth of crime fiction translated from Europe over the past few years is American readers' good fortune. These books from Scandinavia,Italy, France, Germany have a bracing tone of their own. They are poetry for insomniacs, exercising the mind, bracing the spirit at the end of the day -- with an egg-flip of humor lacing each page. Vargas populates her plots with a cabinet of curiosities, most a bit broken and peculiar but with powerful heart and mind: and her evil villains are so much like her good guys, she keeps you tantalized throughout.What floats her books far above the rest, however, is that they're saturated with the rich brown jus of historical humanism--so satisfying!-- like a meaty cassoulet that's been simmering all week. Taste and see! These are great books for readers bored by the pulpy gruel of American mysteries, serial killers and mawkish macho detectives. (And if you haven't read her yet, I'd suggest starting with "Seeking Whom He May Devour" or "The Three Evangelists." It's amusing to watch the characters develop. This book is the 4th translated into English. I hope we don't need to wait another whole year for the next one.) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A clever, thought-provoking read,
By Judith A. Kunkel "Judith" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand (Paperback)
Credit Vargas for transcending the traditional potboiler. Her characters are complex and fascinating and the plot twists through a myriad of dimensions that leave the reader breathless. This is the best mystery I have read in ages.
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