Fred Vargas

The recluse spider injects a particularly nasty venom into its prey, but European species don't have nearly enough of this poison to be dangerous to healthy humans. And in any case, living up to their name, they are not aggressive and tend to avoid human contact - very few people are ever bitten by them. So when three men in the South of France die of the effects of recluse spider bites within a short period of time, the web(*) is full of rumours and speculation - climate change, genetic show more mutation due to insecticides, ...? No crime has been reported, but all the same, Adamsberg's policeman's mind looks for criminal explanations to clusters of unexplained deaths, and his suspicions are reinforced when it turns out that at least two of the victims knew each other.

But not everyone in Adamsberg's team agrees with him, and the normally very loyal second-in-command Danglard is the loudest of the voices saying that this isn't a case, and should be left to the zoologists. But when has that sort of consideration ever stopped a fictional detective? Adamsberg presses on surreptitiously with a few volunteer colleagues, and soon finds himself navigating through very dense fogs of forensic and psychological uncertainty, and unearthing some very unpleasant crimes. The spiders are not the only kind of recluses involved here. And - not for the first time - it looks as though he will have to find the solution to the mystery somewhere in his own subconscious.

Definitely well up to the usual standard. Very black in places, but nicely paced so that there is always a bit of comic action in the murder team to relieve the tension when it threatens to get too heavy for the reader. The cat, La Boule, is back on top of the photocopier, there's a guest appearance by one of the Three Evangelists, there's a running joke about snowglobes, and an endless quantity of Béarnaise cabbage soup. What more could you want from a crime story?

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(*) This ambiguity works in French as well, and Vargas has her fun with it. show less

By bringing in a reference to Iceland at an early stage, Vargas tricks us into thinking that this is going to be some kind of "Adamsberg meets Nordic Noir" novel, but in the event it turns out to be a very solidly French crime story, with Robespierre, Danton, Fouché and their revolutionary contemporaries playing a significant role. Of course, Adamsberg does get his trip to the North, and there are some archaeological in-jokes (clues in post-holes!), an animal story involving a not-so-wild show more boar, a restaurant that serves fabulous pommes paillasson, and plenty of tensions within Adamsberg's team of determinedly eccentric detectives. As usual in Vargas, the serial-killer plot is extravagantly subtle and implausibly complex, but it's great fun.

I do hope we don't have to wait too long for the next one! show less

Definitely one of the series' best books. This one is about poisonous recluse spiders killing older men. Adamsberg investigates more aggressively than previous cases. Seems visiting Iceland has helped fine tune his focus.

As with other cases this one effects Adamsberg and his remarkably motley team on deeply personal levels. And brings about a much-needed reckoning between the two discordant factions of the team.

Vargas brilliantly balances her broad-based scientific and historic knowledge show more through the depths of human depravity to Adamsberg's understanding of human flaws. He may not solve cases fast enough but more importantly he is all heart and compassion. Vargas is a master at creating this amazing characterization of a police inspector that is believable and works well.

Excellent read. show less

This is a terrific crime novel from France, featuring memorable characters and very odd crimes. The chief investigator, Commissaire Adamsberg, is disorganized, intuitive, and not very focussed on the crime he is putatively dealing with. His associates are equally far from ideal cop-hood, and the witnesses and/or criminals with whom he interacts are also peculiar. Maigret would not be amused, but I was delighted -- one falls right into the story, accepting its crazed premises and odd show more characters at least for the duration. Once I finished, immediately turned to Amazon to find that the number of Adamsberg books available in English is limited. Ah well, more will be translated in time. show less