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Between 1943 and 2003 nine people have been stabbed to death with a most unusual weapon- a trident. In each case, arrests were made, suspects confessed their crimes and were sentenced to life in prison. One slightly worrying detail- each presumed murderer lost consciousness during the night of the crime and has no recollection of it.Commissaire Adamsberg is convinced all the murders are the work of one person, the terrifying Judge Fulgence. Years before, Adamsberg's own brother had been the show more principal suspect in a similar case and avoided prison only thanks to Adamsberg's help.History repeats itself when Adamsberg, who is temporarily based in Quebec for a training mission, is accused of having savagely murdered a young woman he had met. In order to prove his innocence, Adamsberg must go on the run from the Canadian police and find Judge Fulgence. show lessTags
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danhammang This book beat out Sun Storm for the 2007 CWA International Dagger. Check it out and see what you think.
Member Reviews
This is the blackest point in the Adamsberg series so far, the inevitable moment that arrives in all police series where the hero finds himself cut off from the support of his official role and fighting to clear his name when he's unjustly suspected of a crime himself. At the same time, he has been seriously upset by the resumption of activity from a serial killer whom he has been tracking since his earliest days in the police. Unfortunately, due to the killer's skill in always supplying a convenient (amnesiac) suspect for each killing, Adamsberg has never been able to convince anyone in authority that it is a serial killer at all, and things are now even messier, as the prime suspect has been dead for 16 years...
This, and other things show more going on in his personal life, all presents a pretty effective challenge to Adamsberg's normal dreamy imperturbability, and things look pretty bad before we get to the end of the book. Not that we don't get the normal share of eccentricity and comic dialogue: in this case most of the comedy is supplied by the confrontation between the Paris cops and their Québecois colleagues during a training course in Canada - Vargas makes them all warn each other not to laugh at how silly Québecois French sounds to a Parisian, but then makes sure we get ample opportunities to do so, and there are plenty of maple trees, squirrels, low temperatures, etc. The tank-like Lieutenant Retancourt starts to develop as a character in her own right in this book, and another suitably bizarre Vargas touch is provided by the elite hit squad of old ladies rallying round Adamsberg during the period when he has to go underground. Nice is also the irony of how Adamsberg solves the main mystery by his usual mixture of semiotics, psychology and intuition, but the part that most directly affects himself has to be solved by his colleagues using good old-fashioned logic and physical evidence.
Probably one of the best Adamsberg stories, but maybe not a good one to start with. show less
This, and other things show more going on in his personal life, all presents a pretty effective challenge to Adamsberg's normal dreamy imperturbability, and things look pretty bad before we get to the end of the book. Not that we don't get the normal share of eccentricity and comic dialogue: in this case most of the comedy is supplied by the confrontation between the Paris cops and their Québecois colleagues during a training course in Canada - Vargas makes them all warn each other not to laugh at how silly Québecois French sounds to a Parisian, but then makes sure we get ample opportunities to do so, and there are plenty of maple trees, squirrels, low temperatures, etc. The tank-like Lieutenant Retancourt starts to develop as a character in her own right in this book, and another suitably bizarre Vargas touch is provided by the elite hit squad of old ladies rallying round Adamsberg during the period when he has to go underground. Nice is also the irony of how Adamsberg solves the main mystery by his usual mixture of semiotics, psychology and intuition, but the part that most directly affects himself has to be solved by his colleagues using good old-fashioned logic and physical evidence.
Probably one of the best Adamsberg stories, but maybe not a good one to start with. show less
Another adventure for Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg and his motley crew of detectives from the Paris Serious Crime Squad. Just prior to 8 of their number (including Adamsberg and Danglard, his trusty sidekick) departing for Quebec on a DNA profiling course, Adamsberg is struck by a premonition of foreboding and it's not until what he's seen subconsciously is clarified by Danglard that he realises his past has come back to haunt him. Possibly quite literally so. It seems a killer known as the Trident has resurfaced with a death in Strasbourg matching his MO precisely. Adamsberg was sure he knew who the killer was but there was always cast-iron evidence pointing to someone else so no-one would believe him. Especially when his show more suspect was a well respected judge and one of those implicated in a murder was Adamsberg's own brother who had been on the run ever since. The only problem with this new murder though is that the judge in question had been dead for 16 years. Had he risen from beyond the grave to commit another atrocity or was there some other possibility? What's worse though for Adamsberg is when things start to go seriously awry when he gets to Canada.
The plot and the mystery itself are not bad but what really shines in Vargas' books are the characters. While the story mainly revolves around Adamsberg with occasional insight coming from the more logically minded Danglard we also get to see more from other members of the team this time around as well as a few peripheral characters that prove useful from time to time. You may have gathered that this isn't quite your straight-forward police procedural series it's one I'm very much enjoying and will certainly be back for more. show less
The plot and the mystery itself are not bad but what really shines in Vargas' books are the characters. While the story mainly revolves around Adamsberg with occasional insight coming from the more logically minded Danglard we also get to see more from other members of the team this time around as well as a few peripheral characters that prove useful from time to time. You may have gathered that this isn't quite your straight-forward police procedural series it's one I'm very much enjoying and will certainly be back for more. show less
Review for 2nd reading (2/14//21 - 2/19/21): Now that I've read this particular book in its correct order I feel Vargas is even more of a genius. This is the best book of the series so far. Each of her odd plots are one of a kind. While the plot in Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand is LESS unique,
Vargas has compensated by making this case significantly more personal to Adamsberg. He displays his anger, frustration, and vulnerability. Because of that he cannot solve this like other challenging cases; by walking and thinking. No, he needs help from others but his rambling rant about the Trident and his victims together with his aberrant behavior antagonizes those around him.
Vargas is a master at writing what I will call 'introspective' show more mysteries. She takes her time. Less action, but lots more thinking and free association especially on Adamsberg's part. Strangely its not boring but compelling, moving and very readable.
Review for 1st reading:
Vargas pulls you in from the start and keeps you in. The characters' thoughts, mannerisms and idiosyncracies are engagingly well-described. The plot is brilliant and compelling, and the timing and pace are not rushed. It is a refreshing difference to many other mysteries that the reader is not overwhelmed and confused with too many clues and red herrings given too quickly.
Vargas may be a new discovery for me so I am thrilled knowing there are some great reads ahead of me.
Outstanding: exciting, fun mystery! show less
Vargas has compensated by making this case significantly more personal to Adamsberg. He displays his anger, frustration, and vulnerability. Because of that he cannot solve this like other challenging cases; by walking and thinking. No, he needs help from others but his rambling rant about the Trident and his victims together with his aberrant behavior antagonizes those around him.
Vargas is a master at writing what I will call 'introspective' show more mysteries. She takes her time. Less action, but lots more thinking and free association especially on Adamsberg's part. Strangely its not boring but compelling, moving and very readable.
Review for 1st reading:
Vargas pulls you in from the start and keeps you in. The characters' thoughts, mannerisms and idiosyncracies are engagingly well-described. The plot is brilliant and compelling, and the timing and pace are not rushed. It is a refreshing difference to many other mysteries that the reader is not overwhelmed and confused with too many clues and red herrings given too quickly.
Vargas may be a new discovery for me so I am thrilled knowing there are some great reads ahead of me.
Outstanding: exciting, fun mystery! show less
I've enjoyed the other three books I've read in this series, but I always felt that Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg was maintaining a distance between us. With Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand, this distance vanished, and I am well and truly hooked. Vargas excels in mixing various styles, and she continues to do so here. There's a light comic touch throughout the book combined with much darker themes. What's new to the mix is the fact that her main character has to look deep inside himself during this case, and this adds just the right amount of psychology to the book.
There is something about a story in which the hero knows himself to be right yet still finds himself fighting against tremendous odds. How is he going to succeed? Where is he show more going to find trustworthy people to help him? The killer he's been following for so long is highly intelligent and quite adept at covering his tracks. Adamsberg has to change his methods in order to bring him to justice, and changing those methods is not easy.
His help comes from some very unlikely sources: "These last few days, my life has been in the hands of magical women. They've been tossing me from one to another, and every time they save me from falling into the abyss." A large part of the joy in reading this book is becoming acquainted with these magical women, and I refuse to tell you about them because you need to discover them for yourselves.
Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand is one of those wonderful instances in which plot, character, and writing combine in a story that grabs hold and doesn't let go. It's one of my best reads this year and makes me wonder why I've fallen behind in reading Fred Vargas's books. show less
There is something about a story in which the hero knows himself to be right yet still finds himself fighting against tremendous odds. How is he going to succeed? Where is he show more going to find trustworthy people to help him? The killer he's been following for so long is highly intelligent and quite adept at covering his tracks. Adamsberg has to change his methods in order to bring him to justice, and changing those methods is not easy.
His help comes from some very unlikely sources: "These last few days, my life has been in the hands of magical women. They've been tossing me from one to another, and every time they save me from falling into the abyss." A large part of the joy in reading this book is becoming acquainted with these magical women, and I refuse to tell you about them because you need to discover them for yourselves.
Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand is one of those wonderful instances in which plot, character, and writing combine in a story that grabs hold and doesn't let go. It's one of my best reads this year and makes me wonder why I've fallen behind in reading Fred Vargas's books. show less
This is an author with numerous entries on my to-be-read list. As I write this review on the first novel I read, I am deeply involved in a second. Fred Vargas' crime fiction seems to be written as mythology: killer as fantastical beast and the members of the Serious Crime Squad as a pantheon of eccentric, flawed gods. She builds these characters with care:
"Where the names came from, Adamsberg did not know, but probably from Danglard, whose encyclopedic knowledge seems to him sometimes to be unlimited and almost toxic. The capitaine was capable of sudden outbursts of information, as frequent as they were uncontrollable, rather like the snorting of a horse."
In this novel, Commissaire Adamsberg's personal quest for a serial killer he has show more named Trident threatens his career and his freedom. I rate this winner of the CWA International Dagger Award at 8 out 10 stars. show less
"Where the names came from, Adamsberg did not know, but probably from Danglard, whose encyclopedic knowledge seems to him sometimes to be unlimited and almost toxic. The capitaine was capable of sudden outbursts of information, as frequent as they were uncontrollable, rather like the snorting of a horse."
In this novel, Commissaire Adamsberg's personal quest for a serial killer he has show more named Trident threatens his career and his freedom. I rate this winner of the CWA International Dagger Award at 8 out 10 stars. show less
Adamsberg in scacco?
Bellissima avventura che mette duramente alla prova il nostro "spalatore di nuvole". Vicende familiari dolorose tornano a galla dal passato, fantasmi di gioventù si materializzano in una catena di omicidi apparentemente scollegati, amnesìe inesplicabili portano a dubitare del proprio "io" e mettono pericolosamente sulla strada dell'autopunizione. Ma lentamente ogni tassello trova una sua collocazione, diabolica, precisa, potente come il fantasma con cui Adamsberg si trova a duellare. Sulla strada verso la luce della verità, personaggi incredibili per umanità e capacità: una "hacker" ultrasessantenne che ruba ai ricchi per "pareggiare" i conti, poliziotti canadesi di una correttezza disarmante, una collega show more burbera ma piena di risorse, donne tradite da uomini troppo presi da sè stessi. Esilarante lo slang dei "quebecchesi" che Adamsberg sembra capire non tanto "letteralmente" quanto "emotivamente". Il tutto condito come sempre da riferimenti reali e plausibili come la storia degli uomini, ingiustizie piccole pareggiate sulla lunga scala del tempo. show less
Bellissima avventura che mette duramente alla prova il nostro "spalatore di nuvole". Vicende familiari dolorose tornano a galla dal passato, fantasmi di gioventù si materializzano in una catena di omicidi apparentemente scollegati, amnesìe inesplicabili portano a dubitare del proprio "io" e mettono pericolosamente sulla strada dell'autopunizione. Ma lentamente ogni tassello trova una sua collocazione, diabolica, precisa, potente come il fantasma con cui Adamsberg si trova a duellare. Sulla strada verso la luce della verità, personaggi incredibili per umanità e capacità: una "hacker" ultrasessantenne che ruba ai ricchi per "pareggiare" i conti, poliziotti canadesi di una correttezza disarmante, una collega show more burbera ma piena di risorse, donne tradite da uomini troppo presi da sè stessi. Esilarante lo slang dei "quebecchesi" che Adamsberg sembra capire non tanto "letteralmente" quanto "emotivamente". Il tutto condito come sempre da riferimenti reali e plausibili come la storia degli uomini, ingiustizie piccole pareggiate sulla lunga scala del tempo. show less
Quattro stelle, ma sarebbero anche quattro e mezzo.
Bella trama, bel viaggio nel mondo interiore di Adamsberg. Più o meno, l'assassino si sa dall'inizio (perché nessun lettore può dubitare di Adamsberg!), si gioca tutto sulla costruzione dei dettagli.
Ci sono dei personaggi favolosi, fiabeschi quasi: per certi aspetti mi hanno ricordato quelli di Pennac. Come non amare L'acheressa con le scarpe da tennis rosse? O la fantastica Retancourt?
Un ritorno, per me, alla Vargas in grande stile.
Bella trama, bel viaggio nel mondo interiore di Adamsberg. Più o meno, l'assassino si sa dall'inizio (perché nessun lettore può dubitare di Adamsberg!), si gioca tutto sulla costruzione dei dettagli.
Ci sono dei personaggi favolosi, fiabeschi quasi: per certi aspetti mi hanno ricordato quelli di Pennac. Come non amare L'acheressa con le scarpe da tennis rosse? O la fantastica Retancourt?
Un ritorno, per me, alla Vargas in grande stile.
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- Canonical title
- Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand
- Original title
- Sous les vents de Neptune
- Original publication date
- 2004-03 (original French) (original French); 2007 (English: Reynolds) (English: Reynolds)
- People/Characters
- Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg
- Important places
- Québec, Canada; Paris, Île-de-France, France
- Related movies
- Sous les vents de Neptune (2008 | IMDb | TV)
- Epigraph
- Will all the great Neptune's ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand?
- Macbeth, II.ii - Dedication
- À ma sœur jumelle, Jo Vargas
To my twin sister, Jo Vargas - First words
- 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.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Et puis tourne.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And smoke it. - Original language*
- Frans
- Disambiguation notice
- Original French title = Sous les vents de Neptune; English title = Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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