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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
strong French police procedural thriller,
This review is from: Have Mercy on Us All: A Novel (Chief Inspector Adamsberg Mysteries) (Paperback)
Over fourteen years ago, Joss Le Guern complained to the ship owner that the vessel he captained Nor'easter was unsafe. He was told he is to do his job or someone else will. The ship breaks apart; an angry Joss survives and breaks the leg of the owner. Joss is convicted of assault and battery and attempted murder; he spends nine months in prison and his sailing career is over.
After spending the next seven years as a drunk, Joss becomes a Parisian town crier. For the past seven years, three times a day he collects messages from his box and calls out the news. However, the message he finds this time claims the Black Death is coming. He takes the note to Chief Inspector Adamsberg, who assumes a hoax is being played on the crier; that opinion changes when he and his subordinate Danglard notice "hex" signs used during the Middle Ages to ward off the disease appearing on doors and a corpse that displays the symptoms of the Plague. Adamsberg takes the threats seriously hoping to stop the Black Death from devastating Paris. HAVE MERCY ON US is a strong translation of a French police procedural thriller. Once Adamsberg realizes the biological terror is potentially real, the pace never slows down. Joss is a terrific character struggling as all whistleblowers seem to dio when they act courageously and challenge authority for behaving illegal or amoral, but in his case guilt leaves him a shadow of himself until now. Adamsberg and Danglard are terrific cops confronting a lethal unknown enemy with no time to spare. Fred Vargas writes a strong thriller that translates quite nicely into a one-sitting adrenalin read. Harriet Klausner
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great character-driven mystery with a few translation mishaps,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Have Mercy on Us All (Hardcover)
First Sentence: When manie woormes breede of putrefaction of the earth: toade stooles and rotten herbes abount: The fruites and beastes of the earth are unsavoury: The wine becomes muddie: mannie birds and beastes flye from that place
Joss Le Guern was a sailor but has taken up his great-great-grandfather's profession of being a town crier. Hervé Decambrais was a teacher of history but now has a house in Paris in which he lets out four rooms, for rent or for favor. Commissaire Principal Adamsberg may not be able to remember anyone's name or maintain his relationship with his lover, Camille, but he has just been promoted to head of the murder squad in Paris. Adrian Danglard is shaped like a pear and the single father of five children, but his is Adamsberg loyal right-hand man. Between the four of them, they must idenfity who is leaving strange notes, identified as taken from old texts threatening the coming of the plague, leaving them in the town crier's box, painting reverse 4s on doors, signifying protection from the plague, and killing people. Written in French by Ms. Fred Vargas and translated, sometimes rather awkwardly, into Queen's English, I so enjoyed this book. Map lovers take note: there are three wonderful maps included in the book. The collection of characters is quirky and interesting. "Normal" people need not apply. Yet it is those characters who bring this story to life and make it so wonderful to read. They are created slowly and with gentle irony by Ms. Vargas. This is definitely a character-driven story. That's not to say the plot isn't well done. The plot is clever and believable with some good suspense. I certainly learned more about the history of the plague on the continent. In spite of the translation gaffes--I understand they changed translators after book two--I really enjoyed this book. I do want to read more in this series.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting historical mystery,
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This review is from: Have Mercy on Us All: A Novel (Chief Inspector Adamsberg Mysteries) (Paperback)
Both my wife and I really enjoyed this book. Very interesting characters and a bit of a history lesson thrown in we highly recommend it for a change of pace.
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