Sophia Simeonidis, a Greek opera singer, wakes up one morning to discover that a tree has appeared overnight in the garden of her Paris house. Intrigued and unnerved, she turns to her neighbours: Vandoosler, an ex-cop fired from the police for having helped a murderer to escape, and three impecunious historians, Mathias, Marc and Lucien - the three evangelists. They agree - both because they need the money and out of sheer curiosity - to dig around the tree and see if something has been buried there. They find nothing but soil. A few weeks later, Sophia disappears and nobody worries too much until her body is found burned to ashes in a car. Who killed the opera singer? Her husband, her ex-lover, her best friend? Or could it be her lovely niece recently moved to the capital? They all seem to have a motive. Vandoosler and the three evangelists set out to find the truth.
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for the works of 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 ecccentric.There' s been much brouhaha recently about the Crime Writers Association' s decision to exclude novels not written in English from its prestigious Dagger award; there may be the consolation of a separate prize for foreign writers. But after reading Fred Vargas, you may feel that she deserves the main trophy."
- "Daily Express"
" Fred Vargas is a wonderful writer. Much of the joy of reading this book lies in Vargas' s wonderful use of language, her subtle characterizations and her superb sense of place."
- Margaret Cannon, "The Globe and Mail"
" Joyous, enchanting, amazing, fantastic, unclassifiable, beyond-brilliant. Readers will not hold back praise for Fred Vargas. With Have Mercy on Us All, the novelist spares no trick in keeping us glued to our seats."
- "Elle" (France)
" On the basis of this elegantly twisted crime novel, Vargas is clearly an author who will rank alongside Henning Mankell. The plot kinks and switches in an utterly compelling manner. Creepy, sophisticated and wonderfully off-beat."
- "Scotland on Sunday"
" The hero of this Parisian crime novel is one of the most fetchingly weird detectives I' ve come across in a while. Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg is a bit like Morse, but much more French."
- "Daily Telegraph "(UK)
" Slick, creepy and full of engagingly odd characters, this thriller is a class act."
- "The Independent" (UK)
" 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 ecccentric.There' s been much brouhaha recently about the Crime Writers Association' s decision to exclude novels not written in English from its prestigious Dagger award; there may be the consolation of a separate prize for foreign writers. But after reading Fred Vargas, you may feel that she deserves the main trophy."
- "Daily Express"
" Fred Vargas is a wonderful writer. Much of the joy of reading this book lies in Vargas' s wonderful use of language, her subtle characterizations and her superb sense of place."
- Margaret Cannon, "The Globe and Mail"
" Joyous, enchanting, amazing, fantastic, unclassifiable, beyond-brilliant. Readers will not hold back praise for Fred Vargas. With Have Mercy on Us All, the novelist spares no trick in keeping us glued to our seats."
- "Elle" (France)
" On the basis of this elegantly twisted crime novel, Vargas is clearly an author who will rank alongside Henning Mankell. The plot kinks and switches in an utterly compelling manner. Creepy, sophisticated and wonderfully off-beat."
- "Scotland on Sunday"
" The hero of this Parisian crime novel is one of the most fetchingly weird detectives I' ve come across in a while. Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg is a bit like Morse, but much more French."
- "Daily Telegraph "(UK)
" Slick, creepy and full of engagingly odd characters, this thriller is a class act."
- "The Independent" (UK)
About the Author
Fred Vargas was born in Paris in 1957. A historian and archaeologist by profession, she is now a bestselling novelist. Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages.
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More About the Author
Fred Vargas was born in Paris in 1957. As well as being a best-selling author in France, she is an historian and archaeologist.
She worked at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), which she joined in 1988. She later joined the Institut Pasteur, as a eukaryotic archaeologist.
She mostly writes police thrillers (policiers). They take place in Paris and feature the adventures of Chief Inspector Adamsberg and his team. Her interest in the Middle Ages is manifest in many of her novels, especially through the person of Marc Vandoosler, a young specialist in the period. Seeking Whom He May Devour was shortlisted by the British Crime Writers' Association for the last Gold Dagger award for best crime novel of the year, and the following year The Three Evangelists won the inaugural Duncan Lawrie International Dagger. She also won the award for the second year-running with Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand.
She worked at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), which she joined in 1988. She later joined the Institut Pasteur, as a eukaryotic archaeologist.
She mostly writes police thrillers (policiers). They take place in Paris and feature the adventures of Chief Inspector Adamsberg and his team. Her interest in the Middle Ages is manifest in many of her novels, especially through the person of Marc Vandoosler, a young specialist in the period. Seeking Whom He May Devour was shortlisted by the British Crime Writers' Association for the last Gold Dagger award for best crime novel of the year, and the following year The Three Evangelists won the inaugural Duncan Lawrie International Dagger. She also won the award for the second year-running with Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Imagine Adrian Monk, "Bones", and Rory Gilmore working together on a "Cold case".....,
By Lu (University Park, PA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Three Evangelists (Paperback)
If you enjoy "Monk" on USA, "Bones" on Fox, or "Cold case" on CBS, this is the book for you: quirky but lovable characters, a weird crime that digs deep, games and winks and humor even in darkness, a realistic plot, and a very unique universe you can't bear to leave. Little bonus: it's not ghoulish or gross, it contains no sex, and it's overall quite "clean" (unlike many mysteries these days.)Plus how often do you find unemployed history majors/grad students as sleuths?
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure Delight,
By
This review is from: Three Evangelists (Paperback)
Tired of reading mystery books with the hackneyed Inspector/Sergeant couples mooching around? Here's the cure: fresh characters, humour, plot - all wonderful! From the opening pages where, in Paris, a protagonist finds a handy pebble to kick along ahead of him on his route, these are people you like immensely.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to Put Down - Fascinating Characters,
By J. Avellanet "author of Get to Market Now!" (Williamsburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Three Evangelists (Paperback)
From the opening few pages, this mystery hooks you quickly. The characters are some of the most fascinating I've ever read - in many ways, I wish the author would write more stories involving them. So original.The mystery itself is very well set up, the story flows at a good pace, and at the end, you will be amazed that you saw all the same pieces but still didn't "get it right." Certainly this is Vargas' best work to date. Can't wait for her next book to be translated.
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