Customer Reviews

Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand. Fred Vargas

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.)

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.

This is Ms. Vargas's best mystery yet - I really enjoyed the twists and turns in it - highly recommended

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

Inspector Adamsberg is up against a monomaniac he's been tracking since he was a kid: a judge from the small Pyrenees village where Adamsberg grew up. The judge killed his brother's girlfriend and framed his brother for the murder.

The inspector is always one step behind the judge, who stages the same crime again and again. The judge uses a trident-like weapon that leaves three identical puncture wounds across the victim's stomach. And in every case he sets up a blacked-out drunk to look like the murderer.

Unfortunately it's not easy for Adamsberg to convince anyone of the judge's diabolical proceedings, and he drops the chase once the man is dead and buried. Sixteen years later, as this book opens, the inspector reads a story about a crime in Alsace that sounds just like the Judge - and he resurrects the hunt.

Adamsberg is almost vanquished by the devilish cleverness of this killer. But an interesting thing happens. The inspector, always a loner, is deluged with advice from other people - and for once he tries listening. He lets others take a leading role, among them an eccentric granny, a fragile old lady hacker and an enormously fat and resourceful woman officer.

Key to the plot is a DNA conference in Quebec that Adamsberg and his team attend. The temperamental differences between French and Canadian officers are quite amusing.

If you haven't read Have Mercy on Us All, you might want to get that along with this book, since a wonderful supporting character appears in both.

I'm deeply impressed by the stylistic brilliance of this author, her quirky sense of humor - and her ability to portray the caprices of the human mind.

I bought this book after reading a review in the Washington Post. I was really pleased. This is an excellent mystery book. It was the first book that I read from this author, but it won't be the last!

I don't often write reviews, but this book was so completely enjoyable that I must. Excellent characters, a great "twisty" plot, and intelligent writing made for one of the most enjoyable mystery reads for me in a long time (and I read quite a few).

interesting to find out what makes Adamsberg tick. Sometimes a bit unrealistic but then all Fred Vargas books are a bit unrealistic, that's what explains their charm.

This book is certainly entertaining and hard to put down once you've started reading. Unlike some of Vargas's books, you're thrown right into the plot, which has been outlined already so I'm not repeating it.

For the first few hundred pages, I thought this book to be one of the best Vargas has written, but last 100 pages don't match. I don't want to give the ending away, so I'll just make some general comments. There are some major surprises - the only problem is that every reader will have realised those surprises long ago and will just shake their head in disbelief at how thick Adamsberg must be not to have realised it. The very end of the book is also improbable beyond belief and after such an interesting start, I felt robbed when I discovered that Vargas seems to just had become tired of the rather long book and hastily put together the worst ending she has written. That's about all I can say without any spoilers :-)