First
Sentence: A trail of tiny breadcrumbs led from the kitchen
into the bedroom, as far as the spotless sheets where the
old woman lay dead, her mouth open.
Comm.
Adamsburg travels to Ordebec in response to a woman’s
plea. Her daughter, Lina, has seen the Ghost Riders with four
men. According to legend, this mean each of these men will
meet a violent death. Adamsburg takes with him a young man
he believes innocent of the murder for which he is accused,
and his 18-year-old son, whom he recently met. Although entranced
by the lovely Lina, one of the envisioned men does die and
it’s time for Adamsburg to get to work.
There
is nothing ordinary about a Fred Vargas book. It begins with
a unique murder, quickly solved by Adamsberg, which quickly
displays his understanding of people and their behaviors.
The Serious Crime Unit, of which he is the head, is a collection
of strange and unusual individuals. It’s hard to imagine
how they solve crimes, but solve them they do. Vargas even
keeps the characters from her book “The Three Evangelists”
included in this series.
Legends,
ghost stories, witchcraft, and the supernatural are included
in the story, but don’t overtake the fact that this
is, at its core, a police procedural. Yet her books are definitely
character-driven focusing not only on their physical presence,
but their personal characteristics.
There
is something mercurial and wise about Vega’s writing
that can make you stop and think…”The world’s
full of details, have you noticed? And since no details is
ever repeated in exactly the same shape and always sets off
others details, there’s no end to it.”
The
Ghost Riders of Ordebec started off just a bit slowly
but quickly made up for it. It is, as are all her books, wonderfully
weird and very French. You’ll either be completely entranced
by Vargas writing, or she’ll just not quite be your
cup of tea. Me? I’m firmly in the former group.
Reviews of other titles in this series
Seeking
Who He May Devour #3
An
Uncertain Place #6
The
Ghost Riders of Ordebec #7
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