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A review by gavreads
Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand by Fred Vargas
The focus of this story shifts to Adamsberg and his rapid and the worrying unraveling of his mind when a buried case is revived by his subconscious. The case is dead and buried both the victims and the Judge that Adamsberg had suspected of the crime. But this case brings those memories to the focus and those he shares them with become concerned as he comes to believe the dead man is alive.
Cleverly Vargas takes takes Adamsberg out of Paris and France to Canada on a training course at one point with the rest of his team, which leads to seeing Dangard, his second in command, loose his usual cool prior to and during the flight over. Adamsberg also gets a new sidekick at one point that again shows Adamsberg from a new angle.
Previous novels have hinted at his womanising tendencies and even though we don’t linger on the events themselves we do see some consequences this time, which we haven’t seen before. Especially as he still has a thing for Camille even though he stays out of her way she is a big part of his mental space.
There is always a touch of madness about Adamsberg’s methods, which are especially unorthodox considering his high position in the police force but they seem to work most of the time, even if they are strange hunches to his colleagues who mostly stick to traditional detective procedures he usual nails who needs nailing.
What’s nice about the way this story is constructed is that Adamsberg is the complete focus, though he’d prefer the attention not to be on him in this case it’s inevitable under the circumstances.
And Vargas plays her what if guessing game where you aren’t sure what is true and bearing in mind Adamsberg’s mental state you’d be forgiven to be more unsure of his methods than normal.
But not to worry. Vargas is a mistress of leading us up the garden path and then plunging our understanding into a different direction.
Again Vargas has pulled off a creative and unique police procedural by swapping her focus again and giving us a different view of her hero Adamsberg.
Well worth reading.
Cleverly Vargas takes takes Adamsberg out of Paris and France to Canada on a training course at one point with the rest of his team, which leads to seeing Dangard, his second in command, loose his usual cool prior to and during the flight over. Adamsberg also gets a new sidekick at one point that again shows Adamsberg from a new angle.
Previous novels have hinted at his womanising tendencies and even though we don’t linger on the events themselves we do see some consequences this time, which we haven’t seen before. Especially as he still has a thing for Camille even though he stays out of her way she is a big part of his mental space.
There is always a touch of madness about Adamsberg’s methods, which are especially unorthodox considering his high position in the police force but they seem to work most of the time, even if they are strange hunches to his colleagues who mostly stick to traditional detective procedures he usual nails who needs nailing.
What’s nice about the way this story is constructed is that Adamsberg is the complete focus, though he’d prefer the attention not to be on him in this case it’s inevitable under the circumstances.
And Vargas plays her what if guessing game where you aren’t sure what is true and bearing in mind Adamsberg’s mental state you’d be forgiven to be more unsure of his methods than normal.
But not to worry. Vargas is a mistress of leading us up the garden path and then plunging our understanding into a different direction.
Again Vargas has pulled off a creative and unique police procedural by swapping her focus again and giving us a different view of her hero Adamsberg.
Well worth reading.