A new mystery for Adamsberg, a fantastic new novel from Fred Vargas

Shortlisted for CWA Duncan Lawrie International Dagger 2008.

'Stylish prose and strong characters'" "James Urquhart," Financial Times" 'Humorous and original eccentricity' "The Herald" 'If you haven't cottoned on to Vargas's brilliant Adamsberg detective series, then you're missing a treat' Stuart Kelly, "Scotland on Sunday" 'This Night's Foul Work" "goes beyond the suspense and plot twists expected of detective fiction as Vargas has created enthralling characters with very real emotions'"-""French Magazine" 'I absolutely loved the latest offering from Vargas. The story is bizarre but the humour and lightness in the way it's written make it seem convincing in this alternative Adamsberg universe' -EuroCrime.co.uk" "'The narrative pace and the conglomeration of oddities and details make for a high level of entertainment and mystery' -Bookbag.co.uk 'In theory, Fred Vargas's novels ought not to work. The storylines are, almost always, wholly unbelievable. The characters, with few exceptions, are weird, exaggerated and unconvincing. And yet, when she assembles her unique, unreal mixture, what emerges is irresistibly gripping, powerfully written and quite often frightening' -Marcel Berlins, "The Times" Praise for Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand: "A celebration of the grand French tradition of crime writing. . . . It's finely crafted, elegantly written and very modernist." - "The Globe and Mail" "Plenty of tense entertainment." - "Toronto Star" "Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand establishes Vargas beyond doubt as a cool, clever, original and deeply humane crime writer." - "The Times Literary Supplement" "From the Hardcover edition."

Fred Vargas was born in Paris in 1957. As well as being a best-selling author in France, she is an historian and archaeologist.