A Climate of Fear
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4.5 • 31 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From the #1 bestselling French author and four-time winner of the Crime Writers’ Association’s International Dagger Award
"French crime queen's new mystery—her best yet."—The Sunday Times ("Must Reads")
“Adamsberg is a terrific creation and his team of misfits a joy to watch in action.”—Peter Robinson, New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Banks series
A woman is found murdered in her bathtub, and the murder has been made to look like a suicide. But a strange symbol found at the crime scene leads the local police to call Commissaire Adamsberg and his team.
When the symbol is found near the body of a second disguised suicide, a pattern begins to emerge: both victims were part of a disastrous expedition to Iceland over ten years ago where a group of tourists found themselves trapped on a deserted island for two weeks, surrounded by a thick, impenetrable fog rumored to be summoned by an ancient local demon. Two of them didn’t make it back alive. But how are the deaths linked to the secretive Association for the Study of the Writings of Maximilien Robespierre? And what does the mysterious symbol signify?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Vargas's captivating eighth Commissaire Adamsberg mystery (after 2013's The Ghost Riders of Ordebec), the dreamily brilliant Paris police commissioner, assisted by his baffled, balky team of underlings, investigates the deaths of members of the Association for the Study of the Writings of Maximilien Robespierre, a group devoted to studying the French Revolution. The first victim, Alice Gauthier, ran a bath, took off her shoes, climbed into the water fully clothed, and then apparently slit her wrists, but Adamsberg suspects foul play. A decade earlier, Gauthier made an ill-fated trip to an island off of Iceland. When the second victim turns out to have been on the same trip, Adamsberg is sure there's a link between the present-day murders and a tragedy that occurred on the Icelandic island back then. Acting on his intuition, the policeman decides to lead an expedition to the island, reputed to be haunted by an Arctic demon, in the hope of finding some answers. Vargas keeps introducing unexpected, fascinating new plot elements, even as the action totters on the brink of absurdity.
Customer Reviews
A climate of fear
Unique plot, diverse cast of characters, suspenseful and tense moments, and well resolved ending. Very satisfying read.
A climate of fear
Too convoluted for a simple argument