Tag Archives: Fred Vargas

Tana French, “The Secret Place”

Posted on September 8, 2014 by carolwallace

One of the little thrills of contemporary life: when you pre-order a book and it shows up magically on your Kindle. Even if I know it’s going to happen, I find it exciting. And of course when the book is … Continue reading →

Posted in mystery | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Elly Griffiths, “A Room Full of Bones”

Posted on July 13, 2012 by carolwallace

Ruth Galloway is a great character for a detective series:  overweight, cranky, insecure in every area but her profession, which happens to be forensic archaeology. Which is to say, Ruth studies old bones. What a terrific premise! Teamed with the … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, mystery | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Ruth Rendell, “The Vault”

Posted on July 4, 2012 by carolwallace

We’re getting on in years, Ruth Rendell, Reg Wexford and I. I sort of dropped the ball on the Wexford novels, one of the most consistently satisfying police procedural series. I left Reg out there in Kingsmarkham, his Southern English … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, mystery | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Susan Hill, “The Betrayal of Trust”

Posted on February 7, 2012 by carolwallace

OK, it’s official. Susan Hill enters the contemporary murder mystery pantheon, along with the goddess Tana French and the goddess Fred Vargas. Why, you may wonder, are these women deities in my little firmament? Because they consistently deliver entertainment that is … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, mystery | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Craig Johnson, “Hell is Empty”

Posted on August 2, 2011 by carolwallace

So – why shouldn’t a mystery writer be allowed to break out of the mold a little bit? Or, wait, let’s put this another way: must a mystery writer’s production always have an eye to the market? Well, we live in … Continue reading →

Posted in mystery | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Fred Vargas, “L’Armee furieuse”

Posted on July 1, 2011 by carolwallace

Fred Vargas does it again. I’ve written pretty frequently about the challenges of keeping a mystery series fresh. There’s a lot to juggle: the setting, the sidekicks, the detective’s emotional development, amorous relationships if any. Some writers clearly tire of … Continue reading →

Posted in French, mystery | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Ann Cleeves, “Morts sur la lande”/”Telling Tales”

Posted on June 11, 2011 by carolwallace

I feel pretty silly about this. It makes sense to read French murder mysteries in French, in an attempt to maintain language skills. Thus Fred Vargas. But it’s pretty cumbersome to read an English murder mystery in French, just because you … Continue reading →

Posted in mystery, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Fred Vargas, “Debout les morts”/”The Three Evangelists”

Posted on April 26, 2011 by carolwallace

I don’t have the temperament of a completist. Not for me the obscure early works, the unfinished manuscripts, the lesser-known short stories of the eminent novelist. But I find myself making an exception for Fred Vargas because she is just … Continue reading →

Posted in funny, mystery | Tagged | 7 Comments

Jane Haddam, “Glass Houses”

Posted on January 30, 2011 by carolwallace

After all my highbrow Virago reading last week I’m faintly embarrassed at returning to murder mysteries, but there you have it. Sometimes all i want from a book is escape, and over the years Jane Haddam’s series mysteries have provided … Continue reading →

Posted in mystery | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Fred Vargas, “Un Lieu incertain”

Posted on January 5, 2011 by carolwallace

The translation for this Fred Vargas title is listed on Amazon as An Uncertain Place. Looks like the English edition will be available in May, though not from Penguin, which has been issuing Sian Reynolds’ translations like Wash This Blood … Continue reading →

Posted in French, mystery | Tagged , | 6 Comments