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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fred Vargas - Seeking Whom He May Devour, 10 Nov 2005
Of the flood of new European writers, Vargas is certainly the most mysterious, with her eccentric, esoteric novels, and maybe even the best of the all. (The only thing that Mankell has against her is a larger body of published work; if all her books are as good as the two that have found their way intro translation, then she's even better than Mankell. Which is, let's get this clear, a very big deal.)Seeking Whom He May Devour, a chilling and atmospheric tale of werewolves in a mountainous region of French, is perhaps not QUITE as good as Have Mercy on Us All (few crime novels are), but it's still a hugely good crime novel. Vargas has a way of tapping into esoterica and intriguing, old, atavistic fears that draws the reader in helplessly even though they’re slightly scared at the same time. Wolves; the plague... She seems to have a fascination with fear and hysteria, old superstitions and phobias, that is absolutely fascinating. These universal sore points are still weak, even now, and help contribute to the power of these two books. Adamsberg is a great detective; he's possibly even more enigmatic here than he was in his first outing, and Camille - his possible love-interest, is almost as intriguing as he is. The writing is atmospheric, effective, and carries an excellent sense of place. Vargas has an absolutely remarkable instinct for the things which frighten us, for the things which make us uncomfortable, even though we never really knew it. And even though her books seem to tap into something vaguely supernatural, something vaguely otherworldly, they still function as excellent real-world mysteries as well, which is something special indeed. I cannot recommend her highly enough.
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