The Three Evangelists (Paperback)

Until Sophia disappears. Nobody is greatly worried. Well, at least not until the point when worrying is pretty useless: a few days later her body is found in a burnt-out car. Suddenly, the mysterious tree – though still equally mysterious – seems ever-more sinister. But why? The three historians line up a plethora of mysterious suspects (her husband, her ex-lover, her niece newly returned to the capital with her child, her best friend?) and vow to discover who killed their neighbour.

It’s hard to express how good Vargas’s novels are. At least, without seeming to launch into an overenthusiastic, over-the-top, laudatory rant. Witness one press review: “Joyous, enchanting, amazing, fantastic, unclassifiable, beyond-brilliant. Readers will not hold back praise for Fred Vargas.” A bit OTT, no? Well, no, not really. The Three Evangelists is the best so far, and contains every element that have made critics laud her to the skies: a charming, witty, quirky style, an original and gripping plot constantly fresh with twists, and endearingly eccentric, likeable characters (the three historians – or, “evangelists” are the most quirky and entertaining bunch of protagonists you’ll likely come across; their individual characters and interactions are hugely funny). The best writers are those whose work is incomparable to any other, completely original, and Vargas fits this mould as if she were designed for it.

The Three Evangelists is edgy but humorous, sinister yet light, clever but a huge amount of fun. The characters are odd (sometimes downright weird) but still real. The plots are unlikely but, due to their originality and tone, fascinating to a ludicrous degree. I’ve said this before, but I can’t really describe what makes Vargas’s books so special, so unique. They adhere to loose conventions of a mystery novel, but are unlike any other mystery novels you’ve read, in tone at least, and certainly in style. This might be the crowning feature of Vargas’s work (or maybe just the grounding one, I don’t know), the style, which just bristles with knowing fun, while taking the story itself completely seriously. Too, she garnishes both unusual and everyday events with an itchy sinister atmosphere (the appearance of a tree has never, ever been so unnerving) that, coupled with the quirky fun, puts both in the spotlight in a more pointed, powerful way. You always know when authors had fun writing a book, and this is one of them. Some of the lines, some of the understated ironic asides Vargas offers about her characters, are laugh-out-loud funny in a way more associated with Terry Pratchett

And how is it as a mystery novel? Well, in terms of being a crime novel, The Three Evangelists is the best puzzle, the most well-written and crafted clutch of surprises, that I have read in absolute months. You may think you know what’s going on, guessed what Vargas has up her sleeve, but you are, in the end, wrong. She turns the tables brilliantly several times with a mystery and story that is never as simple as it appears to be. It’s a complete joy to read, and I very much hope you do so. This might, already, be the best crime novel of 2006. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised.