This Poison Will Remain by Fred Vargas

First Sentence:  Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, sitting on a rock at the quayside, watched the Grimsey fishermen return with their daily catch as they moored their boats and hauled up their nets.

      

Spider bites can kill.  But three elderly men, living in one area, killed by a small reclusive spider seems more than accidental to a member of Inspector Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg's team.  As information is gathered, Adamsberg decides to investigate, a decision that causes a rift within his team.  Running an unauthorized investigation and possibly losing his best friend and right-hand man is a risk, but seeking justice is worth it.

      

What an interesting opening to have the protagonist, the former commissaire of the Paris Serious Crimes Squad, on a quay in Iceland.  Adamsberg's respite doesn't last long before he is called back to his team who knows him well—"Lieutenant Veyrenc…knew that when the commissaire was in charge, the squad was like a tall sailing ship, sometimes with a brisk wind behind it, other times becalmed and its sails drooping, rather than a powerful speedboat churning up torrents of spray." 

     

For those who have read previous books in the series, there is a feeling of coming home.  For those who have not, Vargas conveys the sense of the team members and their loyalty, from the very start.  And what a quirky team it is, filled with affection and respect, right down to the cat and Mathias, a character from her "The Three Evangelists" series.  It's interesting seeing Adamsberg go through the case and the evidence with the team, which adds veracity to the story.  The verbal exchanges often make one smile—"It's called Le Curé de Tours, The Priest of Tours."  "Thank you,' said Estalère warmly…'Still Balzac didn't bust a gut making up the title, did he?'  'Estalère, one doesn't say of Balzac that "he didn't bust a gut".'

      

As an historian and an eukaryotic archaeologist Vargas wrote a definitive work on the bubonic plague, and her knowledge certainly contributes to the story's plot.  There is certainly nothing usual or ordinary about this case to which Adamsberg is attracted, as well as the realism of having the squad working more than the one case.  There are very good twists and an escalation in the depth of the crimes involved and in the tension within the team. Yet it is all the characters, which are the core of the story, including Louise Chevier and Adamsberg's brother, a revelation in his own life, and the return of the imagery of a ship, which keeps us immersed in the story. Vargas plays fair with the reader.  As Adamsberg begins to put the pieces together, so may we.

      

It is very difficult to quantify Vargas' work.  She takes one into the world of the best, most unique police squad one will ever find although some similarities may be made to Christopher Fowler's "Bryant and May" team. 

      
With "This Poison Will Remain," Vargas has created a story filled with delightful imagery, a unique plot, and a truly touching ending.  For those who like the unusual and quirky, reading Vargas can be addictive.   

THIS POISON WILL REMAIN (PolProc-Comm. Adamsberg-France-Contemp) - Ex

      Vargas, Fred (translator, Siân Reynolds) – 7^th in series

      Harvill Secker – Aug 2019