Tagged: police

Se7en dir. by

I can still remember going to see this film in the cinema more than twenty years ago. It is one of those films that has always stayed with me. And what’s...

Seeking Whom He May Devour by

Reread in April 2015 and it was just as good as I remembered. Original review from 22nd April 2006. ISBN: 0098461560 Trans from the French: David Bellos Yes again a cover...

The Raid dir. by

The Indonesian version of SWAT are going into battle. An apartment block has become home to the bad and the violent. A no go area that the police never visit. But...

The chalk circle man by

Author: Fred Vargas ; trans from the french by Sian Reynolds
An Adamsberg novel

Chief Inspector Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg has recently been transferred to Paris. His police methods aren’t exactly standard procedure and his inspectors have a lot to get used to. But they can have no doubt that he is a born policeman, and while even he is unable to explain how he arrives at his conclusions he is usually correct. In this case he thinks that there is something strange about the blue chalk circles that have been appearing in the Parisian streets. He is convinced that there is something sinister about them.

Max Payne dir. by

I knew going to see this film that I’d be disappointed. Was a big fan of the game but I’d heard negative things about this film. Often when that happens you...

This Night’s Foul Work

Author: Fred Vargas
Trans: Sian Reynolds

As you may already know I’m a big fan of Fred Vargas’ work and while this one is a library copy I’ll be buying this when it comes out in the proper size. I can’t stand these trade publications versions. They make no sense to me. All the negatives of a hardback with none of the positives. But enough about that; on to the plot.

The most straight-forward way of describing this book is to say that it is a murder-mystery. But with characters like Adamsberg there is no such thing as a straight-forward case. So when he spots something a little “off” about the two bodies that have shown up he decides that this case his rather than giving them over to the Drugs Squad.

Wash this blood clean from my hand by

trans. Sian Reynolds
I’m a huge fan of Fred Vargas’ work. And this book is no exception. The star, once more, is Commissaire Adamsberg. The plot revolves around a series of murders, the first in 1943, the latest takes place in the present of the book. Adamsberg has a special interest in this case, and the judge he believes to have committed these crimes. In each case the murder victim is killed by three stab wounds. And in each case an assailant has been found, always suffering from amnesia but also having a murder weapon in his possession. In each case the police decide that this individual is responsible and, there you go, case closed. Adamsberg is not so sure.

Lost Souls by

ISBN: 0753817853 Read for the RIP Challenge See also: Allan Guthrie’s Noir Originals ; Telegraph review ; The Little Bird ; Reading Matters It was past midnight when I got home...

Fool Moon by

ISBN: 1841493996 Book two in The Dresden Files read for the RIP Challenge I never used to keep close track of the phases of the moon Harry Dresden is a wizard....