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Ghost Riders of Ordebec, The A Commissaire Adamsberg novel Hardcover – March 7, 2013
'People will die,' says the panic-stricken woman outside police headquarters. She has been standing in blazing sunshine for more than an hour, and refuses to speak to anyone besides Commissaire Adamsberg. Her daughter has seen a vision: ghostly horsemen who target the most nefarious characters in Normandy. Since the middle ages there have been stories of murderers, rapists, those with serious crimes on their conscience, meeting a grizzly end following a visitation by the riders.
Soon after the young woman's vision a notoriously cruel man disappears, and the local police dismiss the matter as superstition. Although the case is far outside his jurisdiction, Adamsberg agrees to investigate the strange happenings in a village terrorised by wild rumours and ancient feuds.
- Print length362 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarvill Secker
- Publication dateMarch 7, 2013
- Dimensions6.38 x 1.3 x 9.45 inches
- ISBN-101846557364
- ISBN-13978-1846557361
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Editorial Reviews
Review
• "A glorious mix of myth, quirky observation and gallic humour." --Sunday Telegraph
• "Her novels about the kindly, quixotic Commissaire Adamsberg are unique, presenting us with a France that resembles Simenon’s in its concreteness but with a fantastical, even surreal, twist: werewolves, vampires and, in her latest novel, an army of ghosts on horseback… Her work is like a baked Camembert among the smorgasbord of chilly Scandinavian realism that dominates the foreign crime fiction market here, delicious comfort food for the sophisticated palate." --Jake Kerridge, Daily Telegraph
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Harvill Secker (March 7, 2013)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 362 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1846557364
- ISBN-13 : 978-1846557361
- Item Weight : 1.48 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.38 x 1.3 x 9.45 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,411,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #118,814 in Crime Thrillers (Books)
- #251,217 in Mysteries (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Fred Vargas was born in Paris in 1957. As well as being a best-selling author in France, she is an historian and archaeologist.
She worked at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), which she joined in 1988. She later joined the Institut Pasteur, as a eukaryotic archaeologist.
She mostly writes police thrillers (policiers). They take place in Paris and feature the adventures of Chief Inspector Adamsberg and his team. Her interest in the Middle Ages is manifest in many of her novels, especially through the person of Marc Vandoosler, a young specialist in the period. Seeking Whom He May Devour was shortlisted by the British Crime Writers' Association for the last Gold Dagger award for best crime novel of the year, and the following year The Three Evangelists won the inaugural Duncan Lawrie International Dagger. She also won the award for the second year-running with Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book an exciting and entertaining read with well-described characters and realistic dialogue. They describe the plot as unique, unusual, and rich. Readers appreciate the author's style as mesmerizing, whimsical, and beautifully composed. They praise the deft characterization and wonderful details in the book. The translation is praised as brilliant, though some find it better in the original French version.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it exciting, entertaining, and hard to put down. The story is enjoyable and delightful, with interesting subjects. It's a pleasant holiday read, best enjoyed as part of the series.
"I think this book is one of the best mysteries I have ever read. It has at least 3 outstanding features. First, the characters...." Read more
"...Her characters are quirky, eccentric and interesting. The plot may be a bit far fetched but I don't mind that as much as reading a boring book...." Read more
"...Is it a literary parody of a police procedural? An edgy excursion into a dream world? A profound fairy tale?..." Read more
"Ms. Vargas writes another hit with this book. A woman is hanging around outside of Adamsberg's office...." Read more
Customers enjoy the unique and interesting plot. They find the mystery satisfying and surprising, with a rich plot that keeps them guessing until the end. The characters are well-developed and the riddles keep readers engaged. Overall, customers describe the book as a great crime/mystery novel that keeps you guessing until the end, like a Romance with a twist.
"...Her characters are quirky, eccentric and interesting. The plot may be a bit far fetched but I don't mind that as much as reading a boring book...." Read more
"...It is, as are all her books, wonderfully weird and very French...." Read more
"...Is it a literary parody of a police procedural? An edgy excursion into a dream world? A profound fairy tale?..." Read more
"...The solution to the mystery is satisfying and surprising, the characters are so well described, their dialogue so real, original and delightful...." Read more
Customers enjoy the well-described and original characters in this book. They find the dialogue realistic and delightful, and praise the author's writing style. Readers also mention that the book is a quick read with interesting French characters.
"...Her characters are quirky, eccentric and interesting. The plot may be a bit far fetched but I don't mind that as much as reading a boring book...." Read more
"...There is something mercurial and wise about Vega’s writing that can make you stop and think…”The world’s full of details, have you noticed?..." Read more
"...The translation must be brilliant, to capture the charm of the writing so well...." Read more
"...solution to the mystery is satisfying and surprising, the characters are so well described, their dialogue so real, original and delightful...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's style. They find the dialogue whimsical and well-composed. The book is described as a good rendering of a Normandy myth with new and suspenseful characters and settings.
"...I just know there's literary witchcraft on every page. The style is mesmerizing, the dialog exquisitely weird...." Read more
"...I love the development of the character of Adamsberg's son. Brilliantly done!" Read more
"I am a Vargas fan and J-B Adamsberg is such an off beat flic...." Read more
"...Adamsberg seemed more grounded but still quite whimsical. The plot well constructed and kept one guessing...." Read more
Customers enjoy the author's characterization. They find the book filled with wonderful details and incredible characters. The writing is well-researched, quirky, and adult-friendly. Readers appreciate the interesting plot lines and unique characters.
"Miss Vargas is a good writer, with a deft knack for characterization. I was pleased by a plethora of unexpected and interesting subjects...." Read more
"This whole series has been great. Very interesting and unusual plot lines and unique characters. No wonder they are award winning" Read more
"...A thoroughly enjoyable and exciting read, filled with a million wonderful details and incredible characters. A must read!" Read more
"Well researched, quirky and "adult speak". Immensely entertaining - It's like taking a weekend holiday in Normandy...." Read more
Customers enjoy the translation. They say it captures the charm of the writing well, describing it as French writing at its best. While some find it better in the original French, even the quirky characters are captured well in English.
"...It is, as are all her books, wonderfully weird and very French...." Read more
"...The style is mesmerizing, the dialog exquisitely weird. The translation must be brilliant, to capture the charm of the writing so well...." Read more
"It's better in the original French, but even in English the quirky characters and interesting story make it a great book." Read more
"FRENCH WRITING AT ITS BEST...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2014I think this book is one of the best mysteries I have ever read. It has at least 3 outstanding features.
First, the characters. Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, the main character, is the head of a major crimes unit in Paris. He calls himself a “cloud shoveler” because he more or less intuits his way through a case rather than devoting himself to procedure.
His team is an eccentric one. Veyrenc often talks in verse. Danglard is a walking encyclopedia who enjoys his wine a bit too much. Mercadet has narcolepsy so the team’s break room has several pillows on which he can lie down when he needs to.
Violette Retancourt is a tall, muscular blond woman. Adamsberg defends her against the criticism of his neighbor, Lucio, when Lucio describes her as “This big fat woman, tall as a house.” Adamsberg tells him “She’s not a big fat woman, Lucio, she’s a goddess, a polyvalent goddess.”
Adamsberg does not stop his team from maintaining a cat in their office area. The cat likes to nap on the warm photocopier. When the higher-ups visit, Retancourt scoops up the cat and gets him outside.
Adamsberg’s son, Zerk, spends most of the book nursing a pigeon back to health while also helping to get another young man out of Paris because the police (but not Adamsberg) are looking for him.
Second, the complicated plot. Adamsberg first quickly resolves a case just to show us, I guess, how clever he is. Then for most of the book, he works on two murder cases, one in Paris, one in Normandy. They aren’t related except that the Paris case has the effect of getting him to visit Normandy and an event in the Normandy case acts as an inspiration that leads Adamsberg to a resolution of the Paris case.
The Normandy case takes place in the fictional town of Ordebec where a young woman, Lina Vendermot, has had a vision of the ghost riders or the “furious army,” a vision based on a medieval myth about an army of decaying knights riding flying but nonetheless decaying horses sweeping into an area, dragging along living people. Whoever is seen with the ghost riders is likely to die. Lina sees 4 people in her vision but can identify only three, leaving each person in Ordebec to worry about whether he or she is the 4th. Lina’s vision, not her first, does not endear her or her family to the people of Ordebec, not only because of her threatening premonitions which do come to fruition but because her six-fingered brother is thought to have some kind of occult power to curse people .
In addition to the overlapping murder cases, Adamsberg is also determined to find out who has cruelly tied up the legs of a pigeon and left him helpless in front of police headquarters. His son takes over caring for the crippled pigeon.
A third noteworthy feature of the book is its sweep of time. The ghost riders take us back to the 11th and 13th centuries when important sightings took place. The Ordebec chief of police is obsessed with his near-famous ancestor, a commander in Napoleon’s army. Leone, Leo for short, a lady very rich in years, tells us of her youthful marriage to a local nobleman still living near Ordebec, a marriage that ended because of pressure from the nobleman’s family. There is a mystery about the murder of the father of the 3 Vandermot children that occurred when the children were very young.
Just so much engrossing fun from start to finish.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2013I love this writer because every sentence is unexpected. After reading so many mysteries I have gotten to the point where I feel like I could complete the sentences of many run of the mill mysteries but not so with Fred Vargas. Her characters are quirky, eccentric and interesting. The plot may be a bit far fetched but I don't mind that as much as reading a boring book. Recommended especially for those that are looking for something different.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2014First Sentence: A trail of tiny breadcrumbs led from the kitchen into the bedroom, as far as the spotless sheets where the old woman lay dead, her mouth open.
Comm. Adamsburg travels to Ordebec in response to a woman’s plea. Her daughter, Lina, has seen the Ghost Riders with four men. According to legend, this mean each of these men will meet a violent death. Adamsburg takes with him a young man he believes innocent of the murder for which he is accused, and his 18-year-old son, whom he recently met. Although entranced by the lovely Lina, one of the envisioned men does die and it’s time for Adamsburg to get to work.
There is nothing ordinary about a Fred Vargas book. It begins with a unique murder, quickly solved by Adamsberg, which quickly displays his understanding of people and their behaviors.
The Serious Crime Unit, of which he is the head, is a collection of strange and unusual individuals. It’s hard to imagine how they solve crimes, but solve them they do. Vargas even keeps the characters from her book “The Three Evangelists” included in this series.
Legends, ghost stories, witchcraft, and the supernatural are included in the story, but don’t overtake the fact that this is, at its core, a police procedural. Yet her books are definitely character-driven focusing not only on their physical presence, but their personal characteristics.
There is something mercurial and wise about Vega’s writing that can make you stop and think…”The world’s full of details, have you noticed? And since no details is ever repeated in exactly the same shape and always sets off others details, there’s no end to it.”
“The Ghost Riders of Ordebec” started off just a bit slowly but quickly made up for it. It is, as are all her books, wonderfully weird and very French. You’ll either be completely entranced by Vargas' writing, or she’ll just not quite be your cup of tea. Me? I’m firmly in the former group.
THE GHOST RIDERS OF ORDEBEC (Pol Proc-Comm. Adamsberg-France-Contemp) – VG+
Vargas, Fred – 7th in series
Penguin Books, 2013
Top reviews from other countries
- BKat98Reviewed in Canada on May 18, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book! It was second-hand but in very readable condition!
One of my favourite European writers. Vargas is from France and I love her characters and the descriptions of the customs and geographic regions in which the novels take place. This book was very hard to find so I was delighted to secure a used copy. I shall share it with friends who were also pining for this book. Many thanks!
- Kindle CustomerReviewed in Australia on August 18, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of detective fiction
A highly entertaining whodunit that transcends the genre with loveable eccentric characters, a masterful plot and a uniquely clever play on language and ideas. Highly recommended.
- Paul BkReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Gallic flair
I am a fan of Vargas and the Adamsberg series of novels (this is the 8th book and she is a 3 time winner of the CWA International Dagger Award). There is a richness to the story telling and characterisation and an off centre quality that is intriguing and original, while ultimately grounded in reality. At times witty but also dark, this is a unique voice in crime fiction.
Ghostly horsemen in Normandy, a geriatric villain and a pigeon torturer in Paris fall under the scrutiny of Adamsberg as he investigates the deaths/disappearances of some of the Orbebec region's less savoury characters. Events that have been foretold by the visions of a local woman, in a tradition stretching back centuries that always results in death. The case is outside Adamsberg's jurisdiction and he has cases on his desk to solve but he can't resist the odd nature of the case and always has a nose for skullduggery and dark happenings.
I waited months for this one and I very much hope another is on the way next year, a real pleasure.
-
Martina ArnoldReviewed in Germany on July 3, 2013
1.0 out of 5 stars The Ghostriders of Ordebec
Ich fand das Buch langweilig, deshalb habe ich es nicht bis zum Ende geschafft. Der Charakter der Hauptfigur, Adamsberg, ist mir fremd, dadurch kann ich mich nur wenig in ihn und in das Buch hinein versetzen.
- MarieSReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2013
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and intriguing
This lives up to previous Vargas novels, a great mix of humour and enthrall. I just love Adamsberg, he is a believable eccentric, The story was really spellbinding.