Translated from the French by Sian Reynolds The thrilling new novel from one of Europe's finest crime writers. 20050217

Winner of CWA Duncan Lawrie International Dagger 2006.

'A work of real class - its characters sharp, multi-faceted and original, and its style crisply intelligent.' Glasgow Herald; 'Slick, creepy and full of engagingly odd characters, this thriller is a class act.' MATTHEW REISZ, Independent; 'Commissaire Adamsberg - the dreamy, irrational flic in Vargas's crime novels- must be the most engaging French detective since Malgret' SB Kelly, Scotland on Sunday; 'Poetic, offbeat and gently addictive. Her prose has an unusual deftness, a wry humour. A unique voice' Guardian"

Fred Vargas was born in Paris in 1957. A historian and archaeologist by profession, she is now a bestselling novelist. Her books have been translated into thirty-two languages.