Hellequin’s Horde

This is my last J-B Adamsberg adventure for a while since the newest Temps glacieres (Ice Age) has yet to be translated into English. Sad.

Anyway, this novel starts out with Adamsberg covering for a colleague in another arrondissment, asserting that a simple case of natural death (heart attack) is actually murder by bread. It is not long after the events in Kisilova and Adamsberg is still a little unnerved by that whole ordeal. Veyrenc has finally run out of time on his sabbatical and he has to make up is mind about whether or not he is staying with the squad, like, right now. Then a wisp of a woman comes to Adamsberg with a tale of a missing person, folk who have “the sight” and Hellequin’s Horde thundering through the wood near the hamlet of Ordebec in Normandy. The Horde alludes to the Wild Hunt,  a folk myth that is prevalent throughout Northern, Western and Central Europe.

“Armel, this ancient cavalcade causing havoc in the countryside is damages. The horses and their riders have no flesh and many of their limbs are missing. It’s an army of the dead, of the putrified dead, an army of ghost riders, wild-eyed and screaming, unable to get to heaven. Imagine that.“

Telling himself he’s just going to take a look, not actually get involved in the case of the missing man, Adamsberg becomes entangled in the mystery. Add to that, his newly discovered son, Zerk (Armel), who is caring for an injured pigeon and a death by fire bombing in Paris and he’s really got his hands full.

This novel has all the hallmarks of a Vargas mystery; interesting and quintessentially French locals and secondary characters, some history, a little bit of a fanciful element and deeper interactions and character developement. I’m going to miss these people.