Debout Les Morts - Fred Vargas

Debout Les Morts, or - loosely translated - Dead People Are Standing.  This is the third of the four Fred Vargas novels I got while in France.  This one doesn't have Inspector Adamsberg, which the last one did...It has a group of guys all sharing a house.  Three guys in their 30's and the one guy's uncle/godfather.  And they're all historians, except for the uncle, who is a former cop.  And such characters!  I see why Catherine really likes these books.  They've moved into this old, beat-up house because they're all pretty much broke.  And they arrange themselves by time periods they study.  Mathias studies prehistory, so has the second floor.  Marc studies medieval history so has the third floor.  And Lucien studies World War I, so has the third floor.  And the uncle - former cop- well, he's firmly in the present so is on the top floor.  It's just a comical way to place themselves.

The three come to be known as the Evangelists, because the uncle/godfather starts calling them Saint Matthew, Saint Mark and Saint Luke, much to their dismay.  But it fits, oddly.  In this book, we meet them, see them move into this house and get to know each other, and - of course - solve a mystery.  Their neighbor is a former opera singer, Sophia.  And one day, she wakes up, and is disturbed to see that someone has planted a tree in her yard.  Overnight.  For no (known) reason.  Well, she's none too pleased, and even a bit disturbed.  Her husband doesn't seem to care and no one claims any knowledge of it.  She gets to know the Evangelists and then, one day, she disappears.

Theories abound - did she run away with a secret lover? was she killed? - until they find her body.  Then the investigation gets serious.  And intriguing!  I had a few theories as I read about who did what, but boy was I wrong.  And there was a twist near the end that I really didn't see coming.  It's a great story...full of unique and memorable characters, a strong plot and a good resolution at the end.  I have one more of Fred Vargas's books at home - with the three evangelists again - and am looking forward to reading it!  And if you want to read it too, but don't read French, it's published in English under the title The Three Evangelists.