| The Chalk Circle Man | |
| Title Orig: | L'Homme aux cercles bleus |
| Translator: | Sian Reynolds |
| Author: | Fred Vargas |
| Country: | France |
| Language: | French |
| Series: | Commissaire Adamsberg |
| Genre: | Crime / Thriller |
| Publisher: | Hermé |
| Release Date: | 1991 |
| Isbn: | 9780143115953 |
| Followed By: | Seeking Whom He May Devour |
The Chalk Circle Man (French: L'Homme aux cercles bleus) is a novel by French crime-writer Fred Vargas. The first of her Commissaire Adamsberg series, it was published in 1991. An English translation by Sian Reynolds was published in 2009.[1] Vargas received the 2009 Crime Writers Association International Dagger for this work.[2]
The novel is the first in a series featuring French policeman Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg. It describes the background of Adamsberg's move to Paris, the origins of his partnership with Inspector Adrien Danglard, and a glimpse at his elusive relationship with Camille. Much emphasis is placed on the theme of different ways of thinking - contrasting the two policemen's distinct approaches to investigations, and indeed life. There are also a number of typical Vargas elements in the story: a pedestrian's view of the geography of Paris, independent, eccentric but effective older women, a misdirection of the apparently abnormal drawn over the deliberate actions of a killer.
A telefilm of the novel (2009) starred Jean-Hugues Anglade as Adamsberg, Charlotte Rampling as Mathilde Forestier, Jacques Spiesser as Danglard and Jean-Pierre Léaud as Louis le Nermond, and was directed by Josée Dayan.