Fred Vargas

Fred Vargas is the pen name of Frédérique Audoin-Rouzeau, a French author and medieval historian who is one of the most celebrated crime fiction writers in France. A Climate of Fear is part of her acclaimed series featuring Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, a Parisian detective whose unconventional, intuitive approach to crime-solving sets him apart from his more methodical colleagues. Vargas's crime novels have won numerous awards, including three International Dagger Awards from the Crime Writers' Association, and have been translated into over forty languages. Her writing is characterised by its atmospheric settings, eccentric characters, literary sophistication and the unique blend of whimsy and darkness that makes her work unlike any other crime fiction. She holds a doctorate in medieval archaeology and has published academic work on the history of plague. Her audiobooks and books bring one of France's most distinctive literary voices to English-speaking audiences.