An Uncertain Place by Fred Vargas

For those of you who haven't discovered the French writer Fred Vargas, get thee to a library without delay! I've just savored her latest Commissaire Adamsberg mystery and it is absolutely fantastic. I absolutely HATE vampire stories and I loved this book, which has a vampire story at its heart. That's how good it is. It is surreal, funny, and infused with the writer's particular brand of sardonic pathos. If you made a movie of this book, you'd want to hire Edward Gorey and make an animated version.