Devil's Tango

L'Opéra du Diable #2

by Hervé Jubert

A mysterious killer strikes in a city where crime should be impossible. For generations, police investigations have been unnecessary in the city of Basle. Tiny tracers identify any criminal as soon as an illegal action takes place, and this has made the city virtually crime-free. But now the city is torn apart by a series of gruesome murders committed by a shadowy figure known only as the Baron of the Mists. And qualified witch and detective Roberta Morgenstern and her young associate Clément Martineau are on the killer's trail. High-speed chases across rooftops and through the city's winding streets lead Roberta and Clément to the Queen of the Gypsies, the pirates of the lagoon, the practicers of some very dark alchemy, and finally to the deadly Baron of the Mists himself. . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Young Adult

384 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2003

About the author

Herve Jubert worked as a chauffeur, butcher's assistant, and drummer in a rock band before becoming a writer. He lives in the south of France.

Reviews

[Nala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce dont j'avais peur qu'il se passe dans ce tome ne s'est pas passé.
Cependant Martineau s'est révélé être le plus gros des cons. J'espère voir un character development le tome suivant.
Les Renard 🫡 I salute you
Grégoire..... I know what you are.
Roberta be strong, you will need it.

Tome de transition, on quitte l'enquête policière pour aller sur le roman d'aventure. Un peu bancal parfois mais j'apprécie quand même le changement.

[Guillaume · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un peu décevant, a voir le dernier volume.

[Neko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toujours une de mes trilogies préférées. Plus jeune je voyais le tome 2 surtout comme un tome de transition pour introduire l'univers très riche du dernier tome. Il réalise le travail délicat d'emmener le lecteur d'une série policière vers une série d'aventure fantastique; la transition est un peu rude sur le dernier tiers ce qui peut donner au livre son côté un peu déroutant. Il y a tellement de bonnes choses dedans cependant, dont tout un aspect politique à côté duquel j'étais un peu passé lors de mes premières lectures.
Je ne suis pas surprise en le relisant d'avoir été autant attachée à cette trilogie. Comment ne pas garder une place dans son coeur pour ce monde merveilleux où quand son pays sombre dans le totalitarisme on peut juste décider de prendre la plus jolie partie de la ville et de partir avec tou.te.s les (gays) sorcières, gitans, pirates en la transformant en un genre de grand navire, et vivre sa vie comme ça ? Doux amer.

[Con un libro en la mesita de noche · Rating 3 out of 5]

El libro en sí me ha gustado, me ha parecido una historia interesante y enrevesada en la que te invanden las ganas de ir tirando del hilo y descubrirlo todo, pero para mí, a veces los conceptos y elementos mágicos me costaba un poco comprenderlos, puede que porque este sea el segundo libro de una trilogía y me falte la información del primero, o simplemente porque a mí me cuesta más, aún así me ha dejado con las ganas de saber que pasa en el primero y el tercero y poder tener la historia completa.
En Basilea están ocurriendo unos extraños asesinatos y para colmo su asesino se disipa y se va con el viento, ¿Como resolver estos crímenes?
Pues de la mano de Roberta Morgenstein y Clement Martineau, y de su superior el Mayor Gruber.
Una historia donde la política, la magia y el mal se unen en uno.
¡Feliz lectura!

[Sara G · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 on 5. I feel like I was dropped into the middle of a story with too many characters. didn't draw me in at all; I was flipping pages but really just skimming.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

In the first novel of THE DEVIL'S DANCES trilogy, DANCE OF THE ASSASSINS, Herve Jubert created virtual-reality theme parks in various cities, all pertaining to a different time period. Roberta, a sorceress, has been trying to figure out if famous serial killers have come back to further their murders.

The Killers' Quadrille has come to handle the devil's work.

This second novel of the trilogy, DEVIL'S TANGO, brings back Roberta to solve another murder mystery, this time in the city of Basle. Located in the mountains of Switzerland, Basle was one of the very few cities that had remained after a terrible flood. Tracers, invented by witches, are the cause for the lack of work for the detectives in Basle, since it monitors all the areas.

But now that a series of murders are discovered, the tracers aren't much help with this case - and it's up to Roberta to figure out who the mastermind is.

With a mix of a future and virtual world, Herve Jubert creates a world that we will never forget, although at times it's a little confusing. The scenes are haunting and the murders are chilling, and it is the perfect suspense novel for every occasion.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in a trilogy by Jubert, this is a murder mystery in a future society where floods have drowned most of the world and where it seems the wind is committing a series of murders using ancient techniques (hung, drawn & quartered, and having hot metal poured down the mouth are just two examples). I didn't realise this was a sequel until after I finished it – for me, I felt like it didn’t make any difference as Jubert creates such a detailed world so nothing feels glossed over or missed out.

This is an interesting read and the writing is excellent. I’ll be on the lookout for the ‘Dance of the Assassins’ (the first in the trilogy) to see if it’s as good as its sequel.

[Cassiew · Rating 3 out of 5]

i thought that this book is realy good. because i like to read weard thing's like fiction book. because to me i need something that will give me a picture of a person place or thing in the book.that is what i like about Devils Tango it gave me a image to imagen in my head. to think of what the caricter look like and where their are in the story.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was okay. I like Jubert's style of writing. I thought this was the first book and I didn't find out about the others until I was halfway through Devil's Tango! Some things were a little hard to understand without reading the first book but Jubert wrote it well enough that I could figure it out on my own!

[James Hargest Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the future, a new killer, Roberta and Clement must track the assassin. Soon the dams will be breached, and all Bask will be under water after a series of terrible and violent crimes.
I like this book because it is funny and a little bit sad. A lot of unfair things happen to Roberta and Martineau. - Caitlin

[PinkyB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thirty-five pages into this book and I found it boring. Part of this could be because I hadn't realized at the time that it's part of a series, and makes references to a previous book. But I still had no interest in reading the previous book.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent, off-kilter urban fantasy detective series. The strangeness may result from the translation, but I think that Jubert must just be a little odd. Original while using elements of the various genres this spans. 3.5 stars.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

My one great frustration with this marvelous French series is the failure of Jubert's publishers to translate the third book into English! Hopefully someone will pick this up and complete the trilogy.

[Zoella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was interested in the premise, but I'm sure something was lost in translation. The characters were creative and amusing, but the plot did nothing but detract from this. There were great gaping holes in the story.

[Brii · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book so far, written by french author!

[Savita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, honestly, nothing made any sense until the last thirty-forty pages.

[Samantha Doud · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic sequel to the first book.