Seeking who he may devour by Fred Vargas

Chief Inspector Adamsberg mystery

A small mountain community in the French Alps is roused to terror when they awaken each morning to find yet another of their sheep with its throat torn out. One of the villagers thinks it might be a werewolf, and when she's found killed in the same manner, people begin to wonder if she might have been right. Suspicion falls on Massart, a loner living on the edge of town.

The murdered woman's adopted son, one of her shepherds, and her new friend Camille decide to pursue Massart, who has conveniently disappeared. Their ineptness for the task soon becomes painfully obvious, and they summon Commissaire Adamsberg from the city to bring his exceptional powers of intuition to bear on layer upon layer of buried hatred and secrets.

This is my 2nd book from Vargas and it is as different as a series can be.  Yes many of the same characters are in this book but how Adamsberg responds and interacts is very different.  But then the settings are so different and I appreciated that.  I like how Vargas hints at the darkness yet brings a fresh lightness to it as well.  The covers are really creepy but done is a very simple way.  Excellent.