Fred Vargas is one of France’s most distinctive crime writers, known for blending police investigations with history, folklore and eccentric humor. A trained historian and archeologist, she brings a fascination with the past into her contemporary mysteries, creating stories that feel both grounded and uncanny.

At the center of many of her novels is Inspector Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, a Paris police investigator whose intuitive, almost dreamlike approach sets him apart from traditional detectives. Adamsberg solves cases through instinct, patience and an ability to notice patterns others miss, often frustrating his more methodical colleagues while ultimately guiding them to the truth.

This two-part adaptation of Vargas’ 2023 novel “Sur la Dalle” (“Beyond the Grave”) stars Yvan Attal as Inspector Adamsberg, who, as the story begins, leaves Paris for a remote coastal region of western France where a series of violent and puzzling events appears tied to local legend and buried history. Among the figures at the center of the mystery is a modern-day descendant of French writer and politician François-René de Chateaubriand, whose lineage becomes entwined with the unfolding case.

Filmed on location in Brittany and directed by Captain Marleau helmer Josée Dayan (Corrine Masiero even makes a cheeky cameo in the first episode!), “Beyond the Grave” emphasizes atmosphere and landscape – and hedgehogs! – echoing the novel’s blend of realism, myth and, um… local wildlife. With several Adamsberg stories still unadapted, “Beyond the Grave” signals continuing interest in bringing Vargas’ singular world to the screen. Stay tuned…

Fred Vargas’ The Adamsberg Mysteries: Beyond the Grave streams May 12th, 2026 on MHz Choice.