Just published: The Black Tower, by Louis Bayard

[Catherine Delors]

Beautifully written historical mystery, set in Paris during and after the Revolution.

See posts and interview of the author on my blog:

blog.catherinedelors.com/2008/09/01/an-interview-of-louis-bayard-author-of-the-black-tower.aspx
blog.catherinedelors.com/2008/08/29/the-black-tower-by-louis-bayard-and-an-upcoming-interview-of-the-author.aspx

[Vanessa]

Did this author write Mr Timothy? I haven't read it but it's on my TBR pile. I think the character Mr Timothy is a grown up version of Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Edited to say I've just been to look at your blog, Catherine, and I've had my question answered! I have this author's other book, The Pale Blue Eye, on my Mt TBR too! They all look very atmospheric reads.

[Catherine Delors]

Yes, Vanessa, same author! Indeed a very atmospheric read.

[EC2]

Thanks Catherine.
I loved Mr Timothy. Very dark and gothically delicious!

[Catherine Delors]

Then you should enjoy this one as well, EC2. I just love mysteries, historical ones in particular.

[boswellbaxter]

I just finished reading this for review. Really enjoyed it.

[Carine]

I've never heard of this writer. Thanks for the tip, that'll be another one for my TBR pile !

[tsjmom]

Don't know how I missed this thread. I really enjoyed this book. I like twists and turns, not gory stuff.

The ending makes you think, "Well, maybe .............."

[Leena]

Yes, I really like this book, too. Vidocq is so well done and what a quirky character! It's been a while since I came across such an unusual character, and from what I've heard about him, this may be true to his personality. I blasted through the book because it seemed very different. As tsjmom pointed out, there are some twists and turns in this one. I had no idea this was the author of the Tiny Tim book; I'm going to snatch that up, too.

Hello from a newbie. :)

[Catherine Delors]

Isn't the Vidocq character great? The best thing is that the real guy was very much like that.

[Susan]

I'm putting this one on my wish list. And Catherine, this summer I visited Paris and saw Versailles and the Conciergerie among other places and so I really want to re-read Mistress of the Revolution.

[Catherine Delors]

Great, Susan! I hope you enjoyed your trip. Nothing like seeing the real settings.

Did you see the Place de la Concorde, where several of my characters met an untimely death on the guillotine?

[Susan]

Great, Susan! I hope you enjoyed your trip. Nothing like seeing the real settings.

Did you see the Place de la Concorde, where several of my characters met an untimely death on the guillotine?

Indeed I did, Catherine! I was never that up on French royalty and history, but I've become more interested since my trip.

[Leena]

Hi Catherine,

Absolutely. Vidocq is one of the more unique characters I've seen in awhile. I've been meaning to do a little more research to see how close Bayard got to the real personality. I'm glad you told us this. I knew he was to some extent, but I wonder about his sense of humor and justice. I really liked his sense of humor! :)

This is one era of history that I didn't know much about. Post-Revolution, post-Napolean, so I'm glad to have picked this book up. I very nearly put it back on the table, but I thought 'time for a new era in History.' So much of what I've been reading lately has been about the late 19th and early 20th century.

[Catherine Delors]

Leena, if you are interested in Vidocq, I recommend his Memoirs. Not always truthful, to say the least, but a most entertaining read.

The film Vidocq by Pitoff, with Gerard Depardieu, is very good, if rather urban noir. I am not sure whether it was released in English version, but it gives an idea, not only of the real Vidocq, but also of the legend the man succeeded in creating around himself during his lifetime.

[Felicia J]

I just checked this out from the library; it looks really good. I hope to get to it in the next couple of weeks. I have a few other library books to read first that are due back sooner!

The Lost King of France by Deborah Cadbury is an excellent non-fiction account of what happened to the Dauphin after his parents were guillotined. It covers the claims of all the various pretenders.

[Leena]

Felicia J, The Lost King sounds very interesting. Is it relatively new? I seem to remember seeing something with a similar title not so long ago. I love anything with a touch of mystery to it, so this should be interesting. Thanks for the rec.

[Felicia J]

Hello Leena. I think Lost King has been out for awhile. It features the results of DNA testing on a heart the doctor who performed the autopsy supposedly stole from the Dauphin's body. (Ick!)

One of the best things about this book is the concise, riveting account of what happened to the royal family when the revolution erupted. It is hard to read in places. Poor Louis-Charles suffered horribly at his captor's hands. But the book is really well written and gripping. I gave it an A+ on my blog.

[Leena]

Thanks Felicia. It sounds really interesting and would be helpful since I know so little about this era. I'll keep an eye out for it.

[David Ross Erickson]

I read Pale Blue Eye and enjoyed it. How can you not love Poe as a character? I've been meaning to check out this author's other books, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.