Adapted for television in France, the third of the Nicolas Le Floch mysteries sees the protagonist investigate the death of a maid in the house of the King’s minister.
‘It’s the superb Parisian detail and atmosphere that truly beguiles’ Sunday Times
These are difficult times for Nicolas Le Floch: Louis XV is dead and Nicolas’s boss Sartine has been promoted to Minister of State for the Navy. Le Noir, Sartine’s successor as Lieutenant General of Police, distrusts Le Floch. Monsieur de Saint-Florentin, the King’s new minister, entrusts Commissioner Le Floch with the investigation into the murder of a chambermaid whose throat was cut in unusual circumstances at Saint-Florentin’s home. His inquiry takes place both in Paris and Versailles, where he secures his position alongside the King and must confront the mysteries of the Trianon and the horrors of Bicetre. This fifth exciting adventure for Nicolas Le Floch has it all: serial crimes and a bizarre murder weapon, as well as debauchery, espionage, and the follies of a young court where ancient rivalries and grudges still linger.
Over de auteur
Jean-François Parot was a diplomat and historian. He is the author of the Nicolas Le Floch mysteries, which take place in eighteenth century France. The novels, beginning with The Châtelet Apprentice, have been adapted as a successful TV series shown on France 2. Parot died in 2018.
Howard Curtis’s many translations from French and Italian include five novels by Jean-Claude Izzo, four by Marek Halter and three by Gianrico Carofiglio, as well as works by Balzac, Flaubert and Pirandello.