Its France, 1761. Beyond the glittering court of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour at Versailles, lies Paris, a capital in the grip of crime and immorality ...A police officer disappears and Nicolas Le Floch, a young recruit to the force, is instructed to find him. When unidentified human remains suddenly come to light, he seems to have a murder investigation on his hands. As the city descends into Carnival debauchery, Le Floch will need all his skill, courage and integrity to unravel a mystery which threatens to implicate the highest in the land. This is the first in a series of six historical crime novels which has sold in excess of 400,000 copies in French. The author brings eighteenth century Paris vividly to life and the story features real-life characters Madame de Pompadour and Loius XV as well as engaging hero Nicolas le Floch. It is soon to be adapted for French Television.

Advance reader copies Outreach to mystery and historical publications and websites Promotion through: www.gallicbooks.com

About the Author
The author is a diplomat and historian who specialises in eighteenth century Paris. He is currently the French ambassador to an African country, and lives in a chateau on the Loire when he is in France.

Reviews
"A terrific book...brilliantly evokes the casual brutality of life in eighteenth century France" The Sunday Times"Parot succeeds brilliantly in the reconstruction of of pre-revolutionary Paris" The Times"Has all the twists, turns and surprises the genre demands" The Independent on Sunday"An angaging murder mystery that picks away at the delicate power balance between king, police and state" The Financial Times"Jean-Francois Parot's evocation of eighteenth century Paris is richly imagined and full of fascinating historical snippets... the first in a promising series of French period mysteries, and if the other titles are half as good as this one, they will cetainly be worth looking out for." The Mail on Sunday" a roaring success in France ... and it is easy to see why" The Economist



Book Information
ISBN 9781906040062
Author Jean-Francois Parot
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint Gallic Books
Publisher Gallic Books
Weight(grams) 411g