Blood Royal
Books | History / Europe / France
3.9
Eric Jager
A riveting true story of royal murder and detection in 15th-century Paris, by the New York Times–bestselling author of The Last Duel.“Jager’s book skillfully proves that a well-told work of history may resemble nothing so much as a detective story punctuated with footnotes.” —David Lehman, author of The Perfect MurderOn a chilly November night in 1407, Louis of Orleans was murdered by a band of masked men. The crime stunned and paralyzed France since Louis had often ruled in place of his brother King Charles VI, who had gone mad. As panic seized Paris, an investigation began. In charge was the Provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, the city's chief law enforcement officer—and one of history's first detectives. As de Tignonville began to investigate, he realized that his hunt for the truth was much more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.A rich portrait of a distant world, Blood Royal is a gripping story of conspiracy, crime and an increasingly desperate hunt for the truth. And in Guillaume de Tignonville, we have an unforgettable detective for the ages, a classic gumshoe for a cobblestoned era.“Few works of fiction will grab readers’ attention as well as Jager’s . . . riveting story of a 1407 murder mystery that split the royal family of France. . . . An impressive combination of mystery, crime story, and social and political history.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“An outstanding crime tale that also provides a good survey of both the glittering facade and the seamier aspects of medieval Paris.” —Booklist
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Author
Eric Jager
Pages
274
Publisher
Hachette+ORM
Published Date
2014-02-25
ISBN
0316224537 9780316224536
Community ReviewsSee all
"I found this an interesting story. I had wanted to read something about the start of the Tudor family line and understand how Owain came to marry a former queen and a princess of the French royalty.<br/><br/>The overall read was good, however, I did find the use of "Your Majesty" unusual as from other discussions with other HF readers, that term came about in the Tudor era (meaning Henry VIII) if I am not mistaken.<br/><br/>It did give some ideas as to the kinds of behaviour exhibited by both Charles VI of France and later the start of Henry VI's behaviour. From research that I have done, it is my understanding that the historians believe Henry VI to have had bouts of catatonic schizophrenia which may have been inherited through Catherine's father, Charles VI. Both seemed to have bouts of incapacity which left their countries vulnerable to civil wars. <br/><br/>Catherine is portrayed as a strong woman, who often felt powerless over the rearing of her son and over the choices that she is allowed to make regarding her own destiny. The author depicts Catherine as having a hand in getting her marriage to Henry V as a way out of poverty and sadness she experiences during her childhood in France. An overbearing, neglectful mother and an insane father give her every reason to want to escape.<br/><br/>Overall, it was a good story and quite enjoyable."
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Andrea Jaffray
"One of the best books I’ve read in awhile. I grew very attached to Guillaume and loved hearing about his legacy later in the book. A topic that always interested me and I got to learn more than about the conditions than, I feel, I could from school. I was also extremely emotional toward the end of the story and I was surprised by my passion over each of the characters. Hated the royal family though."
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Abbie Dawson