Based off of one of the first real examples of a police investigation. Delors set her main protagonist as none better than a upstanding police inspector named Roch. During this time Paris is a city in turmoil, with the revolutions bloody aftermath still lingering like a dark rain cloud. This was France before Napoleon Bonaparte had won the glorious battles or given himself the self-proclaimed title of Emperor. France was a very sinister place to live at the time and it is even quite possible that police inspectors can get dragged into the darkness too.
Delors succeeds in quite literally starting “For the King” off with a big bang. A devious plot to assassinate Bonaparte by the Royalist left one city block in Paris completely demolished by a cart full of gunpowder. It left many dead or seriously wounded. It was then that the police had unleashed the hunky Roch to track down the culprits. Roch was the type of man that made sure he never had time for love. He was the hot bachelor who was a mindful careerer man. Heading out on his new investigation on the attack of Rue Saint-Nicaise plot he had high hopes of success. He would come to find out that the biggest problem he faced was the people of Paris. During the wake of the revolution nothing was what it seemed, everyone had something they were hiding including Roch. Hot on the trail Roch finds himself fighting a wave of dirty social and political politics that infiltrated even the most elite of Pairs social circles down to the lowly maid. A dark game of cat and mouse ensued with the conspirators but Roch had his own flesh and blood to protect from Madame Guillotine’s sights.
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FTC: Thank you to author Catherine Delors for sending me this one for the June HFBRT event.
I was a little confused at first as to the who was who in the police force, but it added a great element to the story. I am glad you liked it so much Lizzy, great review, as usual.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review Lizzy:) I'm glad you still enjoyed it alot- such great history. I find this is one of my very favourite periods.
ReplyDeleteMarie, it really did add adiffrent feel to the book. Much more mysterious like you were the detective too. Thank you Marie I am glad we picked this one.
ReplyDeleteLucy, I did quiet enjoy it thank you. This was my first read after the execution of the monarchy. I had not really gone past that point because I was always reading about Marie Antoinette. I loved the title part of the read, very cool.
Thanks for the great review, Lizzy!
ReplyDelete"During the wake of the revolution nothing was what it seemed," you write. Indeed! So glad you found it a compelling read.
Interesting that you recommend a prior knowledge of the French Revolution for readers. I am sure it would make the book easier to understand. My knowledge isn't in depth, so I hope reading it goes smoothly.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, thank you for the wonderful read, it was a real treat. I will be following it up with Mistress of the Revolution soon.
ReplyDeleteLibrarypat, I think the hard part was there are so many different powers in play politically at the time. It is because it is the pre Napoleon glory days, the time was a mess of constantly shifting power. A very complicated time period and one that I have yet to fully understand. My lack of knowledge on the social classes of the times probably hindered me on this read. For example I had no idea that at the time Paris was broken down into sections of jurisdiction. I really did enjoy the read, it was the first real mystery read I have ever really enjoyed.
Wonderful, honest review Lizzy! I never got lost with the characters but I did read this one rather slowly because I only had a few minutes here and there to read. It surely kept my attention though!
ReplyDeleteWhen I am reading a book that has multiple characters to keep track of (especially if it's a period I'm unfamiliar with), I jot them all down in my notebook. That way I don't have to go flipping back through the pages to find out who the person is...I have a "cast of characters" right there for me. I didn't find need to do that with this book, but I have in the past with others.
ReplyDeleteI think you would really love MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION. It explains the whole period in a lot of detail but it tells a fabulous story as well. Nice review, Liz - honest and from the heart, as always :)
Lizzy I would love to register for the giveaway for this Book. I do have a prior knowledge of the French Revolution and I am dying to read it. How do I do that?
ReplyDeleteMarilyn
ewatvess@yahoo.com
I follow your site
Arleigh, I think you have so much more knowledge under your belt than me. I loved that it grabbed my attention too.
ReplyDeleteAllie, I think you are right I need to read Mistress of the Revolution. The details are really important in this time and there are just so many.
Mari, I just opened the giveaway yesterday. You can click the cover art on the top right corner to go to the post and enter there.