Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for The Black Tower by Louis Bayard - Available

The Black Tower

A Novel

by Louis Bayard
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Read a sample Read a sample
1 of 1 copy available
A "delicious" historical mystery featuring a Paris detective and master of disguise by the author of The Pale Blue Eye (Entertainment Weekly).
Chief of a newly created plainclothes police force, Vidocq is a man whose name sends terror rippling through the Parisian underworld of 1818—and the inconsequential life of Hector Carpentier is violently shaken when Vidocq storms into it. A former medical student living in his mother's Latin Quarter boardinghouse, Hector finds himself dragged into a dangerous mystery surrounding the fate of the dauphin, the ten-year-old son of King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette presumed to have suffered a cruel death years earlier in Paris's dreaded Temple. But the truth of what happened may be even more shocking—and it will fall to an aimless young man and the most feared detective in Paris to see justice done for a frightened little boy in a black tower . . . no matter what the cost.
Inspired by the colorful real-life detective who became legendary in his native France, The Black Tower showcases "all the narrative verve and sly wit—both plot twists and turns of phrase—that make [Bayard's] books such a pleasure to read" (The Washington Post).
"Bayard reinvigorates historical fiction, rendering the nineteenth century as if he'd witnessed it firsthand." —The New York Times Book Review
"A writer of historical thrillers in the vein of Caleb Carr, author of The Alienist, and nineteenth-century writers such as Alexandre Dumas, author of The Count of Monte Cristo." —The Wall Street Journal
"Stellar . . . Few writers today can match the author's skill in devising an intelligent thriller with heart." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 19, 2024

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780061982682

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780061982682
      • File size: 1329 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from July 21, 2008
      A compelling and sympathetic narrator instantly draws the reader into Bayard’s stellar third historical. In 1818, the notorious Vidocq, a master detective who’s rumored to work on both sides of the law, pulls 26-year-old Parisian doctor Hector Carpentier into a torture-murder inquiry. The victim, Chrétien Leblanc, died without revealing that he was on his way to visit Carpentier, news that comes as a complete shock to the doctor, as the dead man was a stranger to him. Vidocq soon discovers that Leblanc was actually in search of Carpentier’s late father, who bore the same name. The elder Carpentier cared for Louis-Charles, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette’s young son, who died in prison in 1795. Bayard keeps the reader guessing until the end, though the puzzle aspect is less prominent than in his previous novel, The Pale Blue Eye
      , which featured Edgar Allan Poe as sleuth. Few writers today can match the author’s skill in devising an intelligent thriller with heart.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from November 24, 2008
      Occasionally, a brilliant audio can improve upon the print original. Simon Vance's skillful enactment of a cast the size of Balzac's The Human Comedy
      is a joy. The characters include the credibly naïve and incredibly good bourgeois narrator, Dr. Hector Carpentier; several members of the royal family; and, of course, the servants, soldiers and government hacks that form the majority of the populace. Most amazing is Vance's portrayal of Vidocq, a criminal turned police inspector. A master of masquerade, Vidocq takes on many disguises, complemented here by unique voices. When uncloaked, Vance returns Vidocq to his natural speech, a sort of East Ender drawl. Vance smartly avoids pasting French accents onto the characters. The pace is perfect, as Vance skillfully swirls the reader through a complex Restoration plot that is sure to please. A Morrow hardcover (Reviews, July 21).

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading