An unclaimed land in the Scottish isles is ruled by the male and
female victors in a series of war games every five years. Named Chief
and Lady of the land, they rule the vast holding, and protect the people
by divine right, until the next game begins.
After her brother’s death Ceana is named laird. The only way for her
clan to survive the ravages of the Highlands is to join in the war
games. Bastard son of a powerful earl, Macrath is placed in the games by
his vengeful stepmother. He must survive for the ultimate retribution.
Ceana can’t afford to like the formidable, captivating, Highlander
who seems to be following her, and yet she can’t seem to walk away.
Macrath wants nothing more than to protect the enchanting warrior lass,
but doing so may get in the way of his need for revenge. What starts out
as a race to survive turns into passion to endure together.
May the gods be forever in their favor…
E. Knight is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Romance
Writers of America and several RWA affiliate writing chapters: Hearts
Through History, Celtic Hearts, Maryland Romance Writers and Washington
Romance Writers. Growing up playing in castle ruins and traipsing the
halls of Versailles when visiting her grandparents during the summer,
instilled in a love of history and royals at an early age. Feeding her
love of history, she created the popular historical blog, History
Undressed (www.historyundressed.com).
Under the pseudonym Eliza Knight, she is a bestselling, award-winning,
multi-published author of historical and erotic romance.
Taking the Cross
is a historical novel by Charles Gibson about the little-known crusade
launched by the Roman Catholic Church against fellow Christians in
France, a time of great religious turmoil and conflict.
In the Middle Ages not all crusades were fought in the Holy Land. A
two-pronged threat to the Catholic Church was growing within Christendom
itself and Pope Innocent III called for the crusade against heresy to
eliminate both the Albigenses and Valdenses, two movements that did not
adhere to Church orthodoxy.
Andreas, a knight who longs to go on crusade to the Holy Land, finds
himself fighting against one in his French homeland. While Andreas wages
war for the lives and religious freedom of his people, a battle rages
within his soul.
Eva, a young woman of a new religious order, the Beguines, discovers a
secret message within a letter about the death of her father in the
Holy Land. As she learns more of her father, she is forced to confront
the profound and perilous spiritual inheritance he has bequeathed to
her. A legacy for which she must fight.
Hearing of the feats of Andreas, Eva senses her inheritance may lead her to him. Filled with battles of the flesh and the spirit, Taking the Cross
reveals a passionate aspect of Medieval times where some fought ardently
for the freedom of others. [provided by the author]
Attention reviewers: some medieval warfare violence
This was an educational and entertaining story, which is one of the things that I love about reading historical fiction. I always thought the crusades took place in the Holy Land not the south of France.
I really like the authors writing style, the story flowed smoothly with enough descriptions that I was able to visualize the setting and feel of the time period. His knowledge and love of this period in history is evident. Introduced to Andreas in the first chapter then Eva in the next this story weaves back and forth until they connect. I was able to get to know the characters, there was depth here and realized that this wasn't just a story about physical battles but also those internal ones.
This is Charles Gibson's debut and also the start of a series, definitely an author I will be reading more of. Be sure to check out his website,
Charles Gibson first started reading about history and geography when he was seven.
He wrote his first short story at the age of nine.
He continues to read and write whenever he can.
Charles has spent many years researching the Middle Ages and the Crusades,
and has traveled to the Languedoc region in France.
He has combined the passions of history and geography and prose to finish his first novel, Taking the Cross.
It takes place during the summer of 1209 in France.
Charles Gibson has previously written for the inspirational book series God Allows U-Turns
as well as for a Minnesota newspaper.
He also works as a project manager for a medical device company.
He also loves travel writing,
and would like to start his own magazine some day about travel as a journey through life.
The dominant theme of his writing is freedom.
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free;
therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
He lives in Minnesota with his lovely wife and energetic sons.
He can be reached at cg [at] charlesgibson [dot] net
Wednesday, October 22
Review + Excerpt + Giveaway at Book Nerd
*
You can enter the giveaway here
or on the book blogs participating in this tour. Be sure to follow each participant on Twitter,
they are listed in the entry form below.
Visit each bloggeron the tour: tweeting about the giveaway everyday of the Tour
will give you 5 extra entries each time!
[just follow the directions on the entry-form]
Young American painter Theodora Faraday struggles to become an artist
in Belle Époque Paris. She’s tasted the champagne of success,
illustrating poems for the Revenants, a group of poets led by her adored
cousin, Averill. When children she knows vanish mysteriously, Theo
confronts Inspecteur Michel Devaux who suspects the Revenants are
involved. Theo refuses to believe the killer could be a friend—could be
the man she loves. Classic detection and occult revelation lead Michel
and Theo through the dark underbelly of Paris, from catacombs to
asylums, to the obscene ritual of a Black Mass.
Following the maze of
clues they discover the murderer believes he is the reincarnation of the
most evil serial killer in the history of France—Gilles de Rais. Once
Joan of Arc’s lieutenant, after her death he plunged into an orgy of
evil. The Church burned him at the stake for heresy, sorcery, and the
depraved murder of hundreds of peasant children. Whether deranged mind
or demonic passion incite him, the killer must be found before he
strikes again.
Every October I try to read something dark, creepy and mysterious, just my small way to celebrate Halloween. Figured this book would fit the bill perfectly. I knew going into this book that there were scenes of violence. Taking place in Paris in the 1890's this book was not a fast read, but rather one that I needed to really concentrate on. The days are dark in Paris, children are missing and being murdered. Yves Fey definitely knows her way around this city and time period, she told a chilly tale full of suspense, mystery and the occult. Her descriptions of the city were so vivid with the sights and smells that I had no problem visualizing what was going on. Her character building was spot on, there was depth and intrigue with each of them.
This book was an audio for me and I think that I might have enjoyed it more if I had read the book. If I let my mind wander I missed something (and need to rewind, which happened a couple times). My problem with the audio was the pacing, the readers voice was fine but I found it way too slow. This is a 340 page book and came in at 17 hours and 44 minutes (which imo was too long), I upped the speed a little and it was fine after that.
It was definitely not a genre that I read often, but I am glad that I did, it kept me on my toes and glued to my iPod. This is the authors debut and she is off to a great start.
Praise for Floats the Dark Shadow
“Yves Fey writes with the eye of an artist, the nose of a perfumer
and the nerves of a hardened gendarme in this chilling tale of love and
love’s perversion. Not for the faint of heart!” — Cuyler Overholt,
award-winning author of A Deadly Affection
“Fey’s writing is gorgeous: she evokes the sights and smells of Paris
and poetically presents the darkness and horror that plague tormented
souls.” — Historical Novel Society
“Paris is painted with uncanny realism, using masterful splashes of
descriptive color against a somber backdrop … The characters develop as
their entwined relationships become ever more enmeshed in the dark plot
woven around mysticism, Satanism, and sadistic murders…” — Kirkus
Reviews
“Yves Fey delves into the dark well of occult, violence and eroticism
lying just beneath the surface of fin-de-siècle Paris. The valiant
heroine, American artist Theo Faraday, confronts the ultimate evils of
child torture and murder as the serpentine page-turning plot unfolds.
Beware! It’s strong stuff.” — Barbara Corrado Pope, author of Cézanne’s
Quarry and The Blood of Lorraine
“This dark, gothic tale will delight fans of decadent, sensuous,
fin-de-siècle Paris.” — Kenneth Wishnia, award-winning author of 23
Shades of Black and The Fifth Servant
“Yves Fey recreates the haunting world of absinthe, of the Symbolist
poets, of Salomé, of the Golden Dawn, and of darker, more unfathomable
forces, that was Paris in 1897. This well-researched thriller offers
satisfyingly complex characters. Powerful, violent, elegant.” —Beth
Tashery Shannon, Pushcart Prize winner, author of Tanglevine
Floats the Dark Shadow, Yves Fey’s debut mystery set in the dynamic
and decadent world of Belle Époque Paris, has won the Silver Medal
“IPPY” Independent Publishers Award in mystery, and both the Mystery and
Historical Finalist Awards from the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
It’s also nominated for ForeWord’s Independent Publishers BookTwitter of
the Year Award in the Mystery Category.
Yves has an MFA in Creative Writing from Eugene Oregon, and a BA in
Pictorial Arts from UCLA. She has read, written, and created art from
childhood, and is an ardent movie buff. In her varied career, she has
been a tie dye artist, go-go dancer, baker, creator of ceramic beasties,
illustrator, fiction teacher, and now, novelist. A chocolate
connoisseur, she’s won prizes for her desserts. Her current fascination
is creating perfumes inspired by her new novel.
Yves has traveled to many countries in Europe and lived for two years
in Indonesia. Currently, she resides in the San Francisco area with her
husband and three cats, Marlowe the Investigator and Charlotte and
Emily, the Flying Brontë Sisters.
Writing as Gayle Feyrer and Taylor Chase, she previously published
four unusually dark and mysterious historical romances, The Prince of
Cups, The Thief’s Mistress, Heart of Deception and Heart of Night. She
plans to rerelease these with her own cover designs in the coming year.
Her fantasy, House of the Twin Jewels, appears in Erotic Interludes.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spineand spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
This week I am waiting for:
one of my favorite series
Paperback
Expected publication:
December 2014
by Silverwood Books
Whither Thou Goest is
the seventh book in Anna Belfrage’s series featuring time traveller
Alexandra Lind and her seventeenth century husband, Matthew Graham.
In
their rural home in the Colony of Maryland, Matthew and Alex Graham are
still recovering from the awful events of the previous years when Luke
Graham, Matthew’s estranged brother, asks them for a favour.
Alex
has no problems whatsoever ignoring Luke’s sad plea for help. In her
opinion Matthew’s brother is an evil excuse of a man who deserves
whatever nasty stuff fate throws at him. Except, as Matthew points out,
Luke is begging them to save his son – his misled Charlie, one of the
Monmouth rebels – and can Charlie Graham be held responsible for his
father’s ill deeds?
So off they go on yet another adventure,
this time to the West Indies to find a young man neither of them knows
but who faces imminent death on a sugar plantation, condemned to slavery
for treason. The journey is hazardous and along the way Alex comes face
to face with a most disturbing ghost from her previous life, a man she
would much have preferred never to have met.
Time is running out
for Charlie Graham, Matthew is haunted by reawakened memories of his
days as an indentured servant, and then there’s the eerie Mr Brown,
Charlie’s new owner, who will do anything to keep his secrets safe,
anything at all.
Will Matthew deliver his nephew from imminent death? And will they ever make it back home?
Set in Ireland on the wild coast of Connemara, this hauntingly romantic
novel tells the story of a young woman who goes in search of her
family’s past and ends up discovering her future.
Ellen Trawton
is running away from it all. She hates her job, she doesn’t love the
aristocratic man to whom she is engaged, and her relationship with her
controlling mother is becoming increasingly strained. So Ellen leaves
London, fleeing to the one place she knows her mother won’t find her,
her aunt’s cottage in Connemara. Cutting all her ties with chic London
society, Ellen gives in to Ireland’s charm and warmth, thinking her
future may lie where so much of her past has been hidden. Her
imagination is soon captured by the compelling ruins of a lighthouse
where, five years earlier, a young mother died in a fire.
The
ghost of the young wife, Caitlin, haunts the nearby castle, mourning the
future she can never have there. Unable to move on, she watches her
husband and children, hoping they might see her and feel her love once
more. But she doesn’t anticipate her husband falling in love again. Can
she prevent it? Or can she let go and find a way to freedom and
happiness?
The ruggedly beautiful Connemara coastline with its
tightknit community of unforgettable characters provides the backdrop
for this poignant story of two women seeking the peace and love they
desperately need. For each, the key will be found in the secrets of the
past, illuminated by the lighthouse.
Hardcover, 448 pages
Published
August 5th 2014
by Simon & Schuster
(ebook provide by netgalley, audio book from personal library)
*****
I loved this book! It had so much that I enjoy reading, secrets, mystery, ghosty spirits, plus it weaves back and forth in time. It also takes place in Ireland and my first novel by this author.
It's no secret that I am a big fan of audio books. I'm by no means an expert on audio books but I know what I like and what I don't. Not all books work in audio format and others do marvelously. But the main thing that makes or breaks an audio is the reader. They can't be too fast or too slow and the accent has to match the setting and time period. Susan Riddell is the reader of this book and if I have to sum up with one word I would say her performance was brilliant! I even searched for other books that she has read and I've come to the conclusion that this is her first (sure hope it isn't her last).
Of course a reader is only as good as her material. This is my first book by Santa Montefiore and I was so impressed. That very first chapter was enough to suck me right in, the ghost of Caitlin was such a unique way to get this story going. The story continues 5 years later with Ellen arriving in Connemara. Yea there were a few things that I figured out for myself but this story flowed so nicely, the characters had depth and it was great to be able to know and understand their mindset. In fact the next morning I missed them on my morning walk.
One of the things that I love with my reading is discovering new authors and I love this discovery, most definitely an author I will be reading more of. Her writing style reminds me of Kate Morton and Lucinda Riley.
Among the young women of 12th century Paris, Heloised’Argenteuil
stands apart. Extraordinarily educated and quick-witted, she is being
groomed by her uncle to become an abbess in the service of God.
But with one encounter, her destiny changes forever. Pierre Abelard,
headmaster at the Nôtre Dame Cloister School, is acclaimed as one of
the greatest philosophers in France. His controversial reputation only
adds to his allure, yet despite the legions of women swooning over his
poetry and dashing looks, he is captivated by the brilliant Heloise
alone. As their relationship blossoms from a meeting of the minds to a
forbidden love affair, both Heloise and Abelard must choose between
love, duty, and ambition.
Sherry Jones weaves the lovers’ own words into an evocative account
of desire and sacrifice. As intimate as it is erotic, as devastating as
it is beautiful, The Sharp Hook of Love is a poignant, tender tribute to one of history’s greatest romances, and to love’s power to transform and endure.
Thank you to France Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to review this book, I have never read anything by Sherry Jones before and looked forward to this book.
As much as I love reading about royalty, I love to discover lesser known historical figures. This book fits that bill perfectly. There are so many things that I really enjoyed with this book. Each chapter begins with a poetic verse from Heloise to Abelard or Abelard to Heloise, how they have survived all these years is amazing.
"To his brightest star, whose rays I have recently enjoyed: may she shine with such unfailing splendor that no cloud can obscure her." - Abelard to Heloise
There is so much substance to this book, showing the authors knowledge and depth of research that went into this story. Not just her knowledge of the characters but of the time period as well, the lifestyle and culture was show in a way that had me visualizing so much. Written with feeling and sensitivity Sherry Jones had me consumed, wanting to reading just a little more till I was finished.
"For nothing is under less control than the heart - having no power to command it, we are forced to obey." - Heloise to Abelard
SHERRY JONES is also the author of Four Sisters, All Queens;
The Sword of Medina; and her controversial, internationally bestselling debut, The Jewel of Medina.
This enthralling
confection of a novel, the first in a new trilogy, follows the
transformation of a coddled Austrian archduchess into the reckless,
powerful, beautiful queen Marie Antoinette. "Why must it be me?" I wondered. "When I am so clearly inadequate to my destiny?" Raised
alongside her numerous brothers and sisters by the formidable empress
of Austria, ten-year-old Maria Antonia knew that her idyllic existence
would one day be sacrificed to her mother's political ambitions. What
she never anticipated was that the day in question would come so soon. Before
she can journey from sunlit picnics with her sisters in Vienna to the
glitter, glamour, and gossip of Versailles, Antonia must change
"everything" about herself in order to be accepted as dauphine of France
and the wife of the awkward teenage boy who will one day be Louis XVI.
Yet nothing can prepare her for the ingenuity and influence it will take
to become queen. Filled with smart history, treacherous rivalries,
lavish clothes, and sparkling jewels, "Becoming Marie Antoinette" will
utterly captivate fiction and history lovers alike.
Paperback, 453 pages
Published
August 9th 2011
by Ballantine Books
(ebook copy provided by netgalley for honest review,
audio version from personal library)
****
My first foray into the world of Maria Antonia, later to become Maria Antoinette. This is the first book in a new trilogy which begins when still a young girl and her marriage to the future King Louis is being arranged. I knew next to nothing about Marie Antoinette, other than her ending, so this book was a chance to get to know her. Just like in England women (girls) are political pawns to be married off and sent where ever meets their parents ambitions. Told in first person by Maria herself it was easy to connect with her, to feel her fears and apprehension. She is still young when her journey from Austria to France begins. This book is full of rich details and painted a vivid picture of her new life. This was my first book by Juliet Grey, she has shown herself to be quite knowledgeable of this time period and I look forward to continuing with this series.
In 1859, ladies of New York society were expected to do three things
well: find a husband, organize a smooth-running household, and have
children.
Rosemary Fitzpatrick’s agenda is very different. As the author of the
popular Harry Hawk dime novels, she must hide her true identity from
her new publisher, who assumes the person behind the F. P. Elliott pen
name is male. She must pose as his secretary in order to ensure the
continuation of her series. And in the midst of all this subterfuge, her
mother is insisting that she become a debutante this year.
Henry Cooper is not the typical Boston Brahmin. Nor is he a typical
publisher. He’s entranced by Mr. Elliott’s secretary the moment they
meet, and wonders how his traditional-thinking father will react when he
brings a working class woman into the family. Because his intentions
are to marry her, regardless.
Rosemary’s deception begins to unravel at the Cotillion ball, when
Henry recognizes her. The secretarial mask must come off, now that he
knows she is a member of New York society. But she can’t yet confess who
she truly is until she knows if Henry will accept her as F. P. Elliott.
The more time they spend together, the closer they become. But when
Rosemary reveals her true identity to him, will Henry be able to forgive
her or has her deceit cost her the man she loves?
Publication Date: September 1, 2014
Crimson Romance
Format: eBook
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Cotillion Ball Series
Praise for The Duplicitous Debutante
“I cannot tell you enough how much I love Becky Lower’s books. She is
by far my favorite historical romance author, and I would recommend
anything she writes to everyone I meet. She just has a way with words
and has a brilliantly warm and classic, romantic heart.” -HEAs Are Us
“If you are a historical romance fan, love multi-layered characters
and enjoy a great story, please read this series.” -The Reading Cafe
“Kudos to Ms. Lower for writing a series that is different, the
setting and subject matter unique and quite engaging.” -Deborah Cordes,
Author
The Cotillion Ball Series
Book One: The Reluctant Debutante
Book Two: The Abolitionist’s Secret
Book Three: Banking on Temperance
Book Four: The Tempestuous Debutante
Book Five: Blinded by Grace
Book Six: The Duplicitous Debutante
Amazon best-selling author Becky Lower has traveled the country
looking for great settings for her novels. She loves to write about two
people finding each other and falling in love, amid the backdrop of a
great setting, be it present day middle America or on a covered wagon
headed west in the 1850s. Contemporary and historical romances are her
specialty. Becky is a PAN member of RWA and is a member of the
Contemporary and Historic RWA chapters. She has a degree in English and
Journalism from Bowling Green State University, and lives in an eclectic
college town in Ohio with her puppy-mill rescue dog, Mary. She loves to
hear from her readers at beckylowerauthor@gmail.com.
The O’Connor clan is
gathering to mourn the loss of its patriarch Daniel O’Connor, an Irish
immigrant. The story of Daniel and his wife Brigit is one of great
hardships, including illness, ill-starred romances, war and political
upheavals, as well as undying love and persevering faith.
As Daniel is
laid to rest, his grandson Fergus receives a piercing insight into what
his own calling in life will be.
Publication Date: September 19, 2014
CreateSpace
Paperback; 252p
Genre: Historical Fiction
****
I love the fact that this book takes place near where I live, I've traveled through this area which brings a bit more life to the story.
Beginning in Ireland we get a taste of what life is like for Daniel and his family there. Then in 1821 he leaves his country (and family) behind to embark on a new life in Canada. Ontario isn't a heavy populated place at the time with many challenges right off the bat. Weaving fact with fiction I found this book hard to put down, it was realistic and stirring. An emotional tale of hardship, struggle to survive but also of love, commitment, family bonds and faith.
I love the authors writing style, easy to follow with vivid descriptions of life in that place and time period.
This book will appeal to those that like a good historical fiction story with depth and new beginnings.
Praise for The Paradise Tree
“With this marvelous immigrant saga, Elena Maria Vidal reminds us why
our forebears left the Old World for the New: for Faith, family, and
freedom! Through three generations of an Irish clan in Canada, she
invites us into their home for struggle and triumph, celebrations of joy
and sorrow, music, feasting, and dancing. The Paradise Tree makes ‘the
past and present mingle and become one’ for the reader’s great delight.”
–Stephanie A. Mann, author of Supremacy and Survival: How Catholics
Endured the English Reformation
“Elena Maria Vidal’s latest book, The Paradise Tree, is the
fictionalized true story of the author’s devoutly Catholic ancestors who
immigrated to Canada from Ireland. It is filled with rich detailed
history recounting the hardships and joys of the 19th century O’Connor
Family. Beautifully written with great attention to historical,
geographical and religious accuracy, this fascinating and moving family
saga is a treasure that I highly recommend!” ~Ellen Gable Hrkach,
award-winning author of In Name Only and four other novels
Elena Maria Vidal grew up in the countryside outside of Frederick,
Maryland, “fair as the garden of the Lord” as the poet Whittier said of
it. As a child she read so many books that her mother had to put
restrictions on her hours of reading. During her teenage years, she
spent a great deal of her free time writing stories and short novels.
Elena graduated in 1984 from Hood College in Frederick with a BA in
Psychology, and in 1985 from the State University of New York at Albany
with an MA in Modern European History. In 1986, she joined the Secular
Order of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Elena taught at the Frederick
Visitation Academy and worked as a private tutor as well as teaching
children’s etiquette classes. During a trip to Austria in 1995 she
visited the tomb of Empress Maria Theresa in the Capuchin crypt in
Vienna. Afterwords she decided to finish a novel about Marie-Antoinette
she had started writing ten years before but had put aside. In 1997 her
first historical novel TRIANON was published by St. Michaels Press. In
2000, the sequel MADAME ROYALE was published, as well as the second
edition of TRIANON, by The Neumann Press. Both books quickly found an
international following which continues to this day. In 2010, the third
edition of TRIANON and the second edition of MADAME ROYALE were
released.
In November 2009, THE NIGHT’S DARK SHADE: A NOVEL OF THE CATHARS was
published by Mayapple Books. The new historical novel deals with the
controversial Albigensian Crusade in thirteenth century France. Elena
has been a contributor to Canticle Magazine, Touchstone Magazine, The
National Observer, and The American Conservative. In April 2009 she was a
speaker at the Eucharistic Convention in Auckland, New Zealand. In
August 2010 Elena spoke at The Catholc Writers Conference in Valley
Forge, PA. She is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and the Eastern
Shore Writers Association. She currently lives in Maryland with her
family.
As the social and political turbulence of the Franco-Prussian War
roils the city, workers starve to death while aristocrats seek refuge in
orgies and seances. The Parisians are trapped like rats in their
beautiful city but a series of gruesome murders captures their
fascination and distracts them from the realities of war. The killer
leaves lines from the recently deceased Charles Baudelaire’s
controversial anthology Les Fleurs du Mal on each corpse, written in the
poet’s exact handwriting. Commissioner Lefevre, a lover of poetry and a
veteran of the Algerian war, is on the case, and his investigation is a
thrilling, intoxicating journey into the sinister side of human nature,
bringing to mind the brooding and tense atmosphere of Patrick
Susskind’s Perfume. Did Baudelaire rise from the grave? Did he truly die
in the first place? The plot dramatically appears to extend as far as
the court of the Emperor Napoleon III.
A vivid, intelligent, and intense historical crime novel that offers
up some shocking revelations about sexual mores in 19th century France,
this superb mystery illuminates the shadow life of one of the greatest
names in poetry.
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Pegasus Books
Formats: eBook, Hardcover
Genre: Historical Mystery/Thriller
*** 1/2
This was a book that I struggled at the beginning to get into. It wasn't one that grabbed me right from the beginning like others have, but it really didn't take long till I was hooked right in. It's dark and rather creepy, perfect for this time of time (IMHO).
Paris 1870 is a time period I am not familiar with, nor did the name Baudelaire mean anything to me. So again I was educated and entertained at the same time.
A demented serial killer is leaving snippets of Baudelaire's poems on this victims, but the hand writing is the poet's himself, strange thing is, he died 3 years previous. This isn't your standard run of the mill murder mysteries. Like I stated already it is dark, complex and through only 268 pages long it isn't a quick read. I had to pay close attention to what was going on, but was definitely worth it. It had an ending I didn't see coming and I was hooked right till the very end. There is no doubt why this book was awarded won the 2007 Hercule Poirot Prize for Best Crime Novel.
The cover definitely fits this book perfectly, I love it.
Praise for Baudelaire’s Revenge
“[An] intense historical crime thriller. The intricate plot, menacing
atmosphere, and rich evocations of period Paris have undeniable power.”
(Publishers Weekly)
“Vigorous. A finely-tuned balancing act between style and content.
Add to all this the extremely convincingly painted tragic characters and
the multitude of mysterious figures, and what you get is a winner who
gives added luster to this jubilee edition of the Hercule Poirot Prize.”
(The jury of the Hercule Poirot Prize)
“Van Laerhoven packs much complexity into 256 pages, giving this
historical mystery the heft of a far longer work ( …) The book’s main
preoccupation is the conclusive demonstration that everyone is guilty of
something—the only mystery is, to what degree? The flowers of evil,
sketched in lurid botanical detail…” (Kirkus Reviews)
“(A) decadent tale….Commissioner Lefèvre’s philosophical discussions
with artists and poets and a creepy Belgian dwarf are fascinating….” (NY
Times Book Review)
“Published for the first time in English, this roman policier isn’t
so much a straight detective story (although there are two detectives in
it) as an evocation of a mind-set that now seems extravagant: the
19th-century poet’s fascination with sex and death. It’s no wonder this
title won the Hercule Poirot Prize: the author is Belgian, as is the
prize, and the twisted plot is as complicated as Agatha Christie’s most
convoluted mystery. Mystery aficionados will love this pastiche of
Wilkie Collins and Edgar Allan Poe.” (Library Journal)
“(A) gritty, detail-rich historical mystery novel involves the reader
in a subtle narrative web. This complex mystery from an award-winning
Belgian author joins history and literary history to create a sly, smart
revenge tale.” (Shelf Awareness Pro)
Bob Van Laerhoven became a full-time author in 1991 and has written
more than thirty books in Holland and Belgium. The context of his
stories isn’t invented behind his desk, rather it is rooted in personal
experience. As a freelance travel writer, for example, he explored
conflicts and trouble-spots across the globe from the early 1990s to
2005. Echoes of his experiences on the road also trickle through in his
novels. Somalia, Liberia, Sudan, Gaza, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar… to name but a
few.
During the Bosnian war, Van Laerhoven spent part of 1992 in the
besieged city of Sarajevo. Three years later he was working for MSF –
Doctors without frontiers – in the Bosnian city of Tuzla during the NATO
bombings. At that moment the refugees arrived from the Muslim enclave
of Srebrenica. Van Laerhoven was the first writer from the Low Countries
to be given the chance to speak to the refugees. His conversations
resulted in a travel book: Srebrenica. Getuigen van massamoord – Srebrenica. Testimony to a Mass Murder.
The book denounces the rape and torture of the Muslim population of
this Bosnian-Serbian enclave and is based on first-hand testimonies. He
also concludes that mass murders took place, an idea that was questioned
at the time but later proven accurate.
All these experiences contribute to Bob Van Laerhoven’s rich and
commendable oeuvre, an oeuvre that typifies him as the versatile author
of novels, travel stories, books for young adults, theatre pieces,
biographies, poetry, non-fiction, letters, columns, articles… He is also
a prize-winning author: in 2007 he won the Hercule Poirot Prize for
best thriller of the year with his novel De Wraak van Baudelaire – Baudelaire’s Revenge.
For more information please visit Bob Van Laerhoven’s website. You can also connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.
E. Knight is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Romance
Writers of America and several RWA affiliate writing chapters: Hearts
Through History, Celtic Hearts, Maryland Romance Writers and Washington
Romance Writers. Growing up playing in castle ruins and traipsing the
halls of Versailles when visiting her grandparents during the summer,
instilled in a love of history and royals at an early age. Feeding her
love of history, she created the popular historical blog, History
Undressed (www.historyundressed.com).
