La Tour Noire

More about the book

In 1818 Paris, the name Vidocq instills fear in the underworld. As the chief of a new plainclothes police force, he uses his skills in disguise and surveillance to capture notorious criminals. His latest pursuit involves the mystery surrounding Louis-Charles, the young dauphin, son of Marie-Antoinette and King Louis XVI. Hector Carpentier, a medical student living with his widowed mother in a boardinghouse, finds himself entangled in danger when a murdered man is discovered with Hector's name on a scrap of paper. Initially suspicious of Hector, Vidocq gradually involves him in a thrilling investigation to uncover the truth about the royal family's fate. Officially, the Dauphin died in the Temple, a grim prison, but rumors suggest he may have been smuggled out. When they encounter a man with no memory of his identity, they begin to suspect he could be the Dauphin returned from the dead. Their investigation deepens with the discovery of a diary linking Hector to the boy in the tower, igniting his determination for justice. The narrative weaves together political intrigue, treachery, and conspiracies, painting a vivid portrait of Eugène François Vidocq, history's first great detective, and a gripping tale of family redemption.