Synopses & Reviews
It is 1870, and Paris is in turmoil. 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 séances. 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 . 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.
Review
"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
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"[An] intense historical crime thriller. The intricate plot, menacing atmosphere, and rich evocations of period Paris have undeniable power." Publishers Weekly
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"Mystery aficionados will love this pastiche of Wilkie Collins and Edgar Allan Poe." Library Journal
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"[A] decadent tale." The New York Times Book Review
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"Rich, atmospheric. This gritty, detail-rich mystery novel joins history and literary history to create a sly, smart revenge tale." Shelf Awareness
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"Van Laerhoven packs much complexity into 256 pages, giving this historical mystery the heft of a far longer work." Kirkus
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"Baudelaire's Revenge is a real page-turner. Once you start, you are caught in the stream of a story that is fascinating and exciting. The language is beautiful, flowing. A must-read!" Goodreads Belgium, 5 stars
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"[A] decadent tale.
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"[A] decadent tale.
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"Van Laerhoven creates a splendidly decadent and noxious atmosphere. [His] prose is rich and perceptive, filled with philosophical and metaphysical speculations. A terrific mystery." Providence Journal
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"[A] decadent tale.
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"[A] decadent tale.
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"[A] decadent tale.
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"[A] decadent tale.
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"A superb historical tale of an embattled city. There are strong gothic-horror overtones, courtesy of a manuscript left behind by the killer, in which Baudelaire's themes of sex and death are writ large. The flamboyantly lurid tone is hugely entertaining." The Irish Times
Synopsis
Winner of the Hercule Poirot Prize for Best Crime Novel of the Year. Winner of the USA Best Book Award 2014 in the category mystery/suspense.
It is 1870, and Paris is in turmoil. 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 s ances. 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 Lef vre, 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.
Synopsis
Winner of the Hercule Poirot Prize for Best Crime Novel
About the Author
Bob Van Laerhoven has written more than thirty books in Holland and Belgium. Bob has become known for his colorful, kaleidoscopic novels in which the fate of the individual is closely related to broad social transformations. He won the Hercule Poirot Prize in 2007 for his novel Baudelaire’s Revenge, now available in English for the first time.&