The Black Tower: A Novel
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)
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The Black Tower: A Novel
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)
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The Black Tower: A Novel

The Black Tower: A Novel

by Louis Bayard
The Black Tower: A Novel

The Black Tower: A Novel

by Louis Bayard

eBook

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Overview

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)

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780061982682
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 03/19/2024
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 352
Sales rank: 321,459
File size: 1 MB

About the Author

About The Author

A writer, book reviewer, and the author of Mr. Timothy and The Pale Blue Eye, Louis Bayard has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, and Salon.com, among other media outlets. He lives in Washington, D.C.

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