Louis Bayard has found a formula that works for him. He goes back in time and brings out a historical person, real (Edgar Allen Poe from The Pale Blue Eye
Hector Carpentier lives at home with his widowed mother and has never quite finished his doctor studies. He and his mom have taken in boarders (referred to as guests to suggest that they might leave at some time) who don’t take him seriously at all. Then the legendary Vidocq comes to tell Hector that a man died on his way to visit him, but Hector has no idea who this person is. The suggestion is that the man was on his way to visit Hector’s father (who passed away 18 months earlier). This meeting leads to the mystery of a lifetime. What did Hector’s physician father have to do with the supposedly deceased Louis XVII and is the dead man really alive? Someone believes it to be true and is willing to kill to make sure he is really dead
Bayard has taken an old legend (carried on the wings of a body that was never found) and created a wonderful mystery with one of the first private detectives as the lead investigator. You can tell that Bayard has a lot of fun with the disguises that Vidocq used to carry out his investigations. It’s also great to see the growth in Hector as the book goes on. His confidence grows as the investigation continues. The mystery is good, though slow paced. Bayard does a wonderful job making the reader guess what the ultimate outcome is. The mystery is led to one direction, but the detective does a great job showing that all might not be what it seems. And Bayard also does a great job bringing in real-life events, such as Vidocq’s marriage to give it more authenticity. Overall, I loved the story and am looking forward to reading Bayard’s new story The School of Night