4.0 out of 5 stars
PART ONE of The Champdoce Mystery, June 2, 2011
CAUGHT IN THE NET and THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY form one continuous story. It's annoying that the publisher gives no hint of this relationship. But such is the nature of print-on-demand publishers who know what they sell.
Both books were originally published in 1868 under one title: LES ESCLAVES DES PARIS (THE SLAVES OF PARIS).
In any case, these two books offer a complex tale of crime and retribution well worth reading. And the Dodo Press editions offer a clear, readable format.
CAUGHT IN THE NET introduces the reader to a blackmailing ring operating at the highest levels of society. The partners in this enterprise employ an amazing network of spies to uncover the dreadful secrets of the oldest and wealthiest families in Paris. Many a cook, maid or footmen in an aristocratic household is in their pay.
Two projects are underway in CAUGHT IN THE NET. A lovely young heiress will be tricked into marrying a penniless rake. And a weak young man will be passed off as the missing son of a duke. Funds will flow into the coffers of the syndicate as a result of these maneuvers, if they succeed.
As these threats mature, the reader is treated to a plethora of Parisian types, from frivolous women of fashion and empty-headed fops to wily street urchins and faithful family retainers. Our heroine is the noble-hearted young heiress. Our hero is the hard-working high-minded young artist she secretly loves.
The lead villain in these books is the illusive Mascarin. He is not only fascinating in and of himself, but as a later influence on Arthur Conan Doyle, who borrowed some of Mascarin's characteristics to create Professor Moriarty.
Gaboriau is a talented nineteenth-century writer who has fallen undeservedly into obscurity. Anyone interested in the evolution of the detective novel, or the novel in general, should find his books of great interest.
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