Dark in the City of Light: A Novel [Paperback]

Paul Robertson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2010

The climate is tense in 1870s Europe as mistrust and suspicion rule the day. When the wife of Baron Harsanyi--a well-connected military attache--is found murdered, it is only the first in a series of evil acts committed by a shadowy enemy bent on destroying the baron. As nations ready for war, the baron must uncover the truth as he and his two adult children are launched straight into the maelstrom that will engulf the continent.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Baron Ferdinand Harsanyi, an Austrian diplomat stationed in Paris, gets control of his wife's valuable mines after her mysterious death. The mines produce mercury, a product sought by both France and Prussia as they hover on the brink of war in 1870. Harsanyi's two adult children have their own concerns: Rudolph reluctantly attends military school as his father wishes despite his own desire to attend the Sorbonne, and Therese takes up with a dashing French captain, Auguste de l'Imperator. The outbreak of war is only one of the complications that affects the family's relationships. European history buffs will appreciate this well-researched story featuring a number of real figures and events of the period. A sense of Paris under siege is nicely cinematic. But readers looking for a human story should go elsewhere; the characters evoke little empathy, and the plot gets a little slow and convoluted in its attempt to disguise the villains. The author is better at history than psychology.
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From the Back Cover

What Evil Haunts the Shadows of 1870s Paris?

Baron Ferdinand Harsanyi -- After his wife's mysterious death, this Austrian attaché holds control over mines whose coveted ore could turn the tide of war.

Therese Harsanyi -- Swept up in new romance and the spectacle of Paris, the Baron's daughter is blind to the dangers stalking her family and the city she loves.

Rudolph Harsanyi -- Unsure whom to trust, the Baron's son's grief over his mother's death twists into growing anger and a desire to break free.

As France and Prussia plunge toward war, one family is caught in a web of deceit, political intrigue, and murder that threatens to tear them apart.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (July 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764205692
• ISBN-13: 978-0764205699
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,739,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, intriguing historical suspense, August 13, 2010

By 

Debbie (Harrison, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Dark in the City of Light: A Novel (Paperback)

---Description---
Baron Harsanyi is a military attache at the Austrian embassy in 1870s Paris. As war between France and Prussia becomes increasingly likely, the need is high for mercury fulminate, an explosive. The Prussians already have a source. The English have the ability to manufacture it for both sides but need more cinnabar ore. France has no source.

Baron Harsanyi's wife owns a large cinnabar mine in Idria, but she refuses French and English offers to buy her ore. After the Baron's wife suddenly dies, he plays a dangerous game with the English, French, and Prussians to see who wants his cinnabar the most. Several would be happy to see the Baron dead in the hopes his son, Rudolph, would be more willing to sell to them.

Baron Harsanyi doesn't let his son in on his schemes, so Rudolph is left with increasing doubts and anger toward his father. When his father orders him to train to become a military officer but then refuses to let him fight with the French in the war, he gives in to his doubts and runs away.

The Baron's daughter, Therese, is so wrapped up in her romance with a dashing French cavalry officer that she doesn't notice the political intrigue surrounding her family until the war separates her from her beloved. With her mother dead, her brother gone, and her father increasingly absent, she worries about the changes pulling her family and world apart. But she's told there's nothing a young woman like her can do about it.

Are they right? Will the greed and need for cinnabar destroy the Harsanyi family?

---Review---
"Dark in the City of Light" is a historical suspense novel set mainly in France in the 1870s. There was also a "who-done-it" mystery in this story, though that's not obvious at first. The "who-done-it" was also not obvious, though there were enough clues that the reader could guess the answer before the main characters did (since the characters were limited by their not knowing they needed to share the clues).

The world-building was excellent, vividly describing the locations, events, and politics of the time period. Because politics were a driving force behind much of the suspense, it's woven into the story and didn't slow the pacing. The suspense was from the physical danger to the various characters and the strain on the family relationships. The characters were interesting, complex, varied, and acted realistically. They dealt with realistic problems, and I cared about what happened to them.

The characters didn't believe in God (at least, not one active in human affairs). However, they had a habit of saying, "Only God could do that" with the implied assumption that He wouldn't. At the end, one character said that if a certain impossible thing did happen, it'd be proof God existed. You can guess what happens, but that's about the extent of the religious content.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this intriguing novel to those who enjoy clean, well-written historical suspense.


I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.

Reviewed by Debbie from Genre Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent premise and research,good plotting, leaden characters, January 7, 2012

By 

faithful urban reader (Bay area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark in the City of Light: A Novel (Paperback)

Dark in the City of Light (great title) is an excellently researched, illuminating (though fictional) look at the Paris Commune of 1871 and the situation in Western Europe at the time. The use of the cinnebar mines as the motivating force is brilliant, as is the use of mercury throughout the book to advance action, etc. I won't go into detail, but the author re-invents a very popular form of political murder in the Renaissance, adding his own twist. The plotting is adequate, but the characters are sadly, badly drawn. The Baron should have been an intriguing character (good for several books, I should think), but the author seems to refuse, possibly for religious reasons, to flesh him out as a man, so he does not seem real. His son, Rudolph, fares a little better, if only because we see his opinions, actions, motivations a little more easily. The character of Theresa, the daughter, is just an insult. She is an empty-headed, rather stupid girl with social aspirations who wishes to dress well. Although the author has her painted, with the artist exclaiming about her intelligence, she is a bone-headed nitwit who risks her brother's life to get her fiance to desert (not going to happen, folks, outside of a romance novel), and when the streets of Paris break out in chaos and fighting, she is in a dress shop trying on clothes. Puhlese. The marital relationship of the Baron and his wife (what was she doing while he was constantly away?) was bloodless as well. I am glad I read this book for the historical research and the view of Paris in the 1870's -- it's a great tool for presenting this information. But Robertson needs to put something more real, emotionally, in his novels, or just write nonfiction.

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Historical Novel With Good Twists and Turns, August 25, 2010

By 

Melissa (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dark in the City of Light: A Novel (Paperback)

With war on the horizon, cinnabar was in high demand by both the French and the Prussians. Baron Ferdinand Haranyi's wife owned large cinnabar mines and was in complete control of them. When she became mysteriously ill and died, those mines became Ferdinand's for him to manage until their son Rudolph turned twenty-three. As an Austrian attaché to France, Ferdinand's control of the mines and his decision of which country to sell to could drastically effect the outcome of the impending war. However, questions surrounded Ferdinand's loyalty and motives and some of the most serious concerns were from his son. Was Ferdinand a subtlety manipulating villain or an honorable man trying to remain neutral in a war that he wanted no part of? In a beautifully constructed novel, encompassing the events before and through the 1870 Franco-Prussian war, Dark in the City of Light immerses the reader into the plight of the Harsanyi family as they try to cope with grief, love, life, and death, searching for the truth in a confusing maze of deceit.

I know virtually nothing about 1870 European geography, France, politics, or the war that took place during that time. After several chapters of racking my brain trying to remember which country is currently Prussia, I looked it up. However, I could have saved myself some time and confusion had I more carefully examined the two beautiful maps provided at the beginning of the book. These are incredibly helpful for those who may have forgotten a few history and geography lessons. The opening chapters and their political issues make much more sense knowing where the countries involved are located.

Historical novels are some of my favorites. It's nice to visit a time and place that's so different but in some ways very similar to the present. Dark in the City of Light excelled in bringing 1870 Europe to the reader. The descriptions painted a wonderful picture of Paris before, during, and after the war. The reader gets an inside glimpse at not only the beauty and history of the time, but also the unrest and seedier side of government and politics.

Robertson created some very memorable characters. They had a charm and humility that immediately brought the reader into their lives. Additionally, the mysterious side of each character was presented with just the right balance of flaws and perfection so that I cared about each of them. While some of the characters are obvious villains, I loved the off-balance presentation so that in many cases I wasn't sure who could be trusted.

The book does struggle in the second half. The story's presentation works well until Ferdinand, his daughter, and his son go three different directions during the war. Once they separate, I had some difficulty following the time line. Each chapter chronicles the life of one family member, but it is not a linear progression. The chapters backtrack to cover the same period of time, leading to a repeat of information and an unnatural progression that makes it difficult to determine where individual character's activities fit into the overall story. It is during this portion that the book begins to feel long. Though it captures the mood of waiting for a war and siege to end, the tedium does not translate well onto the page.

Overall I enjoyed Dark in the City of Light. Robertson does a great job of capturing the time and the mood of Paris. The plot is well constructed and develops with some nicely concealed twists, the detailed research rewarded with a dark and brooding novel. The tale ends beautifully with the highlighting of a passage of scripture that offers hope and encouragement to the reader.