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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For The King, by Catherine Delors, Must Read, July 9, 2010
This review is from: For the King (Hardcover)
I enjoyed trying to piece together all the clues provided. No cheating here. I did feel a connection with the fictional hero as he was on a time limited investigation to find the real perpetrator/s of the terrorist attack on Napoleon or an innocent man would face dire consequences. I enjoyed seeing the change in her hero, the fictional police chief inspector Roch Miquel as he is also stymied in his work by coworkers who do not like him and a boss who manipulates him. He learns from his experiences. There is also dramatic foreshadowing for what is to come for France under Napoleon. But it is as a thriller that it is most satisfying. Until next time Ms. Delors, Well Done!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Columbo, 175 years earlier, August 19, 2010
This review is from: For the King (Hardcover)
Terrorists detonate a bomb in an effort to assassinate their country's leader. Although they fail in their goal, nevertheless there is widespread damage and many are killed or injured. Although the reader knows from the first who the culprits are, the hero - a detective in the city's police force who has worked his way up the ranks to become a Chief - does not know, and we watch as he methodically conducts his investigation to identify and apprehend the guilty. Added to the mix is his affair with a beautiful married woman, whom he loves but whom he increasingly distrusts. Then there is the political infighting amongst the police forces, with everyone jockeying for position and power. The hero, whose enemies are many and whose friends are few, struggles just to hold on to the position he has worked hard for, and for which his beloved father sacrificed much hard work and money to help his son succeed. The hero's position becomes even more tenuous when his father is arrested on the flimsiest of charges that he is connected to a group seeking to overthrow their national leader, and the hero's superior - who feels no love for him - gives him exactly one month to apprehend the culprits or his father will face deportation. Sound like a detective story set in modern-day NYC? Well, the detective's name is not O'Grady or Diamante and the story is not set in NYC. His name is Roch Miquel, he lives in Paris in 1800, and the national leader under attack is not a US President, but Napoleon Bonaparte. For the King tells the story of a true but little-known (at least to Americans) incident in the early months of Napoleon's reign, when France was still seeking stability and equilibrium after the excesses of the Revolution, and when Paris was hotly divided between those who supported the powers of the Revolution, those who wanted a restoration of the monarchy, and those who felt Napoleon was the answer. Catherine Delors' familiarity with the culture and history of France comes through in the novel, as she creates a strong sense of the time and place. Although her often terse, clipped language and emotionally subdued style evokes the feel of modern detective fiction, the story is very firmly grounded in Paris in 1800. The cover, beautiful as it is, does not accurately portray what this novel is really about. Those who pick up this book thinking it might be about a royal romance will be disappointed; although there is an element of romance in the story, it is restrained and just one element among many. On the other hand, men may hesitate to pick up this book because of the cover - thinking it is a royal romance - and that is a shame because the storyline, combined with Delors' frank and unsentimental style, would appeal to men every bit as much as women. The suspense, action, and romance in For the King are mild; its major strength lies in its ability to transport the reader to a specific time and place, illuminating the seething cauldron that was Paris in the early days of Napoleon's reign. If, like me, you have only minimal knowledge of the French Revolution and its aftermath you will still have no problem following the narrative; Delors subtly incorporates explanations of the various administrative factions that governed Paris at that time, and she seamlessly weaves historic and imagined characters together in a way that is completely believable.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Madame Delors has raised the bar of excellence!, November 8, 2010
This review is from: For the King (Hardcover)
There are few things I enjoy more than getting lost in a really good book. For those who enjoy such pursuits, a book I cannot recommend highly enough for getting lost in is Catherine Delors' new novel FOR THE KING. A soul-stirring epic, replete with authentic detail, FOR THE KING sets a new standard of excellence for historical fiction. Madame Delors has raised the bar. The flow of vivid descriptions and lively characterizations seamlessly spring forth. Opening with an act of terrorism that resembles the atrocities of our own time, the novel inspires horror without indulging in the grotesque. Similarly, the intimate encounter between the hero and his lady is intensely passionate without being voyeuristic. The writing combines power with beauty and realism with genuine pathos in order to capture the essence of an era of upheaval. To quote from the book's website: "The Reign of Terror has ended six years earlier, and Napoléon Bonaparte has seized power, but shifting political loyalties still tear apart families and lovers. On Christmas Eve 1800, a bomb explores along Bonaparte's route, narrowly missing him but striking dozens of bystanders. Chief Inspector Roch Miquel, a young policeman with a bright future and a beautiful mistress, must arrest the assassins before they attack again. Complicating Miquel's investigation are the maneuverings of his superior, the redoubtable Fouché, the indiscretions of his own father, a former Jacobin, and two intriguing women. For The King takes readers through the dark alleys and glittering salons of post-revolutionary Paris. It is a romantic thriller, a tale of love, betrayal and redemption." Caught in a searing love affair with a lady who has much to hide, Roch Miquel has to learn the difference between love which endures and love which is mere escapism. As the reader accompanies Roch through the streets of post-Revolutionary Paris, with its colorful mix of sights and smells, both delicious and repulsive and everything in between, the city gradually surrenders its secrets. For as Roch seeks to unravel the plot to assassinate Napoleon, the mystery of his own life is slowly revealed. Roch is an appealing character, with a sense of honor and duty that come from his peasant Auvergnat upbringing, as well as the shrewdness to see behind the many façades of his world. Nevertheless, much remains hidden to him, such as the identity of the royalist agent with the code name of "For the King." One of the most striking aspects of the book is the study of how devout, conservative people too often prove to be their own worst enemies. By descending to terrorism in order to murder Napoleon, the royalists not only destroy lives but bring shame upon their cause. While the royalist cause is not unsympathetic to me (I write all about it in Madame Royale) it is easy to become disgusted with the royalist plotters, who demonstrate yet another example of Catholics Behaving Badly. Redemption, however, is offered to all who open their hearts to truth and to personal conversion, one among many subtle threads in Madame Delors' political thriller.
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