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Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris Hardcover – February 25, 2014

by Eric Jager (Author)

69 customer reviews

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A riveting true story of murder and detection in 15^th-century Paris, by one of the most brilliant medievalists of his generation.

On a chilly November night in 1407, Louis of Orleans was murdered by a band of masked men. The crime stunned and paralyzed France since Louis had often ruled in place of his brother King Charles, who had gone mad. As panic seized Paris, an investigation began. In charge was the Provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, the city's chief law enforcement officer--and one of history's first detectives. As de Tignonville began to investigate, he realized that his hunt for the truth was much more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.

A rich portrait of a distant world, BLOOD ROYAL is a gripping story of conspiracy, crime and an increasingly desperate hunt for the truth. And in Guillaume de Tignonville, we have an unforgettable detective for the ages, a classic gumshoe for a cobblestoned era.

Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris

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Product Details

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (February 25, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316224510
ISBN-13: 978-0316224512
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #494 in Books > History > Europe > France
- #1038 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > True Crime > Murder & Mayhem

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Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars

5 star		42%
4 star		36%
3 star		16%
2 star		2%
1 star		4%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

Riveting Non-Fiction

By M.Jacobsen TOP 1000 REVIEWER on February 25, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition

As much as I love reading non-fiction history, I admit that it is rare to find a book that is so riveting it reads like fiction. But Jager has written such a book. Paris in the early 1400s was a political mess. King Charles was certifiably crazy and unfit to rule most of the time, leaving a power vacuum that (of course) was constantly being fought over by other powerful nobles. When one of those nobles, Louis of Orleans, was murdered on the streets of Paris one dark night, all hell broke loose and the country very nearly fell into a devastating civil war.

Jager's book is not only a fascinating recounting of this hot political mess, but also the story of Guillaume de Tigonville, the chief law enforcement officer of Paris at the time of the murder and the man who had to solve this crime. The techniques he used, discovered on a piece of parchment centuries after they were recorded, are absolutely fascinating and completely relevant today. Jager writes a taut narrative and never lets the story lag for a moment. This is not your typical non-fiction. If you enjoy the writing of Erik Larson, I highly recommend you read Eric Jager's work. You won't be disappointed.

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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

More Civil War than Crime and Detection

By Nathan Pittman on March 23, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

I can't help but feel that I was a bit misled by the way that this book is marketed and presented. The subtitle, after all, assures me that this is a true tale of crime and detection. However, there are only about two or three chapters that deal with the investigation of the crime itself. There's not really much of a mystery here; the crime and its culprit are quickly uncovered and if I am supposed to better appreciate the investigator's methods I don't feel that the book quite got me to that point.

Most of the book is really about the civil war between powerful French families at the start of the 15th century. I didn't know much about this bit of history and being a history enthusiast I thoroughly enjoyed the bird's eye view of this event. As others have noted, the storytelling and writing are quite engaging. I recommend the book to people who want an introduction to this subject or who might want to kindle a spark of historical enthusiasm in someone who might think all this stuff is dull and boring. The story here is a real life game of thrones, with mad kings, daring betrayals, and even a hint of magic.

However, I can only give 3 stars because the work feels incongruous to me. As noted, the investigation into the murder at the heart of the book is really quite brief. I was stunned when the author quickly revealed the perpetrator. In the end I was unsatisfied. I didn't get a nitty gritty exploration of true crime and detection (I should note I found the book through its exposure on the blog the Volokh Conspiracy and I had recently read The Faithful Executioner so I have some interest in law and history) and the book's larger subject, the French Civil War, breezes by.Read more ›

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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

ENTERTAINING, ENLIGHTENING & INFORMATIVE!

By Avid Reviewer on February 25, 2014

Format: Hardcover

Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris by Eric Jager is an enjoyable and engaging book that explores the shocking murder of Louis of Orleans that impacted French politics for a long time. The story follows in the footsteps of the Provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, the city's chief law enforcement officer, who leaves no stone unturned to unearth the truth.

Eric Jager has meticulously researched the case and delved into hitherto unexplored areas to bring the case to its logical conclusion. However, there are certain areas which seem misleading at face-value. Foremost is the title of the book. While it is certainly murder of the worst kind, it is much more than that – it’s a political assassination. The killing of Louis who often stood for his brother King Charles cannot and shouldn’t be clubbed as just another murder.

Moreover, while the book focuses on the crime and its subsequent investigation headed by Guillaume de Tignonville, much space has been devoted to the effects the assassination had on French politics and the nation’s relations with other countries.

In fine, Blood Royal is not just a true tale of crime and detection in Medieval Paris but a political assassination that impacted French politics for almost an entire generation. It is readable, entertaining, enlightening and informative.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

Interesting history

By Angie Lisle on February 27, 2014

Format: Hardcover

Guillaume de Tignonville investigated the death of Louis I of Orléans, the younger brother of the mad King Charles VI's, who was murdered in the streets of Paris. The book wound up being less about the murder, focusing instead on how Louis' death sent France into civil war in the 15th-century.

The book is written like a history textbook, which some people may find monotonous but will appeal to history lovers like me. The book is heavily cited with a well-organized bibliography for further research.

The book briefly touches on Charles' illness by describing the symptoms and stating that he may have suffered from schizophrenia, which is what most scholars thought until the last century, when porphyria was documented and diagnosed in Charles' descendants. I wish this subject had been broached; then again, this book wasn't about Charles. I mention this because it's the only thing that irritated me.

I loved the gruesome details that were given about some of the battles that followed in the wake of Louis' death. They broke that traditional textbook mold by not shying away from the horrific aspects of war.

I requested a free copy of this book in exchange for a review from NetGalley.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

A fascinating tale

Blood Royal was a fascinating true crime tale and detection in 14th century France. I found this really interesting, well written, and very engrossing.

Published 1 month ago by Kate Runyan

Medieval police work as good as modern!

A fantastic description of the investigation of a royal murder, capturing the richness and the wealth of medieval experience. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Stephen Morris

History made interesting!

Excellent. great research, the story is well told and ties together many things in history I studied in a way that keeps my interest. A crucial point of history. Read more

Published 4 months ago by S M Senden

A murder in a brutal time...

American professor Eric Jager's book, "Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris", is a lesson in history as well as a crime detection book. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Jill Meyer

CSI Doesn't Hold a Candle to Blood Royal

Fascinating non-fiction book involving palace intrigue, murder, and what may be the first forensic investigation in human history.

Published 7 months ago by Colmac

A Nicely Written Historical Account

This book is quite similar in style to The Last Duel also by Eric Jager. It is a readable account, based on historical documents, that provides a fascinating snapshot of the... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Robert Summers

Not much mystery here

the investigation that is supposed to be the heart of the story takes almost no time, and the result is exactly what is expected. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Matthew Baumgartner

Hard-boiled detective non-fiction, 500 years before "Dragnet"

A fascinating whodunit, but medieval-style. The first part reads like a police procedural, but set in early 15th century Paris. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Culper, Jr.

Brilliant. Precise, methodical writing at its best.

This book brings to life events that unfolded hundreds of years ago in a methodical, precise manner that perfectly balances historical facts with the emotional, human side of the... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Amazon Customer

This is a well written history of the political influences ...

This is a well written history of the political influences and following ramifications of Louis d'Orleans assassination. Read more

Published 10 months ago by J. Hamby

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