City of Light, City of Poison, Holly Tucker
City of Light, City of Poison, Holly Tucker
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City of Light, City of Poison
Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris

Author: Holly Tucker

Narrator: Kate Reading

Unabridged: 9 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/21/2017

Synopsis

Appointed to conquer the “crime capital of the world,” the first police chief of Paris faces an epidemic of murder in the late 1600s. Assigned by Louis XIV, Nicolas de La Reynie begins by clearing the streets of filth and installing lanterns throughout Paris, turning it into the City of Light.The fearless La Reynie pursues criminals through the labyrinthine neighborhoods of the city. He unearths a tightly knit cabal of poisoners, witches, and renegade priests. As he exposes their unholy work, he soon learns that no one is safe from black magic―not even the Sun King. In a world where a royal glance can turn success into disgrace, the distance between the quietly backstabbing world of the king’s court and the criminal underground proves disturbingly short. Nobles settle scores by employing witches to craft poisons and by hiring priests to perform dark rituals in Paris’ most illustrious churches and cathedrals.As La Reynie continues his investigations, he is haunted by a single question: Could Louis’ mistresses be involved in such nefarious plots? The pragmatic and principled La Reynie must decide just how far he will go to protect his king.From secret courtrooms to torture chambers, City of Light, City of Poison is a gripping true-crime tale of deception and murder. Based on thousands of pages of court transcripts and La Reynie’s compulsive note taking, as well as on letters and diaries, Tucker’s riveting narrative makes the fascinating, real-life characters breathe on the page.

About Holly Tucker

Holly Tucker is a professor of French and biomedical ethics and society at Vanderbilt University. She is the author of Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

About Kate Reading

Kate Reading, named an AudioFile Golden Voice, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks across many genres, over a thirty–year plus career and won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. Among other awards, she has been recognized as an AudioFile Magazine Voice of the Century, Narrator of the Year, Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and winner of an Publisher’s Weekly’s Listen-Up Award. She records at her home studio, Madison Productions, Inc., in Maryland.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Robert on April 27, 2017

I struggled between giving this book either 2 or 3 stars. The history was really interesting, but I thought the book was very hard to follow. There were so many characters introduced which I thought were not fully explained or developed that it was sometimes hard to keep everyone straight. The book......more

Goodreads review by Emily on January 02, 2018

THIS IS A NEW FAVORITE!!! I absolutely LOVED this work of historical nonfiction. Tucker's writing is absolutely phenomenal. She truly paints a picture of 17th century France, and at times it feels like you're reading a novel rather than historical nonfiction. It's a page turner, but Tucker is also me......more

Quotes

“Not only a serious, meticulously researched work of nonfiction, it is an irresistible story…full of danger, mystery, and excitement.” Candice Millard, New York Times bestselling author

“A stylish study of crimes committed by the high and mighty… Tucker writes with gusto…[and] finds high drama.” New York Times Book Review

“A cop drama of sorts, intermingled with a historian’s tenacious pursuit of the evidence…Fascinating.” Times Higher Education (London)

“An intriguing amalgam of historical evocation and crime narrative…Tucker tells the story as if it were a classic whodunit, bringing alive an extremely complicated and baffling series of events.” Newsday

“Conjures up seventeenth-century Paris and makes it seem close to the present day.” New York Journal of Books

“Most entertaining. Holly Tucker takes us into the Paris of muddy streets, overworked police inspectors, back alley abortions, and fiendish poisoners as she delivers the shocking details of one of history’s greatest scandals.” Literary Hub

“Tucker vividly brings to life a slice of Parisian history in this rigorously researched true-crime epic.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Provides stunning insights into the real filth of Louis XIV’s reign, gilded, as in the Sun King’s creation of Versailles, but rotten with duplicity and murder. Completely absorbing.” Booklist

“Tucker’s exposition is a true detective story of the finest kind…For anyone interested in the darker side of the Sun King’s reign, City of Light, City of Poison will not disappoint.” Shelf Awareness

“At once bewitching and chilling, the dark story of toxic intrigue, murder, and mayhem in the Sun King’s France reads like the most gripping thriller.” Adrienne Miller, National Book Award finalist

Awards

  • Library Journal Audio Spotlight Pick
  • Publishers Weekly Pick
  • Amazon Best Book of the Month
  • Literary Hub Pick
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