Lies Agreed Upon: A Historical Murder Mystery in the Age of Napoleon
M. Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, disgraced admiral of the French fleet defeated by Horatio Nelson off Cadiz, arrives at a modest hotel in Rennes, Brittany. The evening unfolds in meticulous detail, following the admiral through his small routines until he finally sits to write a letter to General Bonaparte. By morning, he is dead. The official report calls it suicide—but is it?
In the next scene, Napoleon Bonaparte is preparing for his upcoming campaign with his trusted Grand Marshal Duroc when Maréchal Bessières enters with news of Villeneuve’s death. Napoleon and his two lieutenants study the report closely, weighing the facts against their own knowledge of Villeneuve and of the two men most likely to have intervened. Their analysis is sharp, layered, and unexpectedly engaging—heightened by wonderfully specific details, including Napoleon’s coffee habits.
The emperor then interrogates Savary of the Gendarmerie d’élite and Fouché of the Ministry of Police. The suggestion is clear: one of these two ruthless men may have arranged the admiral’s death to prevent him from revealing Spanish treachery on the eve of Napoleon’s next campaign. But a sudden interruption shifts the investigation in an unexpected direction. At this point, the meaning of the title becomes evident. The novel’s structure is clever and its philosophical undercurrent the most thought-provoking aspect of the book.
In his preface and afterword, the author explains the historical inconsistencies that inspired the mystery. The characters are vivid, the pacing brisk, and the resolution suitably—and delightfully—cynical. Bravo, M. Ternaux.
