Murder at Cirey: A Victor Constant Investigation
Murder at Cirey is a very accomplished novel which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It concerns Victor Constant, a young member of the French Maréchausée, a military police force in eighteenth-century France, who is posted away from his native Paris to the Champagne region which he finds too quiet. That is until a murdered man is found in the grounds of a house belonging to a member of the nobility, and occupied by the notorious Voltaire. As Victor begins to investigate, hamstrung by France’s rigid social structure, he discovers that the Champagne is not as quiet as he first thought, and that plots and subterfuge exist everywhere.
Cheryl Sawyer weaves an excellent story and creates fabulous characters that stay with you long after you finish the book. Victor becomes something of a Richard Sharpe character, one you feel is infallible and is going to emerge victorious because he is just so good at what he does and as the reader you are rooting for him all the way.
The novel is beautifully written and researched with great care but never feels heavy or cumbersome, and all the historical content is delivered when it is needed. One learns a great deal of the politics of the era, but it never feels like a history lesson. Indeed, Ms Sawyer combines vivid detail of murders and attacks with an enviable delicacy of touch with romantic scenes.
Production wise, this novel certainly sits with the best of mainstream publications. I did not detect a single typographical error and it was formatted well, even when read in its entirety on an iPhone.
This is a fabulous novel and a rewarding read. I am glad to have known Victor Constant and I will look out for more of him in the future.
e-edition reviewed
