City of Light, City of Poison by Holly Tucker

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. Nobles settle scores by employing witches to craft poisons and by hiring priests to perform dark rituals in Paris's most illustrious churches and cathedrals.Īs La Reynie continues his investigations, he is haunted by a single question: Could Louis's mistresses could be involved in such nefarious plots? The pragmatic and principled La Reynie must decide just how far he will go to protect his king.įrom secret courtrooms to torture chambers, City of Light, City of Poison is a gripping true-crime tale of deception and murder.

In a world where a royal glance can turn success into disgrace, the distance between the quietly back-stabbing world of the king's court and the criminal underground proves disturbingly short. As he exposes their unholy work, he soon learns that no one is safe from black magic?not even the Sun King. He unearths a tightly knit cabal of poisoners, witches, and renegade priests.

The fearless La Reynie pursues criminals through the labyrinthine neighborhoods of the city.

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. Tuesday, June 2nd, at 6:30 PM, An Evening with Mark Paul, in Conversation with Nikil Saval.The fascinating story of Nicolas de La Reynie, the first Police Chief of Paris.Īppointed to conquer the 'crime capital of the world,' the first police chief of Paris faces an epidemic of murder in the late 1600s. Unconventional Life Lessons for Thinking Bigger, Leading Better, and Being Bolder Thursday, May 18th, at 8:00 PM, in partnership with The Kimmel Center, Sasha Velour, The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Dragįriday, May 19th, 6:30 PM, An Evening with Rupal Patel, author of From CIA to CEO: Wednesday, May 10th, at 6:00 PM: In Partnership with The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Witold Rybczynski, Why Ornament Mattersįriday, May 12th, at 6:30 PM, An Evening with Three Authors Featured in Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories that Smash Mental Health Stereotypes.

City of Light, City of Poison by Holly Tucker