Review: City of Light, City of Poison

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book, or my review itself.


Title: City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris
Author: Holly Tucker
Publication Date: March 21, 2017
Genre: True Crime/History/Non-Fiction
Recommended If You Like: French history, true crime, stories that haven't been told before, well-researched reads

The Book:

Tucker tells the true tale of a rash of poisoning during the reign of Louis XIV, when murder, witch hunts, and the nobility collided under a web of fear and conspiracy. This led to the appointment of the first police chief in Paris.

What I Liked:

This is a true story that few people know about. Tucker has definitely done her research, and explains just how these documents even became available to examine.

This is a fascinating tale of a police system trying to figure out its role, an attempt to clean up Paris's streets, and a Sisyphean task of trying to unravel a web of conspiracy that could involve the king's own mistresses.

Anything I Didn't Like?

The book did start out a little slowly, and felt like it ended a little abruptly.

So...?

This is a well-done book that provides well-researched and well-written information on a little-known true crime tale. I would definitely recommend this for people who read true crime and/or French history.