Wednesday, August 11, 2010

"Unholy Loves", by Lisa Appignanesi




A Belle Époque Mystery

The story takes us to the Loire Valley early 1900's during the period of the Belle Époque. Adventure after adventure will captivate the reader till the very last page.

It opens when Marguerite is ordered by her husband the Comte de Landois to leave Paris and accompany him at their country residence. A normally enjoyable train ride is soon shattered when a man is found dead on the tracks before them. Without saying a word, her travelling companion suddenly takes on a different allure at the sight of the man. Is there a connection ? Is she hiding something?...This was not the only surprise in store. On arrival the Comte has a revelation that will change her life forever...he introduces her to a child and informs her that he is in the process of adopting him.

At this time in the Comte's life, he is highly influence by his friendship with clerics, this brings new rules and regulations to the household, but Marguerite with a mind of her own will not let herself be manipulated that easily.....Another challenge surfaces when the sister of her companion mysteriously disappears and Marguerite teams up with Chief Inspector Emile Durand in search of answers....What dark secrets will they unearth?...

Ms Appignanesi is a talented and diversified writer. "Unholy Loves" is a cleverly conceived fiction that is populated with easy to follow yet complex and interesting characters, their actions are guarantied to stimulate ones emotions. Don't expect a chivalrous or a romantic tale here; it is far from that. What the mystery will do is to provide a chilling study into obsessions of mankind blended with the gripping power of love. The author has achieved this quite eloquently.

This epic is a fascinating travel back in time that I enjoyed very much.

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