"Mistress of the Revolution” is written in the form a memoir by a fictional character, Gabrielle de Montserrat, a beautiful minor noblewoman from Auvergne now living in England. Gabrielle relives her childhood, youth and the French Revolution that dramatically changed the life of so many. Although the author has taken great liberties with many of the settings this tragic story manages to convey both the excitement of the early days of the Revolution and the Terror endured by the nobility and the vast majority of the population.
This intricate portrait of a turbulent era is quite enthralling, what a page turner this experience turned out to be. At first the pacing may seem slow but it drastically changes during the Revolution and the tale swiftly becomes exciting. There is such a richness of details and the skilled handling of the 18th century language was amazing. I couldn't help but be plunged deep into a story full of romance, drama and passion not to leave out actual historical events and figures that populated the pages. Gabrielle is the lead narrator. She is a feisty, complex character and a victim of the status of women of the time. She also has a love interest in Pierre-André Coffinhal, the typical man found in romance novel but is forced by her meddling brother to marry a nasty piece of work. We find Gabrielle embroiled in the massacre at the Champs de Mars, the fall of the Tuileries, the prison massacres and the many tribulations that came her way. The description leaves quite an impression, admirably depicting the tension and volatility of an era when one wrong move could mean the guillotine….chilling….
This is a very captivating novel I enjoyed immensely
I am always attracted to stories set in my home town of Montreal so when I noticed Mr. Kirby’s debut novel I simply couldn't resist and I had to give it a try. Right from the start the story drew me in and I let myself be carried forward and enjoyed every moment I spent reading this captivating crime thriller.
The plot deals with the deaths of five homeless people on Christmas Eve. Inspector Luc Vanier, the protagonist, is the lead investigator. Montreal is as colourful and gritty as ever and at that time of the year the city is pummelled by endless snowstorms and freezing temperature. The author is very adept in describing every bit of it. Through his grit and determination and his old fashioned detective work we step in the world of Inspector Vanier and follow him along with his team as they pursue the trail of a serial killer. Deeper they dig, more people seem to be implicated: from high ranking member of the clergy and the boardroom of Montreal’s business elite to the back kitchens of the dispossessed.
This story is a classic procedural thriller ferociously well-crafted, fast- paced with many red herrings, endless clues and a plot development that is most catching and quite realistic. We have scenes of a wonderfully city that casts its icy shadow and a group of fantastic characters to entertain us even if the main player can border on cliché.
This is an enjoyable novel and I am definitely looking forward to “Vigilante Season”, its sequel.
The story revolves around a group of people with a number tattooed on one foot. One of them is, a Chicago Homicide cop named Tom Mankowski, the main protagonist. It opens with the discovery of a headless body… gruesome indeed but hold on folks, this is just the start….
Of course we find Tom as lead investigator. Looking into the circumstances he discovers that the corpse has a number seven tattooed on his left heel, strange enough Tom has seen this before on his own heel, his is number five. This revelation opens the door to a great puzzle putting Tom in middle of it…..and the fun continues….
This is not your typical thriller although it has lots of violence, some intrigue and a puzzle to solve. What set it apart from the others I have read through the years is the tad of horror and supernatural we find here. I found the plot to be interesting at first but as it moved along it became quite outlandish, completely unrealistic and constantly jumping from one place to the other. The dialogue and writing style is quite crude with a great chunk of jargon and some clumsy humour. The premise may be brilliant but it sizzled out quite fast, it seemed the author wanted to make an action type comedy but I failed to see anything funny, one thing though, we do have endless action. I have mixed feeling about this story, partly captivated and taken in with the action but rather disappointed with the silly characterization. Not my preferred story but not to say it was a bad one, it was not meant for me. My first experience reading this author may not have been the best I will nevertheless take a second look with the Jack Daniels series.
