The Châtelet Apprentice: The First Nicolas Le Floch Investigation - Jean-François Parot (L'enigme des Blancs-Manteaux : Les enquêtes de Nicolas le Floch, n°1)

France 1761; Beyond the glittering court of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour at Versailles, lies Paris, a capital in the grip of crime and immorality ...A police officer disappears and Nicolas Le Floch, a young recruit to the force, is instructed to find him. When unidentified human remains suddenly come to light, he seems to have a murder investigation on his hands. As the city descends into Carnival debauchery, Le Floch will need all his skill, courage and integrity to unravel a mystery which threatens to implicate the highest in the land.

'A new Maigret is born: Nicolas Le Floch' --Le Figaro

'An engaging murder mystery that picks away at the delicate balance between king, police and state' --Financial Times

'A terrific debut...working without modern investigative techniques in a police force reliant on torture, Le Floch confronts the ethical dilemmas of the period in a novel that brilliantly evokes the casual brutality of life in eighteenth-century France.' --Sunday Times

About the Instructor: Tracy is a wordsmith with a love of both the written and spoken word. When she doesn't have her head in a book or isn't tapping away writing her next book, she can be found either shopping at a local farmer's market, wandering around a brocante looking for old cookware, vintage china and maps or chatting over a bottle of wine with friends in her adopted French homeland. After spending over 20 years in international project and risk management she moved to the French countryside and returned to her passion for writing and books. Her first short story collections were published in 2015 and 2016, and she is also a book coach, editor and writers workshop leader.

Friday, 15 May 2020
2:00pm - 3:30pm
Cost: Free for WICE members and €5 for guests

Madeline Miller’s award-winning novel is inspired by Circe, the sorceress of Greek mythology, who has a bit part in the Odyssey -- she enchants Odysseus as he tries to return home from the Trojan War.  From this slender reference, Miller weaves an extraordinary and fulfilling tapestry of gods and mortals, touching on morality, pragmatism, ambition and survival.

‘Miller knows that, as with the best magical realism, the real power doesn’t lie in the ostensible facts of the narrative, but in its psychology. And that is where Miller anchors her story....’ The Guardian.

‘A bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story … both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right.’ The New York Times.

‘Un charme absolument envoûtant.’ Le Monde des Livres 

You may read the book in your language of choice. Discussions are in both French and English.

Photo Credit: Madeline Miller