When Nicolas de La Reynie, Paris police chief, is tasked to investigate mysterious deaths among the nobility he ends up discovering a much darker and twisted truth than he had expected and which will leave him deeply affected for the rest of his life. Revenge, jealousy, wealth, title and freedom were as many reasons for some members of the bourgeoisie and aristocracy to pay the services of poison makers to solve their little problems permanently.
City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris written by Holly Tucker, professor of French at the Unversity Vanderbilt, is a historical nonfiction about the Affaire des poisons, which occurred in France during the second half of the 17th century. Holly Tucker's book is an incredibly documented historical fiction whose writing style reminded me of crime detective novels. It was so captivating that I found myself unable to put it down.
What I also found interesting in City of Light, City of Poison was how Holly Tucker analysed the social inequalities of the justice system based on status, wealth and connections.
I highly recommend it!
Tucker, H. City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris, New York, W.W.Norton & Company, 2017.