Synopsis: Everyone has secrets. Even the king.When a gruesomely mutilated body is found on the doorstep of the Versailles Palace in 1759, the Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths is called to the scene. His ensuing investigation is thwarted at every turn by shady figures such as notorious seducer Casanova, a mysterious Italian gentlewoman who knows more than she lets on and a secret order harbouring revolutionary sentiment.
As the body count rises, the Inspector is brought even further into a web of deceit that he soon suspects may go all the way to the very top of society.
France in the mid-1700s was a melting pot of new enlightened thinking, religious turmoil, and the murmurs of a society fed up with its monarchy. The French King, Louis XV, was on the throne and was well noted for his many mistresses, including the most famous - Madame de Pompadour. It was rumoured that the King kept a private brothel of teenage girls, and was served by some 2000 courtiers, whose main job was to keep him from becoming bored, and he bored easily – and lost his temper readily. Madame de Pompadour, when her relationship with the king was waning was said to have provided the king with suitable female company whilst still ensuring her influence was in the ascendant.
Whilst the nobility lived the high life, attending parties and balls, and reveling in their wealth and status, the majority of the people were poor, illiterate farmers were slowly being broken under the arcane laws and increased taxation. The middle-classes gathered at coffeehouses, where in addition to drinking coffee they read newspapers and discussed ideas. Middle-class and aristocratic professionals formed societies that explored intellectual issues. As time moved on, the disparity between the nobility and commoners grew ever wider.
There was a distinct lack of civil rights. The king could have anyone arrested without reason and imprisoned (and tortured) for as long as he wanted. The kingdom of King Louis XV had no uniform system of law. French society was filled with swindlers, thieves, beggars and vagabonds, and the average Frenchman delighted in witnessing their punishment (there was no guillotine just yet). Security was provided by two different corps of police; the Garde de Paris and the Guet Royal, or royal watchmen. Both organizations were under the command of the Lieutenant General of Police. Parisians considered the police both corrupt and inefficient, and relations between the people and the police were increasingly strained. Paris possessed an extraordinary number and variety of prisons, used for different classes of persons and types of crimes. The fortress of the Châtelet was the oldest royal prison, where the office of the Provost of Paris was also located. It had about fifteen large cells; the better cells were on the upper levels, where prisoners could pay a high pension to be comfortable and well-fed, while the lower cells were extremely damp and barely lit by the sun coming through a grate at street level. The Bastille and the Château de Vincennes were both used for high-ranking political prisoners, and had relatively luxurious conditions.
The Catholic Church played an enormous role in the everyday life of people. However, petty jealousies existed within its ranks and local parish priests were becoming increasingly displeased by the ambition, indifference and vanity of the upper clergy who behaved more like the nobility than prelates. The Church's influence declined toward the end of the century, partly because of the Enlightenment, and partly from conflicts within the church establishment.
There were many plots and secret societies in France at the time. Pre-eminent among those societies were the Freemasons and a group known as the Encyclopediests. Encyclopedism was a burgeoning movement within France. The 32-volume "Encyclopédie", edited by Diderot and D'Alembert, was the pride of Enlightenment France. There were 74,000 articles written by more than 130 contributors. It presented a secular worldview, drawing the ire of several Church officials. Authorities saw it as a dangerous work-it was banned in France, and the Catholic Church placed it on the Index librorum prohibitorum, or Index of Prohibited Books. The authors themselves came under attack and were threatened with imprisonment. Despite all this, work continued "in secret," partially because the project had highly placed supporters. It sought to empower its readers with knowledge and played a role in fomenting the dissent that led to the French Revolution.
Freemasonry acquired the image of the secret society par excellence. One important reason was the early and long-lasting opposition of the Roman Catholic Church, which first condemned the "liberi Muratori seu Francs Massons" in the bull In eminenti (1738). In fact, the society was used for subversive purposes (on both sides) in the lead up the the French Revolution. Freemasonry membership in France included French nobles and many military men, but the largest portion of membership was the bourgeoisie who liked the idea of being members because they appreciated Freemasonry’s motto of equality. Those excluded from joining included Jews, actors, employees, workers, and servants, as well as women - however, Lodges of Adoption soon sprouted through which women could actively participate.
The Devot (Devout) Party also makes an appearance. This real group were fiercely opposed to the idea of an absolute monarchy and worked with a number of other secretive groups to achieve their ends, including the (fictional) Brotherhood of the Serpent (possibly modeled on the ancient Brotherhood of the Snake whose purpose was to oppose the enslavement of the spirit and to enlighten through scientific knowledge).
The alternating narrative (Volnay and Casanova) begin with a gruesome murder of a young woman. Volnay investigates whilst Casanova's own motives are never quite revealed until the reader has been well drawn into the tale. During the course of his investigation, Volynay finds himself up against a number of different factions, all with their own endgame, all trying to manipulate and direct the detective for their own purpose.
The characters littered across the pages are suitably human, odious, mysterious, enlightened; a good mix of both fiction and real personages. We have our main character, the Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths - the Chevalier de Volnay, aided in all things by his mysterious and sinister accomplice known as "the Heretic Monk". A worthy foil to Volnay is the ever encroaching presence of Giacomo Casanova, who is content to conduct his own investigation in his own inimitable way. However, Volnay is also up against one Antonie Raymond de Sartine, Lieutenant General of Police, who though admired by his contemporaries, was also criticized for using his highly efficient secret police to spy not only on criminals but also on ordinary citizens. It is in this role we are introduced to Sartine. Then there is also the obscure and mysterious Comte de Saint-Germaine with his connections to the monarchy. A number of fictional characters take centre stage with Volnay including Chiara D'Ancilla (one of Madame de Pompadour's ladies); Wallace, the old soldier
Barde-Cabucon certainly takes the reader on a wild journey through the underbelly of pre-Revolutionary France - with its political and religious intrigue; espionage; secret societies; rumblings of revolution; and a murder or two. There were so many reveals towards the end that I felt like a carnival clown, mouth perpetually open. I literally felt exhausted (in a good way) when I finally finished this. Whilst there are many themes peppered throughout, rest assured, it does all come together, and Barde-Cabucons extensive research is evident .
This novel (originally titled Casanova and the Faceless Woman) is the first in a series - and I hope that the rest will be translated and re-published in due course as I am looking forward to reading more - and will definitely read this again.
Recommended reading:
The Chatelet Apprentice by Jean-Francois Parot
See also: Recreation of 18th Century Paris
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