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Palace of Justice (Aristide Ravel #2)
by
Susanne Alleyn (Goodreads Author)
Louis XVI is in his grave, and Marie-Antoinette is on her way to trial. Paris is hungry, restless, and fearful in the autumn of 1793, and the guillotine’s blade is beginning to fall daily on the necks of enemies of the French Republic. Not even members of the Republican government are safe from the threat of the Revolutionary Tribunal, where the only sentence for the guilt
...moreHardcover, 320 pages
Published
November 23rd 2010
by Minotaur Books
(first published November 2010)
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A childhood fascination with the French Revolution which grew into a life long exploration of that subject has become a boon for readers of historical fiction with Susanne Alleyn’s Aristide Ravel series. The fourth story to feature Ravel is deemed by many to be her best, and we tend to agree.
It is the autumn of 1793 when Paris is torn asunder by fear, hunger, and distrust Madame Guillotine is kept busy - beheading the Queen as well as any and all who run afoul of t...more
The Book Report: Paris during the Terror, 1793, would seem to be a demi-Paradise for a homicide detective. There was a murder or six every few hours at the guillotine. But Aristide Ravel, whose first adventure The Cavalier of the Apocalypse is set in Royalist times and explains why he stopped trying to be a struggling writer and turned to crime (solving!) for his daily bread, is called upon to find the person beheading Paris's lesser folk in icky, non-guillotine-y ways. He does this while watchi...more
LJ
rated it
First Sentence: “God help me,” Désirée said to herself, as she tried to ignore the dull, persistent ache of her empty stomach, “I cannot even earn a living as a whore.”
While the guillotine is hard at work in Paris, someone is performing their own executions. Seemingly random victims of beheadings are being found in Paris. Aristide Revel, an investigator for the police, is concerned about the fate of his arrested friends, including one from childhood. In the meantime, he mus...more
While the guillotine is hard at work in Paris, someone is performing their own executions. Seemingly random victims of beheadings are being found in Paris. Aristide Revel, an investigator for the police, is concerned about the fate of his arrested friends, including one from childhood. In the meantime, he mus...more
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This the fourth book of the Aristide Ravel historical mystery series but second as far as chronology within the stories goes. Though I loved loved loved The Cavalier of the Apocalypse (third written; first in chronology), and very much enjoyed A Treasury of Regrets and Game of Patience, this one ~ Palace of Justice ~ is my favorite! Ms. Alleyn's really hit her stride with this one!
The mystery portions of Palace are clever and twisty, though I thought it less a whodunnit than a pr...more
The mystery portions of Palace are clever and twisty, though I thought it less a whodunnit than a pr...more
This review was for The Historical Novel Society in 2010, for their great magazine, Historical Novel Society Review, a quarterly that you get with membership:
October 1793, Paris: Marie-Antoinette is on her way to the guillotine and police investigator Aristide Ravel realizes that a headless body, found by the Palais-Égalité (that was and is the Palais-Royal, across from the Louvre), is only one of many beheaded corpses being deposited around the city. A freelance decapitator is at work...more
October 1793, Paris: Marie-Antoinette is on her way to the guillotine and police investigator Aristide Ravel realizes that a headless body, found by the Palais-Égalité (that was and is the Palais-Royal, across from the Louvre), is only one of many beheaded corpses being deposited around the city. A freelance decapitator is at work...more
4.5 stars.
It's no secret that I adore this series. Alleyn has done a masterfully creative job of integrating a well-paced series of intricate mysteries into the politically vibrant and sensually dismal period of post-Revolution Paris. You can see, smell, and taste the teeming streets and cloying chambers as brooding pseudo-detective Aristide Ravel makes his way through suspects and informants, burdened with such oppressive baggage of his own that we sometimes wonder if he’ll wind up on th...more
It's no secret that I adore this series. Alleyn has done a masterfully creative job of integrating a well-paced series of intricate mysteries into the politically vibrant and sensually dismal period of post-Revolution Paris. You can see, smell, and taste the teeming streets and cloying chambers as brooding pseudo-detective Aristide Ravel makes his way through suspects and informants, burdened with such oppressive baggage of his own that we sometimes wonder if he’ll wind up on th...more
Even better than the first (chronologically) in the series, Palace of Justice engages the reader further into the pursuits of Aristide Ravel. While perhaps less sensational than the story line of Cavalier, I enjoyed this story more as it incorporated tangible elements of the Revolution into the mysterious deaths Ravel aims to solve. I adore how Alleyn is able to humanize the characters on her pages in a way that the reader feels a personal connection (or abhorence!) to each one. [I hate that Rav...more
An excellent story about the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. Alleyn provides what appears to be indeph view of the people involved. Ravel is an interesting character and the plot is very good. It was interesting to see how Alleyn incorporated a murderer who left headless corpses and the result of death sentence utilizing Madame Guillotine. One of Alleyn's very best.
I know I should've know this going in, but it was just way too French. I didn't like any of the characters and the storyline wasn't good enough to hook me. I didn't finish it.
It was great! I loved how all the characters tied together!
so far, so good
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway.
My first impression was hesitation, as there was a glossary of terms up front. It was helpful, but I prefer not to have to interpret what I am reading. I liked the story, although some of the character roles remain a bit fuzzy for me. Loved the history. I will likely read more by the author.
My first impression was hesitation, as there was a glossary of terms up front. It was helpful, but I prefer not to have to interpret what I am reading. I liked the story, although some of the character roles remain a bit fuzzy for me. Loved the history. I will likely read more by the author.
Landy
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Thank you Goodreads First Reads for this free copy to read. Waiting to recieve it.
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The granddaughter of children’s author Lillie V. Albrecht (author of Deborah Remembers, The Spinning Wheel Secret, and three other historicals, all now available for Kindle), Susanne Alleyn definitely doesn’t write for children, unless, like her, they have found guillotines, high drama, and the French Revolution fascinating since the age of ten or so.
Susanne grew up in Massachusetts an...more
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Susanne grew up in Massachusetts an...more
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