The Châtelet Apprentice by Jean-François Parot is the first in a historical mystery series featuring Nicolas Le Floch, a rookie policeman in the fledgeling police service in 18th century Paris.
Nicolas Le Floch, a Breton foundling, arrives in Paris with a letter from his guardian to learn the ways of the police. When his superior, in whose house he is lodging, fails to return home one evening, he is entrusted by the royal commissioner with finding out what has happened. In a new city and surrounded by people Nicolas is unsure whether to trust, he must unravel the mystery of the missing policeman and his connection to two feuding doctors who were both present at the exclusive brothel where he was last seen. With pressure from the royal court, Nicolas must find a way to unmask the murderer whilst keeping himself alive.
I was expecting a novel similar to James McGee’s Ratcatcher series featuring the gorgeous Matthew Hawkwood but this was a little more intellectual, a little more staid and less of a rollicking adventure; a little like the protagonist. Saying that, Parot has done his research and his novel is filled with delicious nuggets of information about France during the reign of Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour. There were times when I felt the plot was in danger of being eclipsed by the research, but the character of Nicolas Le Floch was sympathetic and engaging and slowly, like Nicolas himself, I grew comfortable, loosened up a bit and began to enjoy the story. The translation by Michael Glencross is smooth and the mystery and dénouement pretty interesting, although I wasn’t too surprised by the unmasking of the culprit (but then I’m a seasoned mystery reader and it takes a lot to catch me unawares.)
But what I liked most about The Châtelet Apprentice was the way in which Parot conjures what life must have been like in those times. You could almost hear the crunch of the snow, the squelch of the mud and skulk in the shadows of dark and smoky candle-lit rooms. It’s one of the reasons why I love reading historical mysteries.
On an aside, I was expecting The Châtelet Apprentice to be about Emilie de Châtelet (mathematician and lover of Voltaire) but it’s about the fledgeling French police headquarters situated at Châtelet in Paris. Oops! That will teach me not to see connections in places where they don’t exist.
Parot’s series has been a huge hit in France, and I will be looking forward to reading the next in the series published by Gallic Books, The Man With The Lead Stomach (what an intriguing title!) to see how Nicolas Le Floch matures.
I read this as part of the Thriller and Suspense Challenge 2010.
