The Black Tower

This book is a historical novel, based on a real-life person who lived back in 19-century Paris. I selected this book expecting it to be an edge-of-my-seat read that would keep me up for hours as I read. I came away somewhat disappointed.

The setting is Paris in the 1800's. The overall story is told from the 1st-person perspective of Dr. Hector Carpentier, who has the misfortune of encountering Vidocq, a Frenchman who turned from a life of crime to a life of police cooperation.

Vidocq was a real person and had a colorful history. He was indeed a criminal that assisted the police and as such he was both feared and hated in his day.

The author, Louis Bayard, superbly recreates the setting, transporting the reader back to the time and place where this story would have taken place. Bayard shows considerable mastery in recreating the setting, including all manner of very minor details that bring the story into more vivid view.

Where this novel lost me is in the development of the character Vidocq. He comes across as over-the-top, a modern forensic scientist, policeman, street thug and arrogant businessman all rolled into one character. Additionally, it seems he has access to information to which the reader is not privy, and at the "a-ha" moment it is laid out with the reader wondering from where it came.

This is not a bad novel. In fact, it is exceptionally well written and presents a memorable storyline that will engage many readers. I would be dishonest if I counted myself as among that group, though.

I give this novel 4 stars, for excellent story development and great writing. My disappointment with the main character prevents me from going farther.

The Black Tower is historical fiction book with a plot containing twists, turns and political intrigues. I like historical fiction a lot, with a definitive preference for mysteries. Bayard chooses to make a mystery story out of existing questions around the fate of a member of the French Royal family after the revolution. Call me picky, but this kind of ground has been mined endlessly in other books. In general, I found all of the characters to be unsympathetic with a tendency toward annoying. I would have preferred to read a mystery book with wholly original characters affected by restoration thoughts and activities, etc - with the real people fulfilling cameo roles.

The writing style is also all a bit modern. I prefer historical fiction read like something from that time period. I can't quite put my finger on all of what makes it modern, but here are two example: In Bayard's book contractions used by characters are all the same as we'd use today. Given the speed of language change, I doubt the words contracted and the way they're contracted would be the same nearly 200 years later. The f-word appears as an adjective or an adverb multiple times - I think always by Vidocq - but written accounts of that kind of use of the word don't appear until the mid and late 19th centuries, respectively. (Yes it was that jarring to me and I'm that geeky that I'd look it up.)

Louis Bayard does not have the kind of writing ability or style that would drive me to read any of his other books. An ability to research and accurately represent the data of what happened is not the same as being able to spin an entertaining, engaging and thought provoking book and creating a "colorful" character does not equate to an interesting one.

So, if you want a historical mystery with an original story and reads like something from the time period - this book is not for you. You should check out "The Alienist" or "An Instance of the Fingerpost" instead - or for sheer fun historical mystery reading, take a look at the Mary Russell series from Laurie R. King.

Riviting mystery about a lost French royal with a cast of charactors to rival Perot and Christie. Bayard paints his characters like an artist on a canvas. His words not only let you "see" but "feel" and "smell" as well. If you enjoy historical mystery with a splash of conspiracy then I would recommend The Black Tower. You will not want to put it down. Warning: some foul language and graphic crime.

This novel intrigued me. I'm usually always interested in historical novels, and this one did not disappoint. I did, however, have trouble keeping track of the characters for some reason, though they were interesting. I also found that there were too many unnecessary details included in certain portions.

I believe I may have just decided I should try to read it again at some point.

This is the first book I've read by this author. WOW. I am coming back for more. It took it camping and completely forgot about enjoying the great outdoors - this book had me glued. THE BLACK TOWER has it all - history, adventure, roques, kings, mystery, murder, secrets...all in the fascinating setting of early 19th century France. I highly recommend this book if you like a good mystery set in an historical setting. The characters are well-developed, often humorous. The "detective" Vidocq (based on a real person) is unforgettable.

For parents: references to prostitution, torture, extramarital sex, oblique reference to homosexual sex, some swearing, one MINIMALLY graphic sex scene. Vulgar references to bodily functions, some swearing. If it were a movie it would be rated PG-13.