A Jesuit-in-training arrives in Paris to take up a teaching position and on his first day, one of his pupils disappears. The disappearance sets off a string of events that pull Charles deeper into a mystery involving the King, Huguenots, the Catholic Church, and possibly, some of his own Jesuit colleagues. This was a good mystery, with one development that had me rolling my eyes, but overall, it was an excellent read. The real star is Rock's obvious knowledge and impeccable research. She brings 17th c. Paris to life with fascinating detail. This was the first in a trilogy, and I will look for the next one. ( )

The Rhetoric of Death
3 Stars

A former soldier and half-hearted Jesuit, Charles du Luc is relocated to Paris after he is caught aiding fugitive Huguenots. As the new teacher of rhetoric at a Jesuit school, Charles soon finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of cat and mouse when one of the students is murdered and another is the victim of a near fatal accident.

The premise of a murder at a Jesuit school is compelling and the book touches on some interesting themes including religious wars, political machinations, cheating priests, etc. Nevertheless, the descriptions of the school, the ballet, and the religious practices of the Jesuits (clothing, prayers, ideals) are excessive and result in a narrative that is tedious and drawn out. Furthermore, the lack of historical information on 17th century France is problematic as there is insufficient detail on the history of the Huguenots and Louis XIV.

The murder mystery is not as developed as it could have been. Although there are several motives for the crime, there is a dearth of suspects and only one comes even close to being believable. Thus, when the explanation finally comes, it is virtually out of the blue, convoluted and disappointing.

Charles is a rather dull and uninteresting hero and it is difficult to care about what happens to him one way or the other.

In sum, the book does not live up to its potential and it is unlikely that I will read another in the series. ( )

Well written historical novel, convincing depiction of 17th century France and convent life. Good murder mystery and enjoyable main character. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is the amount of detail about the monks putting on musical theatre productions. I guess they did that sort of thing but it is a digression from the main plot. The author is into that sort of thing which explains why she spends so much time on it, but I personally found the dance and music parts rather boring. However, I liked it enough to read the second book in this series - liked it better, less time on the dance! ( )

Overall a great first book and I look forward to the next from this author.

Former soldier and Jesuit in training Charles du Lac helps some Protestants (including a former love) escape King Louis XIV’s dragoons. When his cousin the Bishop of Marseilles finds out, he arranges Charles to be transferred to Paris to teach rhetoric and assist in directing dance at the prestigious Louis Le Grand. On his first day one of the dancers leaves class and is later found murdered.

Charles was a likeable protagonist, kind and good-hearted. He tried to do the right thing regardless of religious or legal restrictions. He had a natural curiosity coupled with intelligence that served the plot well and the accusations against him were a good reason to have him involved in the investigation. The secondary characters were fairly well formed. I especially liked the baker’s wife and her young daughter.

The historical information in the book was interesting as well. I’m not that familiar with France during this time period so I can’t swear how well researched it was, but it was interesting enough I was looking up Wikipedia entries to get more information on Louis XIV and the dragoons.
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