This book wasn't what I expected, really. I guess I was focused on the subtitle - "How DNA solved the mystery of the murdered son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette." However, that was only about the last 1/4 of the book. The first part was all about the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI.

Wow, some of this was tough to read. The details of what the Royal family endured were horrific. Just reading about the crazy mobs and their bloodlust was disgusting. A very sad insight into human nature - just as the king was trying to make things more just and fair for the masses, they arrest him.

I had no idea of what the little prince suffered and as a mother, I found it completely despicable that anyone would treat a child, any child, in just a cruel and inhuman way. I know that abuse happens, of course, but to know that so many people knew what was going on and none of them did anything, that is really disturbing.

The last part was interesting though. I can recommend it, but it really is only in part about science. Most of it is history, and very sad history at that. ( )

I read this book several years ago, but I had to add it because I couldn't put it down! The book was a great combination of a story of history and then a current-day detective novel. ( )

As a follow-up to The Black Tower (see below) Deborah Cadbury's excellent history of the dauphin, Louis Charles, is perfect. As mentioned below, there was a great deal of mystery surrounding the fate of Louis Charles (King Louis XVII), the son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. This led to literally dozens of pretenders over the years and only in 2000 was there a definitive answer regarding the child's death.

The major portion of the book recounts the history of the royal family up to their final incarceration and deaths during The Terror. After Louis XVI was beheaded, his son was taken from his mother and sister, never to see them again. He was imprisoned separately and mistreated horrifically. Charles was beaten, given much to drink, taught to swear and otherwise act in a way totally foreign to his upbringing. The desire was to blot out every vestige of royalty from his behavior. At one point the eight or nine year old was forced to attest to deviant sexual behavior on the part of his mother and aunt. This testimony was instrumental in a conviction and death sentence for both of them. They were probably doomed anyway but it was a further torture to both of them to imagine what must have been done to cause the child to accuse them.

The balance of the book recounts events surrounding Charles' death, the many cases of pretenders and their wild stories, and, finally, the scientific research which led to a satisfactory answer regarding the death of the child.

There was much secrecy surrounding Charles' death and he had been seen by very few people after his separation from his family. There was no grave, no marker and conflicting reports of how he died. There was an autopsy, however, and one of the doctors came away with the child's heart. It was this organ which ultimately provided the proof that there had been no escape for the poor child as many had supposed. The heart itself had many adventures before coming to its final resting place. The last stop but one was to be used for DNA testing. It was this test which proved beyond a doubt that Charles had died in misery and filth in 1795. The story is told so well that it reads like fiction, but is not. If you find yourself interested in this subject Cadbury's book is an excellent starting point. ( )

Couldn't put this down. Cadbury writes history like a novel: it's emotional, compelling, and not without bias. Though I could have looked up the outcome, I didn't want to know until she told me. A terrific read and one of my favorite books in a long time.

Cadbury blends modern science and forensics with narrative history in this exploration of the progeny of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Mondern day descendants of claimants to royal lineage are subjected to DNA testing in order to determine the physical veracity of the claims. ( )