Judith Rock

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 show more brings 17th c. Paris to life with fascinating detail. This was the first in a trilogy, and I will look for the next one. show less

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, show more 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. show less

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. show more However, I liked it enough to read the second book in this series - liked it better, less time on the dance! show less

Loved it. I can see how some people might be unhappy with this entry in the series, as much of the action takes place not near Louis le Grand but in the palace of King Louis XIV at Versailles. Personally I loved observing Charles out of his comfort zone and dealing with the intrigues of court. The mystery itself was okay, interesting while it was going on but without much resolution at the end. Quite a few times I wanted to reach through the book and slap some of the pampered students show more Charles has to deal with. But I read this fairly quickly in the limited reading time I had. I really like the characters and enjoy the sense of time and place the author has created here. show less