- Paperback: 325 pages
- Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (May 31 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1890208752
- ISBN-13: 978-1890208752
- Product Dimensions: 21.7 x 14.5 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 408 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,222,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The bar for historical mysteries has just been raised, thanks to this masterly debut novel. Set in late 18th-century London and France, this is the story of a young woman's search for the truth in a society where appearance is all. Sadler's Wells actress Anne Cartier is anxious to leave London, where a rejected suitor threatens her bodily harm. She moves to Paris to continue her second career working with the deaf, and to investigate the reported murder/suicide of her much-loved actor stepfather, Antoine Dubois. The affair of the queen's necklace has distracted the Paris police from fully investigating the deaths of Antoine and his actress friend, but Anne finds evidence of the victims' having been involved in something much larger than a lovers' squabble. She seeks the aid and protection of Colonel Paul de Saint-Martin of the royal highway patrol, who's looking into a series of thefts from the chateaux surrounding Paris. Their attempts to find answers are hampered by not only the criminals but also a system corrupted by venality and the right of noble privilege. At the same time, their own tenuous relationship is threatened by the stratified society of patronage and privilege in which they live. This is a truly wonderful first novel elegantly written, complex in both its characters and its plotting, and wearing the author's scholarship and erudition lightly. O'Brien, a retired history professor, deserves a strong following both among mystery readers and readers of novels in the tradition of Charles Palliser. This is great stuff; please, may we have more?
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From Booklist
What begins as a deceptively simple mystery--Who killed Anne Cartier's actor stepfather?--becomes an increasingly complex story enriched by its setting, Paris in 1786. Anne, also a performer, is brought to Paris from London by the handsome Colonel Saint-Martin at the behest of a patron of Anne's family. Determined to learn the circumstances surrounding Antoine's death, Anne becomes enmeshed in the Paris theatrical scene and the dark shadows that surround it. While some authors would be content with one backdrop, O'Brien expertly weaves in another. Anne has parlayed her skills as an actress into a second profession: she is also a teacher of the deaf, employing methods she has learned in England and perfects in France. Her two skills dovetail neatly as she strives to solve not one but several murders and reveal the identity of a jewel thief as well. The plot is as circuitous as the streets of Paris, with something interesting lurking around every corner. The bold actress/teacher makes an intriguing heroine, and the pre-revolution period proves particularly hospitable as the backdrop for a mystery series. An auspicious debut. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting history, coincidence solves the mystery,
By booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mute Witness (Hardcover)
When she learns of her stepfather's death, Anne Cartier joins handsome Colonel Paul De Saint-Martin in a trip to Paris. She is certain that he could not be guilty of the murder and suicide that the French officials have accused him of. Once in Paris, however, Anne learns that her stepfather's death is part of a larger scheme--a scheme involving some of the most important men in Ancien Regime France and huge thefts of precious jems and art works. Through a repeated series of lucky coincidences, Anne, a teacher of the deaf, discovers a secret witness to the murder her stepfather was accused of, narrowly averts being abducted into a sadists lair, and discovers the secrets of the jewel thefts that shock all of France. Despite a complete unwillingness to take any precautions, Anne somehow manages to survive, eventually uncovering the full magnitude of the plot. Author Charles O'Brien has set his historical mystery, MUTE WITNESS in the fascinating time immediately before the French Revolution. France continues to reel under the debt load it took on in its efforts to help America win its independence and is held hostage by bankers with ever-greater power. Thomas Jefferson walks the streets of Paris and Voltaire, Rousseau, and the other intellectual giants of the enlightenment are remembered firsthand. Underdeveloped characters and a string of lucky coincidences marr a novel that shows real promise.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hoping for More,
By Greta Frankel (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mute Witness (Hardcover)
A deftly woven web of intrigue that unfolds in 18th century London and Paris. The heroine's sensitivity to and training in the needs of the deaf enable her to win the confidence of a frightened mute witness to a crime and solve the mystery of her stepfather's death. The vivid background descriptions capture the ambience of the period and pull the reader right into the settings. The cobblestone streets, the elegant castle interiors, the lush landscapes spring to life before the mind's eye. O'Brien's erudition leaves its imprint in the authenticity of the novel's historical context; the social injustices of the time and even international politics are interwoven in the plot. The budding romance between the strong-willed heroine and a chivalrous nobleman is allowed to develop just far enough to whet the reader's curiosity about how their relationship fares. One hopes for a sequel!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hoping for More,
By Greta Frankel (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mute Witness (Hardcover)
A deftly woven web of intrigue that unfolds in 18th century London and Paris. The heroine's sensitivity to and training in the needs of the deaf enable her to win the confidence of a frightened mute witness to a crime and solve the mystery of her stepfather's death. The vivid background descriptions capture the ambience of the period and pull the reader right into the settings. The cobblestone streets, the elegant castle interiors, the lush landscapes spring to life before the mind's eye. O'Brien's erudition leaves its imprint in the authenticity of the novel's historical context; the social injustices of the time and even international politics are interwoven in the plot. The budding romance between the strong-willed heroine and a chivalrous nobleman is allowed to develop just far enough to whet the reader's curiosity about how their relationship fares. One hopes for a sequel!
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