Random House sent this uncorrected proof to me for filling out a survey (How great is that?) From the back page:
At the height of the Belle Epoque, Francois Dubon lives a well-ordered life in the bourgeois quarters of Paris' eighth arrondissement. When not busy with his prosperous legal practice, he enjoys both a content marriage to his aristocratic wife, Genevieve, and satisfying afternoon encounters with his mistress, Madeleine.

But when a mysterious widow arrives at his office, his complacent existence turns to harrowing adventure. The alluring lady insists that only Dubon can rescue her innocent friend, an army captain by the name of Dreyfus who has been wrongfully convicted of espionage and exiled to Devil's Island. Against his better jugement, Dubon finds himself drawn into a dangerous case that shatters his life--and triggers political upheaval throughout France.

This book will be released in August. I'm going to try to read it before then.

This was a fascinating read. I had heard of "The Dreyfus Affair" and was vaguely aware it had to do with spying but that was the extent of my knowledge. Since reading this book I have checked Wikipedia (what would we do without Wikipedia?) and found that all the essential facts in the book are correct. I can't find any evidence though that Francois Dubon lived or was involved in this affair. However it is an interesting device to have him investigating the matter.

The first entry gives all the essential details about the book. There is quite a bit more int he book about Dubon and his lifestyle. I wonder if the existence of mistresses was as prevalent as this book suggests. Dubon's wife is aware of the mistress and seems to be okay with that as long as Dubon shows up for dinner and parties on time. I can't imagine many women being contented with that state of affairs now. Of course, women are not as dependent on men as they were at that time. (Thank goodness. We have come a long way, baby.) Even though I wouldn't condone his behaviour now, I did quite like Dubon.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction.

As I've never read anything by this author before (although I had heard about her book, Mme Proust and the Kosher Kitchen) and since she is Canadian, this book is my second read for John Mutford's Canadian Reading challenge.

I passed this book on to my sister when we met for lunch today. I hope she enjoys it.

The book takes place in Paris at the turn of the century. A rather dull lawyer is approached by a lady who wants him to prove the innocence of Dreyfus, a french Captain who has been accused of treason and who is now serving a life imprisonment on Devils Island. Although the lawyer lives a very well ordered life (he has a wife, a son and a mistress)of great propriety he was something of a rebel in his youth and has an eye for an attractive woman. The woman is quite attractive and persuades him to take on the case.

Unravelling the details involves him in deception and masquerade as he infitrates a military office. The double life he leads as a military clerk, wearing his brother-in-laws uniform while maintaing his law practice, meeting with his femme fatale client and keeping all of this secret from his wife and mistress makes a fascinating story.

Kate Taylor, the author, is great with detail and I could easily imagine turn of the century Paris and visualize the almost manic situations our hero gets into as he rushes from the military office, to his office to change out of his uniform, to his mistresses boudoir, to a meeting with an informant, to a meeting with his client, back to his office to meet with his clerk and home in time for the meals that he has religously joined his family for. In my mind's eye I imahined a combination Colombo and Inspector Couseau.

An engrossing book!