This was a fun mystery in the league of The Man in the Iron Mask and the myth of Anastasia where a man found battered and near death in a prison. Could this possibly be Charles, the son of King Louis and Marie Antoinette? Dr. Hector Carpentier (whose father was the doctor of Charles before the Revolution) and Eugene Vidocq (a real person), a policeman who was ahead of his time in criminalistics.

Vidocq was a fascinating person who loved altering his appearance and was maybe the first person to realize that fingerprints could be used to solve a crime.

I loved the period this story took place and the mystery surrounding Charles. That it was narrated by the incomparable Simon Vance made it even more enjoyable. He always sounds like he's telling a story, not reading from a book ( )

Black Tower - Louis Bayard
audio performance by Simon Vance
4 stars

I'm a man of a certain age--old enough to have been every kind of fool--and I find to my surprise that the only counsel I have to pass on is this: Never let your name be found in a dead man's trousers.

Dr. Hector Carpentier is remembering a strange and significant piece of his past. It involves the mystery of a Bourbon prince, the historical, criminal, criminalist, Eugene Francois Vidoqc, and a murder or two. The story has three time lines. The roots of the mystery take place during the Revolution and involve Hector’s father, who was also a physician. Most of the action takes place in 1818 when the young Hector’s name is found at a crime scene. Hector tells this story looking back on the events from a distance of old age. I liked his ironic, self-deprecating voice.
I found the multiple timelines a bit difficult to sort out at first. But, as the action picked up, I was totally immersed in the adventure. Vidocq is a fabulous character whose behavior would be unbelievable were it not based on historical fact. As usual, Simon Vance brought every character to full life. I also had a print edition which had a 19th century map of Paris on the frontispiece, a family tree of the Bourbons, and a helpful timeline of France before and after the Revolution.
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(13) This is the second book by this author I have read - both have been quite good historical mysteries. The first being 'The Pale Blue Eye' was about a murder at a military academy, featuring Edgar Allen Poe and was quite good. This one is down just a notch, but also very entertaining and well-written. The story of the lost dauphin - The son of King Louis and Marie Antoinette who was imprisioned during the French Revolution and then was said to have died years later. I don't really know the details of this part of history well but apparently there was never a body and there were pretenders through the years claiming to be Louis the 17th. This is a story of one of those pretenders -- or wait, was he the real deal. In my opinion, the answer to the book's ultimate riddle is left ambiguous. I think this may turn some readers off, but I was OK with it.

Bayard writes fairly well and is good at keeping dramatic tension alive and the plot moving along. He captures the period, the setting, the atmosphere rather well making the historical back-drop feel authentic and integral to the story. I did not realize this Chief of police character Vidocq was a real person; the first detective to use modern methods such as making casts of footprints and using fingerprints. I thought his character was somehow lacking even though he was supposed to play a big role in the story - I thought his depiction fell flat; felt two-dimensional. Bayard is very good at the milk-toast narrator who may not be as he seems - if I recall that was a big part of 'The Pale Blue Eye' as well and is done very effectively.

I enjoyed this. Bayard reminds one of Caleb Carr, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Michael Cox - great escapist reading that actually has some gravitas without being ponderous. Not genre mystery fodder, yet very accessible. I will definitely read more of his novels. ( )

Really enjoyed this author's style and the images of the day, 1818 Paris, were very visual. Good story even to the end, kept you thinking and guessing. ( )

I absolutely loved this book! When I first started it, I was a little thrown off by the use of modern language and forensic techniques in 19th century England, but as I got further along, the writing style combined with the historic setting started to flow together. What annoyed me in the beginning of the book, I found charming by the end of it. ( )