book cover of The Shadows of Versailles
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The Shadows of Versailles

(2020)
(The first book in the An Affair of the Poisons series)
A novel by

 
 
"Dunn’s masterful portrayal of the glittering world of the Sun King’s court and the contrasting dark, human stew of 17th Century Paris, will delight any reader familiar with the Affair of the Poisons - and equally thrill those new to the period."
~ Kate Braithwaite, author of Charlatan

Seduced at Versailles. Broken by tragedy. Consumed by revenge.

Fleur de La Fontaine attends the court of King Louis XIV at Versailles for the first time. Dazzled by the opulence, she is soon besotted with handsome courtier, Philippe de Mortain. When she believes his words of love, she gives in to his seduction – with devastating consequences.

Nine months later, when the boy she has given birth to is whisked from her grasp, she flees the convent and finds shelter at the brothel of Madame Claudette.

Jacques de Montagnac, a spy working for the Lieutenant General, investigates a spate of abducted children from the poorer quartiers of Paris when his path crosses Fleur’s. He searches for her son, but the trail leads to a dead end – and a dreadful realisation.

Her son’s suspected fate too much to bear, Fleur decides to avenge him. With the help of her new acquaintance, the Duchess de Bouillon, Fleur visits the famous midwife, La Voisin, but it’s not the woman’s skills in childbirth that Fleur seeks.

La Voisin dabbles in poisons.

Will Fleur see her plan through? Or can she save herself from a tragic fate?

Delve into The Shadows of Versailles and enter the sinister world of potions and black masses during the Affairs of the Poisons, a real series of events that stunned the court of the Sun King!

~~~

An Affair of the Poisons series:
Book One: The Shadows of Versailles
Book Two: The Alchemist's Daughter (out in 2021)


Genre: Horror

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