City of Light, City of Poison: : Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris

Tucker, Holly. City of Light, City of Poison: : Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris. 2017. 310p. ISBN 9780393239782.

In the 1670s, France was at its apogee. Louis XIV, the Sun King, had been ruling for decades. France had expanded through war, Versailles was under construction, and Paris was growing. Hoping to turn his capital into a beacon for the civilized world, Louis XIV assigned a dedicated public servant, Nicolas de la Reynie, to be the first chief of police for the city. Previously, law enforcement was divided among many jurisdictions, with the effect that the city was dirty, dark, and dangerous. When de la Reynie assumed his post, his first edicts were to literally clean the city of its refuse, and to install lanterns at every street corner, turning Paris into the City of Light.

de la Reynie then turned his attention to the criminals that populated the streets of the city. As he pursued dangerous individuals, he soon stumbled upon a group of poisoners, who, for a price, would provide a husband or wife with the means to "prune the family tree." This cabal was soon arrested and transported to the Chateau of Vincennes for interrogation, and de la Reynie learned that noble women were also using this group's services.

As de la Reynie investigates and conducts interrogations, he soon realizes that the currencies of violence and deceit are not limited to the lower classes. More nobles fall in disgrace or are executed as revelations rock the court of the king. Progressively, people close to the king become targets of de la Reynie, until he comes across a nefarious plot from the King's own mistress to poison the Sun King. How far can he push to get the whole truth?

A true story of passion and betrayal, of envy and destruction, City of Light, City of Poison illustrates a fascinating period in the reign of Louis XIV, where anything that could gain the attention of the King was worth gold. A spat of deaths and poisoning was followed by this investigation, which in turn was soon buried by the King for fear that France would never recover from the loss of trust and the embarrassment. Fans of history and of criminal investigations will devour this book!