Fiscal crisis. Social tension. Political ferment. The years just prior to the French Revolution were filled with conflict, although many chose to ignore the signals of the coming storm. The Palais-Royal was the scene of much gaiety and a constant round of pleasures - perfect cover for darker activities such as the murder of a Parisian actress. That same evening, her lover, Antoine Dubois, died in a fatal fall. Was his death a suicide brought on by guilt, or an accident? Word of Antoine's death is carried to his stepdaughter, Anne Cartier, a young vaudeville actress with the Sadler's Wells company in London. The headstrong Anne, who much loved Antoine, rejects the notion of his supposed crimes. If nothing else, she owes him loyalty as her stage mentor. She enlists the aid of the messenger, Colonel Paul de Saint-Martin, and his adjutant, Georges Charpentier, to cross to France and investigate. In her search for truth, Anne settles for the summer in Paris. Skilled in signing with the deaf, she means to use part of her time to study the techniques of Abb l'pe. At his school, she befriends Michou, a deaf, illiterate seamstress with a talent for puppetry, who gives Anne an entre into the Palais-Royal. There her quest broadens as she encounters an amateur theatrical society of dissolute young noblemen and several suspicious officials.
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Unravelling the mystery tests Anne's nerve as well as her remarkable acrobatic skills. Hoping to narrow her scope, she agrees to appear at a chateau to act the part of an exotic queen in Indian costume. Priceless jewelry disappears. Its owner, an aged count, is murdered. Then a venal police inspector threatens to derail Anne's whole project....Rich in period detail and brimming with suspense, historian O'Brien's debut novel is elegantly written as befits the times and explores borders between countries and between layers of society. The narrative is tinged by the storm gathering over France. Few have chosen to place a crime novel here. Charles O'Brien makes us wonder why. Charles O'Brien resides in Williams town, Massachusetts, with his wife, Elvy. He earned a Ph.D. in History from Columbia University and went on to teach history for thirty years before turning to historical mystery fiction fulltime. His special interests include the Age of Enlightenment and the History of Crime and Police. He has travelled and researched extensively in western Europe.
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Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars
10 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting history, coincidence solves the mystery
28 Nov 2001
By booksforabuck
- Published on Amazon.com
Format: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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very well written
19 May 2001
By Harriet Klausner
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
In 1785, France is predominantly a two-class society with the frivolous aristocracy running roughshod over the common folk and the small bourgeoisie. Nowhere is that more indicative than the so-called justice system where very little evidence is needed to throw a peasant in jail. The privileged hide behind their wealth and position to stop any charges being brought against them.
The alleged murder-suicide case of Antoine Dubois and Lelia La Plante is based on skimpy circumstantial evidence to draw such a conclusion. Antoine's stepdaughter Anne rejects the official position. At the invitation of Countess Maria she comes to France accompanied by her nephew Colonel Paul de Saint Martin of the Royal Highway Patrol. Marie confides in Anne that there is more to Antoine's death than a simple suicide. Working together with Maria and Paul, Anne goes undercover where she begins to find proof that a double murder occurred. As she steps closer to the truth, several influential people want her to end her investigation or they will dispatch her just as they did her stepfather.
Charles O'Brien uses the fictional narrative to show why the wide gap in class structure led to the revolution. The historical background allows the clever story line to easily flow over it. The heroine refuses to back down from her quest to obtain the truth. Before they realize it, readers are flowing along with the absorbing plot that makes MUTE WITNESS a riveting historical mystery.
Harriet Klausner
3.0 out of 5 stars
Started strong, but then...
4 Aug 2012
By plum9195
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition
Started strong, but then became full of stereotypes. Was hoping for more mystery and less standard issue "ya know what is going to happen in the end" romance.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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