Blood Royal by Eric Jager

Blood Royal: A True Tale Of Crime And Detection In Medieval Paris is a fascinating story about when one of the most influential men in France was brutally murdered, starting a chain of events that would affect the entire country.

The year is 1407. Paris was the largest metropolis in Europe, with a mile-wide diameter. Louis of Orleans was a powerful man in it, even at times ruling it as the king's representative when King Charles VI was in one of his fits of insanity. Louis of Orleans was no saint. His position created enemies, which he added to by seducing other men’s wives, increasing taxes and dipping into the royal treasury.

On the fateful night, Louis was returning from a visit with the Queen. He felt safe in his city and had only six lightly armed men with him. As they were travelling down a dark, narrow street, their way was blocked by a group of heavily armed men. These men had only one purpose: to kill Louis of Orleans. Swarming him, they brutally murdered him and then left his body in the gutter as they fled the scene.

The man charged with solving this vicious murder was Guillaume de Tignonville, provost of Paris - like the chief of police. Although the political pressure was intense, he and his men set about methodically collecting evidence and questioning witnesses. Carefully, he followed the evidence, examined motives and avoided the use of torture - which was legal. Soon, he had his man in his sights. But there it became even more complicated. The man behind the murder was a powerful rival Duke with influential relatives and friends in the king’s court. One misstep and Guillaume de Tignonville could find himself arrested or worse. The revelation of the murderer and its aftermath would drive France into a devasting civil war.

Eric Jager does an excellent job of telling this story and its consequences, including detailed descriptions of the people and locations involved. Guillaume de Tignonville was a courageous and skilled detective who was probably one of the first people to use modern police techniques to solve his case.

If you enjoy history or mystery, this book is a great choice.

Purchase your copy from Amazon here.