A killer in the shadows. A city in the turmoil. An adversary who might be much more understandable that you would think.

March, 1814. The Napoleonic Empire is down and the Allies' Army is marching to Paris. But Parisians are carelessly relying on the Napoleon's military genius. But the tide is turning and this time the genius might not be enough. And the royalists, hidden in the darkness, are eagerly preparing to reinstall the king of the Bourbon house.
Then the Colonel Berle, the one drawing the defense plan for Paris, is found assassinated with his face burned by flames. And Lieutenant Colonel Quentin Margont once again finds himself under orders to solve the murder and also finds the Tsar's emissary hiding in Paris - and all this undercover. He is to enter the secret royalist' group - but how can an idealist Republican successfully appear as the one with totally opposite thinking?

This is the best in the series. The military aspect is downplayed and the psychological is at its strong. I believe that this is because Quentin Margont is challenged on a very personal level - this is not just about the crime solving, this is about confronting his ideals with the reality in which he lives, and finding himself and his place in that situation.
Maybe that's because he finds it so uncomfortable to transform into an opposite being, a royalist - but this challenge is both unnecessary and liberating at the end.
The story of a killer is very human one, actually. He is not genuinely insane because of being born that way, it is the environment and circumstances (yes, together with his free will) what had shaped him into a killer. An interesting story and a good reminder!

The historical context is rich and truly got me into thinking how the times of ending kingdom, revolution and empire were for the people, how much blood was spent in waste and how to get into terms with it (if it is humanely possible).

The third one in the series is a charm and I am sad to see the series go. This is to hope that we can meet again, Monsieur Margont!