History&mystery in the skillful hands of French author offer an interesting read about the wolf in the human skin - amongst the real wolves of Russian winter.

It´s 1812 and Napoleon is on its top as a ruler in Europe. To defeat England and to support his pride, he aims for Russian throne first. But Russia is huge, it´s people are decided to fight back and the winters there are far more cruel than Frenchmen know.
And there is also a human predator amongst the French soldiers, who is torturing and killing women. Of course, what is one body or more amongs the hundreds killed in war? But there are political reasons not to disturb the local citizens, so Captain Quentin Margont is put in charge of resolving the mystery. And there are more murders...and more deaths as this invasion is taking its toll. But Captain Margont is decided to catch the killer.

This book is both a historical trip and a psychological portrait of a psychologically disturbed killer. The author is both a Napoleonic time fan and a psychiatrist, so he is more than able to present both the time frame and the mind of a disturbed man.
As for the historical aspect, the book is fascinating in its look to the beginning of the fall of an empire. The author does not concentrate on the Napoleon himself, more on the individuals fighting in his army and following different motivations to be there.
Take Quentin Margont, who is still an idealist hoping to spread the ideas of freedom to the Russian muzhiks. But he is also a kind man and typical Frenchman of a smart mind and less than obedient nature - so a very good choice for a sleuth! His friends are not less human (if a bit less sympathetic in their fame and money hunt).

The mystery is less present (the book reads more like a military book with a mystery than a mystery set in the military environment), but it is an interesting mind game, a bit similar to a game of chess. Attack, counterattack, check mate - and finally? The players are intelligent and the ending is a real cliffhanger.

Interesting novel. I will read the second volume for sure.