The French Emperor's Woman

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Pub Date 8 Jan 2021 | Archive Date 11 Feb 2021
General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction

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Description

It’s 1871. Napoleon III is living in exile in Chislehurst Kent, after being deposed as Emperor of France following his defeat at the battle of Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

Marie Anne, one of his many mistresses ,and mother of his illegitimate son Pierre, had arranged for her boy to be taken as a stowaway from Rouen to London, but the boy never arrived and was allegedly last seen on a rowing boat coming ashore near Gravesend.

Distraught, and suspecting foul play, she seeks the assistance of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Gordon, the Commissioner for the Thames Forts who was later to achieve fame as ‘Gordon of Khartoum’, who knows just the man to help and soon William Reeves, Private Investigator, is on the case.

An Emperor, his mistress, a private detective and one missing boy – what secrets will the investigation unfurl?

It’s 1871. Napoleon III is living in exile in Chislehurst Kent, after being deposed as Emperor of France following his defeat at the battle of Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

Marie Anne...

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A Note From the Publisher

David Bissenden is a retired town planner who spent many years working and living near the marshes and chalk pits of the Thames estuary, which feature in much of his work. He has written numerous articles and dramas drawing on the history of the area and now lives in Cheshire.

David Bissenden is a retired town planner who spent many years working and living near the marshes and chalk pits of the Thames estuary, which feature in much of his work. He has written numerous...

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Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781800468672
PRICE US$4.99 (USD)
PAGES 200

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Additional Information

Average rating from 6 members

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Featured Reviews

Elegantly written & historically well researched, The French emperor's woman has all the ingredients necessary to captivate a reader's attention: a veteran from the Crimean War turned private detective, the kidnapping of a young French boy, the natural son of an emperor, a delicate political intrigue involving the exiled Napoleon III, some rather despicable criminal shenanigans & a doomed romance, all of it taking place in Gravesend & Dover in 1871. So far so good.
But (yes there is a but) I was personally left hungry by the end. I sometimes found the plot too rushed and the characters underveloped as if the author was trying to cram too many stories within "The Story" without giving us enough time to connect all the dots... OK, I just wanted more time with story but I have to commend the author for his delightful imagination & I will definitely follow him in the future!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Matador Books for the opportunity to read this novel prior to its release date.

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