1759. When a young female is found mutilated and carrying a letter from King Louis XV, Inspector Volnay worries that she is was one of the King's harem of young mistresses. Then there is another murder. Spies and plots abound from Madame Pompadour, various groups calling themselves The Devout, and The Brotherhood of the Serpent.
Overall an entertaining story
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Paris in the mid-18th Century and King Louis XV is becoming more despotic by the week. Whilst the aristocracy remain in fear, Madame de Pompadour acts as a procuress for her erstwhile lover's increasingly perverse needs. Meanwhile the general populace is plotting revolution. When the body of a young girl is found, horribly mutilated, Volnay is called in to investigate as the clues lead straight to court.
This was such a confusing book. The plot wheels around turns back on itself and in the end isn't really satisfying. there were several too many secret societies and characters whose motivation and loyalties seem to turn in an instance. What could have been a really strong historical detective novel just became far too complicated and confusing for me ( )

The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths is the first of eight French mysteries featuring Volnay, a man who was made the Inspect of Strange and Unexplained Deaths after saving Louis XV from an assassin. He is called to investigate the murder of a young woman whose entire face had been removed. When his good friend and associate, the Monk, does the autopsy, he creates a death mask that Volnay uses to identify the victim as one of the King’s mistresses.

The novel is full of plot and counter-plot with historical characters. In addition to Louis XV, there are Antoine de Sartine, Comte de Saint Germain, Madame Pompadour, and the famed Casanova. There are also three competing secret societies and all of them have nothing better to do than plot and counter-plot to hold or gain power.

I stuck it out to the bitter end of The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths and wish I had not. As a mystery, though, it is fair. Volnay and the reader had the necessary clues. However, it is simply too convoluted with plots and counter-plots and sheer stupidity. Really, the inane actions of the characters baffled me again and again and far more thoroughly than the mystery.

The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths will be published on October 6th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths at Pushkin Press
Olivier Barde-Cabicon

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/10/02/9781782276234/ ( )

The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths was originally published as Cassanova and the Faceless Woman, but I find the new title much more appropriate because, while Cassanova does appear in the novel, the central character is the inspector referenced in the new title.

Set in and around Versailles during the reign of Louis XV, the novel starts off with an unusual corpse. As the Inspector attempts to solve the crime he finds himself threatened on every side: by two competing religious orders, the Comte de San Germain (an alchemist who may have discovered the secret to eternal life), a ruthless police chief, the King's mistress, and the King himself. And then there's Cassanova, who keeps popping up where he's not expected. The Inspector is the only character in the novel who hasn't taken sides and who doesn't have a hidden agenda. Days later, another woman is killed in a similar fashion...

The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths offers a wild ride of a read. It's the kind of book that can sweep one up on a day that's been lackluster, leaving boredom and predictability behind. I strongly recommend readers keep this title in mind for a day when an invigorating refresher—or an escape of a few hours—is needed.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own. ( )

I have to admit: I was a bit disappointed in this book. The mystery is a bit too convoluted and it gets caught up, late in the narrative, in the minutiae of the different secret orders (like the Freemasons) fighting. It gets three stars because aspects are strong—but not more. ( )