It’s a treat: after the success of the first two volumes of the series "Au service secret de Marie-Antoinette", Frédéric Lenormand returns with a third part that is always more sparkling. A new survey which once again puts in scene Rose and Léonard, milliner and hairdresser of the Queen, for our greatest pleasure.
We were expecting it. The third part of the police comedy In the service of Marie-Antoinette, The bride was in Rose Bertin, is now in bookstores.
A succulent intrigue
As usual, Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France and Navarre, is bored. And since she cannot help getting involved in the affairs of others and more particularly those of her husband's mollasson, King Louis XVI, she obtains archives intended to be thrown away. Only, the code to decipher their content – correspondence from the previous King of France with his agents abroad – has been stolen. What to do ? Ask Rose and Léonard, intrepid duo who has been delighting us since the start of this detective series. The Queen's milliner and hairdresser, characters who really existed, will therefore set off on an adventure… After having investigated the disappearance of the Countess du Barry's jewelry in the first volume and a mysterious Inca treasure in the second, amateur detectives will this time dive into the affairs of the kingdom. On the trail of a certain Suzelle Olivier, secret spy who would have stolen the famous Broglie code, Rose and Léonard will bounce from surprise to surprise, between alcoholic protagonist, corpse, female director of the Jeu de Paume de Vaugirard or even suspicious policeman …
A dose of humor
Like cat and dog and true to themselves, Rose and Léonard tear themselves away from the clues but cannot advance without one. The dialogs sparkle with humor, which makes all the sassy character of the series In the secret service of Marie-Antoinette. More generally, Frédéric Lenormand handles the pen, word games and the second degree with great literary dexterity. Or how to talently mock derision, the police genre and history. Thus, Louis XVI nods in his peas, Leonardo claims never to play the game of palm because "he feels the goat after" and Rose does not hesitate to flank fans with his sidekick when he deserves it. You will understand, no matter the time, the manners and the serious subject that brings the characters together, we laugh!
Paris and Versailles as you have never read them
We will also retain from this new novel a magnificent setting between Versailles, its Castle and the City of Lights. From the first page, we are on rue Saint-Honoré, in the heart of Paris, in the fashion boutique run by Rose Bertin, adjoining the hair salon of the famous Léonard Autier. During the investigation, which leads the characters from district to district, we find ourselves near the Louvre at the perfumer Guermain (any resemblance to existing names would obviously and purely coincidentally) then in the pretty village of Passy, known for its thermal waters, of which only one fountain remains today. Obviously, the historical stroll is worth the detour: our brain is agitated and makes a thousand vintage images that disconnect us from our reality for our greatest pleasure. You will understand, between a stroll through Paris in 1777, a well-rounded and well-conducted investigation, spicy characters and removed style, this third episode of the series In the secret service of Marie-Antoinette enchants us as much as the previous ones and already questions us: when is the fourth?
In bookstores on March 5, 2020, In the secret service of Marie-Antoinette, The Bride was in Rose Bertin, Volume 3, Frédéric Lenormand, éd. from La Martinière, 14 euros