A Plague of Lies

by Judith Rock

Overview

In her historic mysteries The Rhetoric of Death and The Eloquence of Blood, Judith Rock created an atmosphere that "takes you back to fascinating and dangerous seventeenth-century Paris so well that I suspect her of being a time-traveler who's been there" (Ariana Franklin, national bestselling author of A Murderous Procession). Now, the latest novel to feature Charles du Luc finds the ex-soldier-turned-Jesuit caught up in royal intrigue...

Versailles, 1687

Madame de Maintenon is King Louis XIV’s second wife. The daughter of a minor noble of ill-repute, she has not forgiven the king's Jesuit confessor for encouraging him to withhold the title of Queen from her. To placate her, the prestigious Louis le Grand Jesuit school has sent a delegation—including her distant cousin Pere Jouvancy and rhetoric teacher Charles du Luc—to Versailles with a gift of reliquary.

But while the Sun King’s palace might be spectacular, this visit is anything but pleasant. Their first night, a courtier dies, and court whispers claim poison. Then the Jesuit delegation falls direly ill, and a palace gardener is found murdered. Fear grips a court already on edge. In the midst of all this, Charles learns that one of his students is in love with the king’s rebellious (and betrothed) daughter, and may ruin not only himself, but all of them …

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425253106
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/02/2012
Series:	A Charles du Luc Novel , #3
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.97(d)

About the Author

For many years a modern dancer and choreographer, Judith Rock founded Body and Soul Dance Company in Berkeley, California, toured extensively as a solo concert dancer, and studied baroque dance. Research for her Ph.D. in art and theology took her to Paris, where she lived at the nearby Jesuit Cultural Center and researched the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century ballets produced at the Paris Jesuit College of Louis le Grand.

In a startling leap, Rock then spent several years as a police officer before taking that experience back to the stage as a playwright and actress. She was an auxiliary officer in the NYPD, and later a part-time police officer in Minnesota, working midnight shifts.

Rock has written on dance, art, and theology for many journals, and has been artist-in-residence and taught and lectured at colleges, seminaries and conferences across the United States and abroad. The Rhetoric of Death, her first novel, was a 2011 Barry Award nominee.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for the Charles du Luc novels

“Thrilling…Engaging.”—Sarasota Magazine “[Judith] Rock takes you back to fascinating and dangerous seventeenth-century Paris so well that I suspect her of being a time-traveler who’s been there.”—Ariana Franklin, national bestselling author of A Murderous Procession

“Rock’s second novel featuring Charles du Luc is every bit the equal of her impressive historical thriller debut, The Rhetoric of Death…Readers will hope this energetic and engrossing sequel will be the first of many.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Rock’s historical accuracy resonates here, transporting you to 1686 Paris. Her intriguing plot and protagonists with whom readers are becoming good friends make this a necessary read for all who enjoy historical mysteries, especially those by Ariana Franklin.”—Library Journal (starred review) “Rock skillfully builds her suspense plot, all the while incorporating splendid detail of seventeenth-century Parisian monastic and street life and the relationship between church and Crown, along with the intricate political and religious conflicts of the era. She proves herself a promising new talent by creating this powerful, absorbing, complex, and thoroughly satisfying novel.”—Historical Novels Review (editor’s choice)

Editorial Reviews

In Rock’s fine third 17th-century historical featuring Paris rhetoric teacher Charles de Luc (after 2011’s The Eloquence of Blood), Charles and his mentor, Père Joseph Jouvancy, transport a reliquary to Versailles, a gift to the king’s unofficial second wife, Madame de Maintenon, to gain her support for the Society of Jesus at Louis XIV’s court. Soon after their arrival, the Comte de Fleury, a sadistic military commander with whom Charles has been at odds, dies after an accidental tumble down some stairs. Before long, the palace is roiled by rumors that de Fleury was poisoned, and that the poisoner has other victims in mind. A clear case of murder by blunt instrument also concerns Charles, who must do his detecting in an especially intense political atmosphere. Diligent research allows Rock to seamlessly blend her fictional additions to the time of the Sun King with the historical record. Agent: Damaris Rowland, Damaris Rowland Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Charles du Luc novels

“Thrilling…Engaging.”—Sarasota Magazine

“[Judith] Rock takes you back to fascinating and dangerous seventeenth-century Paris so well that I suspect her of being a time-traveler who’s been there.”—Ariana Franklin, national bestselling author of A Murderous Procession

“Rock’s second novel featuring Charles du Luc is every bit the equal of her impressive historical thriller debut, The Rhetoric of Death…Readers will hope this energetic and engrossing sequel will be the first of many.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Rock’s historical accuracy resonates here, transporting you to 1686 Paris. Her intriguing plot and protagonists with whom readers are becoming good friends make this a necessary read for all who enjoy historical mysteries, especially those by Ariana Franklin.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Rock skillfully builds her suspense plot, all the while incorporating splendid detail of seventeenth-century Parisian monastic and street life and the relationship between church and Crown, along with the intricate political and religious conflicts of the era. She proves herself a promising new talent by creating this powerful, absorbing, complex, and thoroughly satisfying novel.”—Historical Novels Review (editor’s choice)

From the Publisher