Paris, 1870: the Franco-Prussian War is about to begin.
Baron Ferdinand Harsanyi, a Hungarian military attache to the Austrian
Embassy, is summoned home to Vienna where his wife dies. Harsanyi, aloof
and calculating, is now sole owner of cinnabar mines which provides
mercury, indispensable in munitions. With war looming, every major
European country seeks to buy Harsanyi's cinnabar. But who will he sell
to? His son Rudolph and daughter Therese have tenuous connections with
their father, who takes them away to Paris. All are swept into the
machinations of subtle and not-so-subtle opponents, including Napoleon
III's Empress Pauline, handsome and flamboyantly French Captain
l'Imperator who pursues Therese, the slimy Sarroche, and an old family
friend, Professor Pock. Zoltan, the Baron's right-hand man and
confidant, tries to keep everyone safe. The French are maneuvered into
declaring war on Prussia. France's much-vaunted defense lines are
impossible to defend, their generals are inept and their armies misused
and slaughtered, the supplies arrive only to be destroyed when the
Prussians threaten...and Rudolph is catapulted into the middle when
Therese begs him to rescue her beloved. But...this is not a
spoiler! I haven't mentioned anything of importance, as much of the
story happens behind the scenes. The ending is fascinating, almost
nobody is what they seem. If you enjoy historical almost-fiction without
obvious sex scenes, characters that are subtle and complex, and
highlights on little-known historical moments this is a book for you. I
give it a 4.5, and you might also (or maybe not; let me know what you
think).
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