Its France, 1761. Beyond the glittering court of Louis XV & Madame de Pompadour at Versailles, lies Paris, a capital in the grip of crime & immorality.. .A police officer disappears & Nicolas Le Floch, a young recruit to the force, is instructed to find him. When unidentified human remains suddenly come to light, he seems to have a murder investigation on his hands. As the city descends into Carnival debauchery, Le Floch will need all his skill, courage & integrity to unravel a mystery which threatens to implicate the highest in the l&. This is the first in a series of six historical crime novels which has sold in excess of 400, 000 copies in French. The author brings eighteenth century Paris vividly to life & the story features real-life characters Madame de Pompadour & Loius XV as well as engaging hero Nicolas le Floch. It is soon to be adapted for French Television.