Jean-François Parot handles history in a rather different way. The Man with the Lead Stomach (Gallic Books, £11.99) is the second book in his series about Nicholas Le Floch, a dashing young police officer in Louis XV’s Paris. Here Le Floch investigates the apparent suicide of a young nobleman, unpicking a complex affair whose ramifications stretch deep into the court and approach the throne itself. It’s an intriguing title, but there are signs that the author found the setting more interesting than either the characters or the story. Parot clearly knows the period backwards: he lays on his research with a trowel, complete with footnotes, and much of it is indeed fascinating though not always entirely germane to the plot.  

Andrew Taylor’s latest novel is Bleeding Heart Square (Michael Joseph).

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