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Nicholas Segalla #2
The Prince Lost to Time
The British government sends enigmatic emissary Nicholas Segalla to France in order to uncover the truth about the fate of the young Dauphin, held prisoner in the Temple where his mother Marie Antoinette spent her last days, after rumors spread about his escape. Reprint.
229 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 30, 2011
In this second mystery in the series featuring the immortal investigator Nicholas Segalla, the sleuth is searching for the truth of the mysterious fate of the lost Dauphin, Louis Charles. Queen Marie Antoinette was forced to leave her son behind when Revolutionaries forced her to mount the scaffold in 1793. The time just before her death and imprisonment was a whirlwind of revolutionary activity. The Royal Family's life quickly changed from an idyllic existence in their beautiful palace to the squalor of prison. And then death at the hands of the revolutionary executioners.The first to die was King Louis XVI, followed nine months later by his lovely queen. Months before her date with the guillotine, her beloved son and daughter were removed from her side, and the Dauphin disappeared into the annals of history.
It is now 1815. Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo has opened the door for the restoration of France's Bourbon monarchy, but now it must be determined who is the rightful heir to the throne? The Dauphin Louis Charles, son Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, would be the obvious choice, but the official account says that he died in 1795 and his uncle has claimed the throne as Louis XVIII. Segalla, has been sent France as "special emissary of the English prime minister" to investigate--because there are also mounting rumors that the Dauphin did not die after all; that he was spirited away and survived the massacre. While in France, Segalla allies himself with government archivist Raoul Tallien, to examine the available documents and try to unravel the plots and subplots of former Revolutionaries, Royalists and a nervous Louis XVIII, who stands to lose the throne should his nephew turn up alive.To keep his promise to the doomed queen, Segalla must brave treachery, murderous attacks, and subterfuge to find the answer.
This was a decent read. The historical details are good and given the facts that Dukthas uses in the narrative the solution makes a great deal of sense. Of course, I know very little about the mystery surrounding the disappearance/death of the Dauphin beyond the brief mentions made in various history classes. But it seems to me that she has done her research well. If I were to rate this on the historical story alone, I would give it a four rather than the three-star rating I'm going to settle on. For whatever reason, I didn't take to Nicholas Segalla for most of the book. I finely warmed up to him in the final chapters--primarily because of his relationship to Tallien in that section. I would like to read the next book in the series to see if that relationship is more fully developed.
It is now 1815. Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo has opened the door for the restoration of France's Bourbon monarchy, but now it must be determined who is the rightful heir to the throne? The Dauphin Louis Charles, son Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, would be the obvious choice, but the official account says that he died in 1795 and his uncle has claimed the throne as Louis XVIII. Segalla, has been sent France as "special emissary of the English prime minister" to investigate--because there are also mounting rumors that the Dauphin did not die after all; that he was spirited away and survived the massacre. While in France, Segalla allies himself with government archivist Raoul Tallien, to examine the available documents and try to unravel the plots and subplots of former Revolutionaries, Royalists and a nervous Louis XVIII, who stands to lose the throne should his nephew turn up alive.To keep his promise to the doomed queen, Segalla must brave treachery, murderous attacks, and subterfuge to find the answer.
This was a decent read. The historical details are good and given the facts that Dukthas uses in the narrative the solution makes a great deal of sense. Of course, I know very little about the mystery surrounding the disappearance/death of the Dauphin beyond the brief mentions made in various history classes. But it seems to me that she has done her research well. If I were to rate this on the historical story alone, I would give it a four rather than the three-star rating I'm going to settle on. For whatever reason, I didn't take to Nicholas Segalla for most of the book. I finely warmed up to him in the final chapters--primarily because of his relationship to Tallien in that section. I would like to read the next book in the series to see if that relationship is more fully developed.
June 1, 2023
This is one of the cleverest series on historical mysteries. This book gives a theory for the survival of the lost dauphin, son of Marie Antoinette. It was written before the actual deceased child’s heart was revealed to be found and DNA tested, and with that revelation, this book does lose a little of its luster. But it’s a good book with a layered and mysterious MMC, and the solution is certainly plausible. Recommended.
November 12, 2020
Intriguing time travel tale of the death or disappearance of the Dauphin, son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. I've no idea how plausible the plot is but the story is well crafted.
January 15, 2016
I found the second novel featuring Nicholas Segalla (Is he a time traveler? Is he a cursed immortal? Does he just have a really good doctor?) to be a brilliant follow up to A Time For The Death Of A King. Part of the reason may be my knowledge of the French Revolution versus my knowledge of Mary, Queen of Scots. I know significantly less about the French Revolution than I do Mary, Queen of Scots. I have to confess I didn't even realize there was a mystery surrounding Louis Charles, Dauphin of France. I had just assumed he died while in the care of the Revolutionaries and that was the end of it. Apparently that's not the case. I can't even recall if we covered what happened to anyone not named Marie Antoinette in high school history.
At any rate, my lack of knowledge made this mystery much more enjoyable. Following along as Segalla fleshed out the various theories was a very educational experience for me. With the previous novel, I was already pretty well versed in the various theories surrounding the death of Lord Darnley. The addition of Tallien also made this story better than it's predecessor. I was not a big fan of Segalla's two forced companions from the previous novel. I can't even recall their names at this point.
I look forward to following along with Segalla as he travels to Austria and investigates the tragedy of Archduke Randolph.
At any rate, my lack of knowledge made this mystery much more enjoyable. Following along as Segalla fleshed out the various theories was a very educational experience for me. With the previous novel, I was already pretty well versed in the various theories surrounding the death of Lord Darnley. The addition of Tallien also made this story better than it's predecessor. I was not a big fan of Segalla's two forced companions from the previous novel. I can't even recall their names at this point.
I look forward to following along with Segalla as he travels to Austria and investigates the tragedy of Archduke Randolph.
March 2, 2009
This is a mystery, and sets up the premise that maybe Louis XVII didn't die in the Bastille, but maybe he survived. Very clever.
Read
December 1, 2009loved it!
June 12, 2010
just started! weird beginning.
May 4, 2011
I don't recall the details.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews