For the King by Catherine Delors

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Short Version: Started off a little slow, but the suspense kept building as the book went on, and the numerous plot twists ultimately made the book worth a read.

Longer Version: For the King started off a little slow, but the setting – Napoleonic France – was so interesting, I wanted to keep reading anyway – and I ended up being glad that I did.

This book is, basically, a mystery. The main character, Roch Miquel, is a young police inspector who has to race against the clock to figure out who is behind an assassination plot on Napoleon…because Miquel’s father is a suspect, and might be shipped overseas to do hard labor if his name isn’t cleared. I don’t read mysteries too often, but the stakes were just so high, I was invested in Miquel’s search for the would-be assassins, because I completely believed his motivation and desperation.

Not only are the stakes high in this book, but there are twists and turns galore, which made things that much more suspenseful. Normally I’m pretty good at picking up on twists, but I didn’t see a single one of them coming in For the King. And these twists seemed completely natural, too, not just plot twists for the sake of plot twists. I actually might have to reread this book so that I can try to pick up on some of the clues.

If you like high stakes, suspense, and mysteries, all in a historical setting rich with detail, I think this is your book.

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