Wow. In the third in her Aristide Ravel, police spy, mysteries set in Revolutionary Paris, Alleyyn actually takes us to 1786, ten years before the first book ("Game of Patience") is set. It is the dying spasm of the ancien regime, the time when the royal government's incompetence and the royal family's political tin ear reached the simultaneous peak of their rise to intolerability. The plot revolves around Aristide's informal induction into the ranks of police informers, and the character Brasseur becomes his mentor in the force.

There is much to like about this book. I am on record elsewhere as admiring Alleyn's ability to set a scene, establish a character, and make a plot revolve like an orrery. This book displays all those characteristics, so...so...why is it I feel just that little bit dissatisfied at the end of it?

Because it's a prequel. Since one of the main reasons I like mysteries is that they're orderly, I like them to appear in order so that I may read them in order. It's the way I want the world to work, this following that which is followed by the other thing. I understand that, sometimes, books in a series appear out of order because publishers make this decision. I don't know if that's the case here, but I gather not since Miss Alleyn is currently writing the fourth book in the series and it's set in 1793.

But really that's a minor point, only of interest to me and my fellow order freaks. The book itself has all the pleasures I've come to associate with Alleyn's writing and I recommend it heartily. Fellow order nuts, read it first!! FIRST!! ( )

The Cavalier of the Apocalypse is as full of historical detail as any of Susanne Alleyn's books. Although the clues to the mystery are well laid out, the twists will keep you guessing until it all comes together at the end. 1786 and the affair of the necklace makes the perfect backdrop for a mystery, when the readers know the "apocalypse" that is about to come. ( )

Wonderful historical mystery set in Paris during the days leading up to the beginning of the French Revolution. This is a prequel to Alleyn's first two Aristide Ravel mysteries which were both set after the revolution (Game of Patience and A Treasury of Regrets) and, though I enjoyed the first two, I absolutely loved this one! In fact, I gobbled it up as soon as I got it, and, as soon as I finished, I wanted to read it for the first time all over again.

Alleyn has managed to seamlessly weave together a well-plotted, fascinating mystery, finely drawn characters ~ especially Ravel about whom I came to care for deeply, and well-researched historical details that never interfered with the sheer enjoyment of the story. One thing that stood out for me was how brilliantly she portrayed the aristrocracy with all its arrogance, injustice and excesses, juxtaposing it against the grinding poverty and lack of basic human rights of the lower classes. I could actually feel the tremors of rage and rebellion fomenting in the background. The mystery, which was tied to one of the most infamous scandals of that time ~ the Diamond Necklace Affair, which involved Marie Antoinette and a bishop of the Catholic Church and was one of the links in the chain that brought down the monarchy and the church ~ was excellently done. I also loved the details of the historic cavalier. Fascinating stuff indeed!

But the best part for me is Ravel's story ~ how an impoverished writer of highly illegal and inflammatory anti-government essays comes to be working with the police as an independent consultant, his background that shows how he ended up the dour and discouraged yet proud young man.

All I can say is brava, Ms. Alleyn! And to anyone who loves a ripping good historical mystery, run out and get this one as soon as it's available (July 21, I think). You won't regret it! ( )

Susanne Alleyn has written a third riveting, well-plotted mystery starring
Aristide Ravel, this one set in Paris shortly before the French Revolution and
I think it is definitely the best yet in the series! For you folks who have not
yet discovered this talented author, and who like to read a series “from the beginning”,
you have the rare chance to begin with “The Cavalier..”, as it is a prequel to
the two prior books featuring Aristide Ravel and gives us a glimpse into
how Aristide is induced, reluctantly, to help the police inspector, M. Brasseur
investigate and ultimately solve murder amidst the turbulent political
unrest and scandals of the time. The earlier two books are set after the
Revolution, but the murder at the center of this book, Aristide’s first
venture into crime-solving, is fascinatingly and deftly linked to one of
the most famous scandals of the time, the Diamond Necklace Affair
involving Marie Antoinette, and the brewing discontent of many
intelligent men of consequence with overweening, corrupt aristocrats and
wretched conditions of the populace.

What I think sets this book above so many historical mysteries is Alleyn’s
ability to strike just the right balance between historical context and
the mystery that drives the plot. Too many times, I’ve read mysteries
of this subgenre in which the story is interrupted by pages and pages
of what are simply unrelated dumps of the author’s research into the
clothing, the food, detailed descriptions of place, etc. that contribute
nothing to the mystery and its solution. I think most of us read mysteries because
we want to follow that story. Alleyn never includes unrelated social
context, even though I learned lots of interesting facts about the period.
She is also very very good at creating characters that ring true and are sympathetic.
Aristide, impoverished, often discouraged and suffering from self-doubt, stubborn
and proud, is enormously appealing - you can’t help rooting for him.
Brasseur, for all his wiliness, has his own gruff appeal and sense of honor.
The other main characters are well-drawn, whether aristocrat or middle class,
along with some unsavory citizens that add spice to the mix.

The story begins with Aristide’s encounter with a mysterious church fire, one
of a string of such, his meeting with Brasseur and his efforts to find
a publisher for his own attempts at writing rather dangerous pamphlets.
Then the discovery of a gruesomely murdered man in a cemetery propels
Aristide into a fast-moving series of events, increasingly dangerous, as
he tries to discern why the man was mutilated, what the strange symbols
mean, and what the connections to a missing aristocrat, a powerful
Cardinal, and certain secretive societies are. I don’t want to give away
too much, so I won’t tell you any more. Read the book. I was hooked
very quickly, and couldn’t put it down. Then, if you haven’t yet, read the
prior two- Game of Patience and A Treasury of Regrets. Let’s hope
Alleyn has many more adventures for Ravel in store for us!

I recommend this book to all those who love a good mystery, an
interesting time and place, and prose so well written that you “fall into
the world” of the book without the slightest effort. ( )