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Title: The Blood of Lorraine

Author: Barbara Pope

Narrator: Chris Kayser

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-29-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the wake of the Dreyfus affair, the murder of two Jews in Lorraine reveals the darker side of human natureIn the wake of the Vernet murders in Aix-en-Provence, magistrate Bernard Martin moves to Lorraine, France, along with his pregnant wife, Claire, who is as fervent about Republican ideals as her husband.

They are not there long when an infant boy is found dead, his tiny body mutilated. The wet nurse and mother say that this was a case of ritual sacrifice by a wandering tinker, or Jew. Meanwhile his beloved Claire, now reeling form the death of her own child, seems to be falling prey to the propaganda being spewed throughout town, forcing Bernard to acknowledge the frailties of the human psyche.

Fearing a vigilante mob sparked by the church, Bernard must unveil the murderers before Nancy experiences its own pogrom.

Editorial Reviews:

The Blood of Lorraine is a complex historical tale of murder, love, and France's dark relationship with anti-Semitism. This twisted psychological thriller blends top-notch research with action-packed, pause-resisting suspense. Chris Kayser gives a stellar performance of Barbara Pope's second novel. His diction is clear and sure, lending extra credibility to Pope's faithful rendering of fin-de-siècle France . Kayser shines especially during the novel's darker passages, bringing the gruesome crimes at the heart of this mystery to life in eerie detail.

Members Reviews:

What a good read!

This is Barbara Pope's second novel (the first is "Cezanne's Quarry") featuring magistrate Bernard Martin. The novel is set in Alsace-Lorraine in the 1890s, in the context of the intense anti-semitism in France during the time of the Dreyfus trial. It begins with the mystery of the death and mutilation of an infant, and proceeds to a series of murders which are more difficult to solve. I loved the way Pope wove together several stories--the national narrative of French anti-semitism in the 1890s, the narrative of the Alsace-Lorraine region and the interaction between the Jewish and the non-Jewish communities there, and the personal stories of the various characters, in particular of Bernard Martin and his wife Clarie. A central part of the story is examination of grief--the grief in the wake of death and murder, and grief as the personal consequence of historical atrocities--and of the ways of managing grief. The story is absorbing, and the writing is very good.

A wonderful window into fin de siècle France--and the struggle to pursue égalité in a complex human community.

Barbara Pope creates characters with depth of thought, feeling, and hunger for reasons to hold onto their ideals when events make cynicism and despair seem the more appropriate response. She sets her fictional characters in the midst of real historical events that she accurately portrays and makes more accessible. In this book the Dreyfus Affair comes to life in the context of antisemitism in Nancy at the end of the Nineteenth Century. This is the third of her novels that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. I recommend this for mystery lovers, especially those with an interest in French history during the closing years of the Nineteenth Century.

First-rate historical thriller

I thought Ms. Pope's first novel, Cezanne's QuarryCezanne's Quarry: A Mysterywas a treat.