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In the wake of the Vernet murders in Aix-en-Provence, magistrate Bernard Martin moves to the town of Nancy in Lorraine, France, along with his pregnant wife Clarie, who is as fervent about Republican ideals as her husband. They are not in Nancy 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.
Yet as Bernard delves deeper into the different personalities surrounding the case, he struggles to reconcile his Republican beliefs with the subtle nuances of Nancy's Jewish Diaspora, all while balancing the racial tensions and politics within the courthouse. Meanwhile his beloved Clarie, now reeling from 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 her own pogrom.
"Starred Review. Pope, a historian, gives us a complex lead and with great skill makes the anti-Semitic atmosphere of the times both palpable and tragically prophetic." - Publishers Weekly
"Pope landscapes her canvas with compelling characters...Recommended for historical mystery enthusiasts, especially those interested in French and Jewish history." - Library Journal
This information about The Blood of Lorraine was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Barbara Pope is a historian and the founding director of Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Oregon. Barbara has lived and worked in Provence, where Cézanne's Quarry and The Blood of Lorraine are set, and currently resides in Eugene, Oregon.
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