Floats the Dark Shadow is a Gothic and sinister historical mystery set in Belle Epoque, Paris in the late 19th century. The author does an excellent job of bringing to life the sights and sounds of the time. It's easy to get lost in the story and actually feel like you're right there...one of the characters. Even listening to this on audio, I found myself totally engrossed.
Once again, I must credit an author for allowing me to learn something new in history. For the murderer in this book, who is in fact murdering children in the most despicable of ways, believes he is none other than Gilles de Rais reincarnated. And who is Gilles de Rais you might ask? So did I. de Rais was Joan of Arc's lieutenant, who was later burned at the stake by the Church for heresy, sorcery, and the horrific murder of hundreds of peasant children. When I read about this first in the book's blurb, I immediately Googled the name and read up on de Rais. Wow! And so, historical fiction has done it's job once again (well, in addition to telling a great story)...sent the reader on a quest to learn more!
In addition to the above, this book just tells a terrific mystery. We are kept guessing until the end regarding the identity of the murderer. Not only that, but we are also shown how truly vulnerable children were in that era. Children were not cautioned about the dangers in the world back then, as they are now. This made them ripe for the picking. A very tragic reality indeed.
This is a perfectly atmospheric read for this time of the year when things go bump in the night, or for any time you're in the mood for a great historical mystery.
About the book
Publication Date: August 5, 2012
BearCat Press
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audio
Genre: Historical Mystery
Praise for Floats the Dark Shadow
“Yves Fey writes with the eye of an artist, the nose of a perfumer and the nerves of a hardened gendarme in this chilling tale of love and love’s perversion. Not for the faint of heart!” — Cuyler Overholt, award-winning author of A Deadly Affection
“Fey’s writing is gorgeous: she evokes the sights and smells of Paris and poetically presents the darkness and horror that plague tormented souls.” — Historical Novel Society
“Paris is painted with uncanny realism, using masterful splashes of descriptive color against a somber backdrop … The characters develop as their entwined relationships become ever more enmeshed in the dark plot woven around mysticism, Satanism, and sadistic murders…” — Kirkus Reviews
“Yves Fey delves into the dark well of occult, violence and eroticism lying just beneath the surface of fin-de-siècle Paris. The valiant heroine, American artist Theo Faraday, confronts the ultimate evils of child torture and murder as the serpentine page-turning plot unfolds. Beware! It’s strong stuff.” — Barbara Corrado Pope, author of Cézanne’s Quarry and The Blood of Lorraine
“This dark, gothic tale will delight fans of decadent, sensuous, fin-de-siècle Paris.” — Kenneth Wishnia, award-winning author of 23 Shades of Black and The Fifth Servant
“Yves Fey recreates the haunting world of absinthe, of the Symbolist poets, of Salomé, of the Golden Dawn, and of darker, more unfathomable forces, that was Paris in 1897. This well-researched thriller offers satisfyingly complex characters. Powerful, violent, elegant.” —Beth Tashery Shannon, Pushcart Prize winner, author of Tanglevine
About the Author
Floats the Dark Shadow, Yves Fey’s debut mystery set in the dynamic and decadent world of Belle Époque Paris, has won the Silver Medal “IPPY” Independent Publishers Award in mystery, and both the Mystery and Historical Finalist Awards from the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. It’s also nominated for ForeWord’s Independent Publishers BookTwitter of the Year Award in the Mystery Category.
Yves has an MFA in Creative Writing from Eugene Oregon, and a BA in Pictorial Arts from UCLA. She has read, written, and created art from childhood, and is an ardent movie buff. In her varied career, she has been a tie dye artist, go-go dancer, baker, creator of ceramic beasties, illustrator, fiction teacher, and now, novelist. A chocolate connoisseur, she’s won prizes for her desserts. Her current fascination is creating perfumes inspired by her new novel.
Yves has traveled to many countries in Europe and lived for two years in Indonesia. Currently, she resides in the San Francisco area with her husband and three cats, Marlowe the Investigator and Charlotte and Emily, the Flying Brontë Sisters.
Writing as Gayle Feyrer and Taylor Chase, she previously published four unusually dark and mysterious historical romances, The Prince of Cups, The Thief’s Mistress, Heart of Deception and Heart of Night. She plans to rerelease these with her own cover designs in the coming year. Her fantasy, House of the Twin Jewels, appears in Erotic Interludes.
For more information please visit Yves Fey’s website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
Floats the Dark Shadow, Yves Fey’s debut mystery set in the dynamic and decadent world of Belle Époque Paris, has won the Silver Medal “IPPY” Independent Publishers Award in mystery, and both the Mystery and Historical Finalist Awards from the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. It’s also nominated for ForeWord’s Independent Publishers BookTwitter of the Year Award in the Mystery Category.
Yves has an MFA in Creative Writing from Eugene Oregon, and a BA in Pictorial Arts from UCLA. She has read, written, and created art from childhood, and is an ardent movie buff. In her varied career, she has been a tie dye artist, go-go dancer, baker, creator of ceramic beasties, illustrator, fiction teacher, and now, novelist. A chocolate connoisseur, she’s won prizes for her desserts. Her current fascination is creating perfumes inspired by her new novel.
Yves has traveled to many countries in Europe and lived for two years in Indonesia. Currently, she resides in the San Francisco area with her husband and three cats, Marlowe the Investigator and Charlotte and Emily, the Flying Brontë Sisters.
Writing as Gayle Feyrer and Taylor Chase, she previously published four unusually dark and mysterious historical romances, The Prince of Cups, The Thief’s Mistress, Heart of Deception and Heart of Night. She plans to rerelease these with her own cover designs in the coming year. Her fantasy, House of the Twin Jewels, appears in Erotic Interludes.
For more information please visit Yves Fey’s website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
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Twitter Tags: @hfvbt @YvesFey
A copy of this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for providing it.
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