Pierre de Siorac, a newly qualified physician and Huguenot, has survived the massacre of St Bartholomew's Night through the help of friends and returns to Paris two years later. King Henry III appointed him personal physician, but soon he becomes above all his secret agent on delicate political missions. For France is still a deeply divided country, the Catholic League in the shape of the powerful Duke of Guise fronts against the king, who tries to mediate between Catholics and Protestants in the interest of the state. Spain is behind the one, England behind the other. The murderous duel between Henry and Guise determines French politics for over a decade.
Disguised as a cloth merchant, master plasterer, royal bodyguard, Pierre travels the country, passing through adventures, duels and assassinations, meeting spies and counter-spies. He travels to Henry of Navarre in the Huguenot south. He travels to Queen Elizabeth in London. But his feat: during a not entirely voluntary intercourse with the arch-Catholic Duchess of Montpensier, he steals a letter from Guise to the King of Spain and thus has the decisive proof of Guise's treason in his hands.
Robert Merle's series of novels "Fortune de France" is a colourful painting of one of the most dramatic periods in French history: the civil war between Catholics and Huguenots. At its centre is the Chevalier Pierre de Siorac, now a doctor and secret agent of King Henry III. The massacre of St Bartholomew's Night, which he barely escaped, happened two years ago. But the embers are still smouldering and are stoked anew by the "League" of the Duke of Guise, who has been challenging the king to a murderous power struggle for years. Pierre's charm, his perfect rapier and his good English on the international stage make him a hero par excellence in this dangerous confrontation.
"Robert Merle is one of the very few French writers who has won both popular success and critical respect." Le Figaro
