I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this book incredibly interesting the author really kept me hooked until the end. very well written I highly recommend.

This historical mystery did not fascinate me. I did not really care for Pierre or Marie or their romance. This was probably because of the way it was written.

I received a free digital copy of this book through Net Galley to read and for an honest review. Thanks to the publisher, Matador Press and to Net Galley for this enjoyable novel.

“ The French Emperor’s Woman” by D.G. Bissenden is a historical mystery novel set in England of the 1870’s . The book has many features to attract and please a wide audience of readers: the locale of the seaport town Gravesend; the mystery of a missing child; a strong romantic attraction ; and a good leading character.
The story begins in the Crimea , during the war, with the hero William Reeves wounded in the leg and stunned by the carnage surrounding him. He vows that he will find a way to help other, less fortunate veterans when he leaves the army. Fifteen years later, he is a journalist whose. stories of forgotten Crimean veterans has led a sideline of being hired to find missing people.
One day he receives a letter from General Charles Gordon whom he had met on that blood-wracked battlefield years ago. Gordon asks him to travel to Gravesend to assist in the matter of a missing child.
Reeves learns that the child ,Pierre , the seven - year old of a French refugee Marie -Anne LeBeau
disappeared during the night from the ship that carried him from France. General Gordon asks Reeves to investigate, but warns him of political pitfalls. The woman is or was the mistress of the deposed Emperor Napoleon III, who is living in exile nearby. The investigation must be discrete. A short history of why the deposed emperor is in England involves a bit of historical detail in the book which Is necessary for plot developments.
Mr. Bissenden gives his detective an appealing personality. He is intelligent and self- assured, but not annoyingly cocky, so there is no wisecracking . Unlike his literary contemporary, the estimable Holmes, Reeves does not find microscopic clues but he does follow threads to see where they lead. They lead him into danger , of course, first because he discovers other hidden criminal goings-on in the vast seaport of Gravesend, and most importantly , to a not unexpected a growing romantic attachment to mmle. . Marie- Anne.
“ The French Emperor’s Woman”is smoothly written, with the story unfolding slowly as Reeves tracks down with leads that go nowhere, mysterious connections between local persons and hidden, dangerous treats. The pages sped by, and I was able to finish the book in a day. While locked in by yet another snowstorm in the northeastern USA , I happily spent my time in Victorian England.
The novel is easily recommended to all readers. There is no offensive language. There is romantic love. I did note a very few anachronismsin speech, but that is minor, and there were a few times when the words “ to myself” were used instead of” to me” ... bu I am being picky.
So: All in all a pleasant novel that hints of later adventures for William Reeves, finder of lost persons. Spend a pleasant day or so and get involved with “ The French Emperor’s Woman.”

Set in the early 1870's in Dover and Gravesend, David Bissenden creates and evocative image of the seaport environs and those who inhabit them. In this book we follow a private investigator has he attempts to track down a missing boy, Pierre, who is the illegitimate son of Napoleon - currently in exile in England. The private investor is captivated by Pierre's mother who is searching for her son. The strength of this book, for me, was the setting and the main story line of the search for Pierre. Where it fell apart was the development of the characters, in particular that of Marie, Pierre's mother. I found her a very unsympathetic character and the love story between Marie and the investigator was unbelievable. Perhaps if chapters had alternated in Marie and the Investigator's voices, the characters would both have been better developed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Matador for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I absolutely loved this
Loved the way it was written, the language used, very evocative.

No spoilers, I like to explore a book myself so wouldn't dream of spoiling it for someone else. I couldn't put this down once I started it. I got totally lost in the imagery and story

A new author to me I'd like to thank Netgalley for introducing me to him and I shall certainly be looking out for more

Elegantly written & historically well researched, The French emperor's woman has all the ingredients necessary to captivate a reader's attention: a veteran from the Crimean War turned private detective, the kidnapping of a young French boy, the natural son of an emperor, a delicate political intrigue involving the exiled Napoleon III, some rather despicable criminal shenanigans & a doomed romance, all of it taking place in Gravesend & Dover in 1871. So far so good.
But (yes there is a but) I was personally left hungry by the end. I sometimes found the plot too rushed and the characters underveloped as if the author was trying to cram too many stories within "The Story" without giving us enough time to connect all the dots... OK, I just wanted more time with story but I have to commend the author for his delightful imagination & I will definitely follow him in the future!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Matador Books for the opportunity to read this novel prior to its release date.