
Jun 1792 - Aug 1794The Man who Killed the King tells the story of Roger Brook–Prime Minister Pitt's most resourceful secret agent–during the Great Terror when more than a million people perished and the Terrorists found that the guillotine did not work quickly enough. This, the second phase of the French Revolution, opened with the storming of the Tuileries in June, 1792, and in the months that followed, the Liberals were mown down by cannon fire, drowned by the thousand, and flung back into the flames of villages burnt to the ground.And amidst all this brutality and bloodshed, Roger Brook, a Commissar in Revolutionary Paris, faced terrifying hazards trying desperately to rescue Queen Marie Antoinette and other members of the Royal Family from a mob thirsting for revenge...
Roger Brook, a secret agent for Prime Minister Pitt, navigates the lethal political landscape of Revolutionary Paris to protect the French monarchy from the escalating violence of the Great Terror. As a deep-cover operative, Brook must maintain his identity as a Revolutionary Commissar while orchestrating clandestine rescue operations for Marie Antoinette and her family. He faces constant scrutiny from radical factions and the physical threat of the guillotine, operating within a world defined by shifting loyalties and systemic state-sanctioned violence. The narrative follows a linear progression, documenting the high-stakes tension of the French Revolution through the eyes of a man caught between his duty to England and the chaos of the Parisian streets.
Readers frequently highlight the meticulous historical research that grounds the narrative in the specific political climate of the 1790s. Discussion often centers on the balance between the fast-paced espionage elements and the grim, atmospheric depiction of the French Revolution. Critics note that the author successfully maintains a sense of urgency as the protagonist navigates the dangers of the guillotine and the mob. The work is often praised for its ability to place a fictional operative within the framework of actual historical events without sacrificing narrative momentum. Many readers appreciate the focus on the logistical realities of secret service work during a period of extreme social upheaval.
Page Count:
576
Publication Date:
1970-01-01
Publisher:
Arrow Books Limited
ISBN-10:
0090031903
ISBN-13:
9780090031900
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