"The Death of the Imperial Prosecutor", by Frédéric Vitoux: the most emblematic legal case of the early 19th century
Review A successful historical thriller and a fascinating x-ray of the society of the time ★★★★☆
By Didier Jacob
Frédéric Vitoux. LOIC VENANCE / AFP
Latouche, do you know him? Henri de, at your service. Frédéric Vitoux, a former member of the "Nouvel Obs" as you know, and today a member of the Académie française, resurrects the forgotten figure of this whimsical writer who was once a companion of Balzac (but not for long) and who above all chronicled the most emblematic legal affair of the early 19th century: the assassination of the imperial prosecutor Fualdès, who had his throat slit and thrown into the Aveyron one night in 1817. What happened?
With extraordinary brilliance, Vitoux combs through the trial proceedings, traces the leads, and almost questions the witnesses himself. Starting with the mysterious and fascinating Clarisse Manzon, a beautiful liar who was thrown in prison before being acquitted. In short, it's both a historical thriller…
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